346 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



sub-brevioribus ; floribus subterminalibus magnis purpureis ; bacca 

 subelobosa ; seminibus tuberculatis. 



"El Paso, southward to the Sandhills; fl. April. — Stem 5-6 

 inches high ; spines 4-8 lines long ; flower 2^-3 inches long. 

 Similar to C. dasy acanthus, from which it is distinguished by the 

 fewer ribs, fewer and stouter spines, purple flowers, smaller fruit, and 

 larger seed. This species is intermediate between the Pectinati and 

 Decaloplii. 



" After Opuntia setispina, p. 294 : — 



" O. Pes Corvi, Le Conte, Mss. : articulis parvis tei-etiusculis ; pul- 

 villis subconfertis setas paucas breves graciles flavidulas gerentibus 

 plerisque armatis ; aculeis binis ternisve gracilibus scepe basi com- 

 pressis tortisque ; flore flavo minore. 



" Sandy coast of Georgia, Major Le Conte, and Florida, Dr. Chap- 

 man. — Joints not much over an inch long, and half as thick. Spines 

 1 - 1 J inches long, straight and slender. Flower H inches in di- 

 ameter. Ovary only with 5 areolae ; stigmas 5. — In the shape of 

 the joints this curious little species resembles O. fragilis, but in 

 other respects it seems intermediate between O. vulgaris and O. 

 tenuispina.'''' 



Professor Agassiz addressed the Academy on the general 

 characters of Orders in the classification of the animal king- 

 dom. Orders, he said, are natural groups characterized by 

 complication of structure. There are groups, however, con- 

 stituting orders, which do not come under this definition ; 

 hence he concludes that the different classes of the animal 

 kingdom do not all admit of the same divisions. Professor 

 Agassiz illustrated his views by the different orders of Echino- 

 derms. In conclusion, he remarked, that orders are of differ- 

 ent kinds, some synthetic, some prophetic, others graduated. 



After nomination by the Council, — 



Laurens P. Hickok, D. D., President of Union College,, 

 Schenectady, was elected an Associate Fellow in the Section 

 of Philosophy and Jurisprudence. 



Dr. George B. Wood and Dr. Isaac Hays, both of Phila- 

 delphia, were elected Associate Fellows in the Section of 

 Medicine and Surgery. 



