March, 1843.] 251 



STATED MEETING, March 14, 1843. 

 Yice President Morton in the Chair. 



WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS. 



Mr. Phillips read a communication -addressed to the 

 Academy, from Mr. John G. Anthony, of Cincinnati, Ohio, 

 dated February 19, 1843, of which the following is a 

 portion. 



" By the published transactions of the American Philo- 

 sophical Society for 16th December last, I perceive that 

 Mr. Lea has described twelve species of Melania from 

 Alabama and Tennessee. One of these, under the name 

 of ' M. excisa,' he proposes to erect into a new genus, under 

 the name of 'Schizostoma,' on account of the deep slit in 

 the lip. Having possessed specimens from the same 

 localities for some time past, embracing, as I believe, seven 

 or eight species of this proposed genus, I have referred 

 them to Swainson's genus, 'Melatoma,' founded, as he 

 states, ' upon a Shell sent him many years ago by his old 

 friend Professor Eafinesque, and which, he says, has the 

 general form of Pleurotoma melafusus, with a well 

 defined sinus or cleft near the top of the outer lip.' I have 

 mentioned this with a view to call the attention of the 

 members to it, and to have the question of nomenclature 

 settled correctly. I have, within two months past, received 

 one species of this genus from Dr. Mighels, of Portland, 

 Maine, under the name of 'Apella scissura.' " 



The communication was accompanied by a second and 

 corrected edition of his Catalogue of the Terrestrial and 

 Fluviatile Shells of Ohio. 



Mr. Cassin read a paper intended for publication, and 

 entitled "A Description of several new and rare Birds from 

 the Kocky Mountains and California, by William Gambel:" 



