286 [April, 



in the United States, with descriptions of new species ;" both of which 

 were referred to Mr. Haldeinan, Dr. Leidy, and Mr. Guex. 



Mr. Durand presented for publication in the Journal, a paper entitled 

 il Plantae Prattenianire Californicse, an enumeration of a collection of Cali- 

 fornia plants, made in the city of Nevada by Henry Pratteu, of New 

 Harmony, Indiana, with critical notices and descriptions of such of them 

 as are new or yet unpublished in America." Referred to Dr. Bridges, 

 Dr. Zantzinger, and Mr. Kilvington. 



Mr. Cassin presented a paper for publication in the Proceedings, from 

 Dr. T. Charlton Henry, U. S. A., entitled "Notes derived from obser- 

 vations made on the Birds of New Mexico, during the years 1853 and 

 1851," which was referred to Mr. Cassin, Col. MeCall and Dr. Wilson. 



Dr. Leidy read letters from Dr. Ruschenberger, dated Rio Janeiro, 



and Valparaiso , transmitting donations of objects of 



Natural History for the Museum, and giving some interesting information 

 relative to the state of Natural Science in Brazil. 



Dr. Le Conte mentioned that a female cat in his possession having 

 been impregnated by a male of the tailless variety of cat, found in the 

 Isle of Man, had produced in her first litter two kittens, one of which 

 had a tail of half the usual length, while the other was entirely desti- 

 tute of all caudal appendage ; by a subsequent impregnation the same 

 female brought forth three kittens, two of which were similar in form to 

 the mother, while the third resembled the father in the absence of a tail. 

 Another young female, impregnated by the same male, brought forth 

 in her first litter four kittens, in all of which the tail was completely 

 absent. Dr. Le Conte proposed from time to time to furnish the Acade- 

 my with the history of the increase of this interesting family, as it fur- 

 nished a very convenient method of determining whether the physical 

 characters of the male or female are most frequently transmitted to the off- 

 spring. Dr. Le Conte mentioned also that the existence of this curious 

 ecaudate variety of the domestic cat had not been sufficiently noticed 

 by naturalists ; and that even its existence was alluded to in very few r 

 of the works thus far published. A corresponding, or very nearly 

 similar variety was known in Japan, and, as already mentioned in the 

 letters from Dr. Ruschenberger read this evening, had been brought 

 thence by the Japan Expedition under Com. Perry, which had recently 

 returned. 



Mr. Band remarked relative to the specimen of Uranite, presented this 

 evening, that although not remarkable as a specimen of this rare mineral, 

 it was interesting as being from a new locality which is now thought to 

 be exhausted. He believed that there are but three other localities of 

 this mineral known in the United States. The specimen is from the 

 western side of the Schuylkill near the Fairmount dam ; this locality 

 was discovered some two years ago by his brother Theodore D. H. Band, 

 who procured' quite a quantity of the mineral before the locality was 

 exhausted. After analysis, he sent a description of the locality to the 

 American Journal of Science and Arts. It was not noticed in that 



