1856.] 161 



Septemher Id, 1856. 

 Mr. Le.\, Vice President, in the Chair. 



Letters were read 



From the Canadian Institute, dated Toronto, C. W., July 25th, 

 1856, transmitting the Canadian Journal for 1856, and desiring ex- 

 change. Referred to the Committee on Proceedings. 



From F. V. Hayden, dated Fort Union, July 10th, 1856, acknow- 

 ledging his election as Correspondent. 



From B. F. Shumard, Secretary of the Academy of Science of St. 

 Louis, dated July oOth, 1858, acknowledging the receipt of copies of 

 the Journal and Proceedings of the Academy, and enclosing a resolu- 

 tion of thanks adopted by the Academy at St. Louis. 



From the Boston Society of Natural History, dated June 26th, 

 1856, acknowledging the receipt of the Proceedings of the Academy, 

 (Vol. 8, No. 1, Title and Index,) and the Journal, (N. S. Vol. 3, 

 part 2.) 



From the Librarian of the British Museum, acknowledging the re- 

 ceipt of the Proceedings of the Academy, (Vol. 6, Nos. 7, 12, and Vol. 

 7, No. 1.) 



From F. A. Sauvalle, dated Havana, June 2, 1856, transmitting a 

 collection of shells. 



From the Royal Society of Sciences of Liege, dated Bonn, April 

 20th, 1856, transmitting their Memoirs, acknowledged this even- 

 ing- 



From the Natural History Union of Prussian Rhineland and West- 

 phalia, dated March 24:th, 1856, transmitting their publications 

 acknowledged this evening. 



Dr. Leidy read a paper entitled, " Notice of some Remains of Extinct 

 Vertebrated Animals, by Joseph Leidy, M. D.," which was referred 

 to a committee consisting of Dr. T. B. Wilson, Dr. Le Conte, and Mr. 

 Haldeman. 



Mr. Ashmead stated that, he had observed during the past summer 

 an unusual scarcity of marine algae at Beesley's Point, some species 

 usually found in shallow waters having entirely disappeared. Mr. A. 

 attributed this to the intense cold of last winter causing the shallow 

 bays and ponds to be frozen to the bottom. When the ice broke up, 

 the seaweed adhering to it would be carried away. Whole beds of 

 planted oysters were thus lost. The Heterodon Platyrhynus, generally 

 very abundant, was this year almost extinct. Dr. Leidy stated that he 

 had been informed by the fishermen, that immense numbers of crabs 

 were destroyed by the cold, so that this season they were quite scarce. 

 Mr. Haldeman had observed numbers of evergreens killed by the win- 

 ter's cold. 



PROCEED. ACAD. STAT. SCI. OF PHILADELPHIA, VOL. VIII. NO. V. 13 



