8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



"Note on the relations of Synocladia, King (1849) to the proposed 

 genus of Septopora, Prout (1858)." By F. B. Meek and A. H. 

 Worthen. 



The death of Mrs. E. H. Vaux was announced. 



Feb. 8th. 



The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the Chair. 



The death of Caleb S. Hallowell was announced. 

 Notice was given of the publication of the third number of the 

 Proceedings for 1869. 



Feb. 15th. 

 Dr. Bridges in the Chair. 

 Eight members present. 



Feb. TLA. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the Chair. 



Eighteen members present. 



The following gentlemen were elected Members : 



Chas. D. Reed, Jas. S. Martin and Theo. Harrison. 



March 1st. 



The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the Chair. 



The following paper was presented for publication : 

 " Descriptions of new species and genera of Fossils from the Palaeo- 

 zoic Rocks of the Western States." By F. B. Meek and A. H. 

 Worthen. 



Prof. Leidy directed attention to a specimen received from the Smithsonian 

 Institution for examination, which he said was the upper two-thirds of the 

 right humerus of one of the extinct giant sloths, and was obtained in Central 

 America by Capt. J. M. Dow. It agrees so nearly in form, proportions and 

 size with the corresponding portion of the arm-bone of the Mylodon robuslus of 

 Buenos Ayres, as described and figured by Prof. Owen, as to render it probable 

 it may belong to the same species. 



The specimen is unworn, black, not petrified, has no adherent rock ma- 

 trix, and looks as if it had been obtained from alluvial mud. The interior of 

 the shaft presents a long wide cavity, which might be viewed as the medullary 

 cavity were it not that all the known extinct giant sloths have the limb bones 

 solid. There would perhaps have been less hesitation in deciding as to the 

 character of the cavity, were it not that comparatively recently a reverse con- 

 dition was observed in a bone where it would not have been anticipated. A 

 short time ago Mr. James Orton, of Rochester, N. Y., submitted for examination 

 a collection of bones from the valley of Quito, Ecuador, S. A. The specimens 

 were obtained at an altitude of 10,000 feet, and from Mr. Orton's account, were 

 imbedded in a cliff of unstratified silt 400 feet in height. Among the bones, 

 besides those of Horses, Lamas, etc., there was the femur apparently of a 

 Mastodon, but solid or devoid of a medullary cavity. 



[March, 



