NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 157 



June 2od. 

 The President, Mr. Lea, in the Chair. 



Eighteen members present. 



The following were presented for publication: 



Additions to a Catalogue of Stars which have changed their colors. 

 By Jacob Ennis. 



Descriptive enumeration of a collection of Fishes from the western 

 coast of Central America. By Theodore Gill. 



Enumeration of the Fish described and figured by Parra, scientifically 

 named by Felipe Poey. Translated and edited by J. C Brevoort. 



Descriptions des Poissons nouvelles ou peu connues. Par M. Felipe 

 Poey. 



June 307A. 



The President, Mr. Lea, in the Chair. 



Twelve members present. 



The Committee on Proceedings presented the published No. for 

 April and May, 1863. 



On report of the respective committees, the following papers were 

 ordered to be published in the Proceedings : 



Descriptions of four new species of SPERMOPHILTJS, in the collections 

 of the Smithsonian Institution. 



BY ROBERT KENNICOTT. 



Spermophilus mollis. 



Length about 6-50 inches, vertebrae of tail 1-70 inches ; tail to end of hairg 

 2-60 inches. Form rather stout, with the head small and the muzzle short and 

 compressed. Ears rudimentary, the auricle only about one-twentieth of an 

 inch high, and scarcely distinguishable in dried specimens. Feet rather large, 

 with the claws very weak, much compressed and considerably curved. Tail 

 much flattened, the central hairs above and below short and closely appressed, 

 the outer ones longer and distended laterally. The hair clothing the body i3 

 remarkably fine and soft. The upper parts are finely variegated silvery-gray, 

 light yellowish-brown, and black; these colors intimately and uniformly mixed 

 throughout, without any indication of spots whatever. Under parts silvery- 

 gray, with a slight wash of dirty creamy yellow. Tail above yellowish-brown, 

 slightly mixed with black, with a distinct and prominent border and tip of 

 white ; beneath reddish-brown within the white border. 



Though very different in coloration, this species is nearly related to S. 

 towns endii and the Asiatic S. guttatus. 

 Camp Floyd and Rocky Mountains, Utah, C. Drexler and C. S. McCarthy. 



Spermophilus obsoletos. 



Length of head and body about 6 inches ; vertebrae of tail one-third as long ; 

 tail with hairs usually less than one-half as long. Form that of Sp. spilosoma, 

 except that the head is much narrower, the nose longer and less pointed, and 

 the tail shorter. Ears very small ; auricle scarcely one-tenth of an inch in 

 height. Upper parts dull san'dy-gray, slightly grizzled with white and with 

 indications posteriorly of indistinct light spots, the black posterior borders of 

 which form prominent transverse black spots ; the light spots more distinct 



1863.] 



