246 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 



of sulphuret of silver. The oxide of iron (xanthosiderite), of a bright yellow 

 color, is common. In some places, as in the Burke mine, the ore is chiefly 

 galena and sulphate of lead. In the deep works of the Meadow Valley, mala- 

 chite is abundant. In all these veins the gangue is quartz, but the oxidation 

 of the metallic sulphurels has destroyed its cohesion, and this quartz is now 

 very easily crushed. 



Mr. Stearns called the attention of the Academy to certain pro- 

 vincial divisions in the marine faunoe of the West Coast of Amer- 

 ica, suggested by Prof. A. E. Verrill, in the transactions of the 

 Connecticut Academy for 1871 ; and remarked more particularly on 

 that part of the coast from Cape St. Lucas, northward, that to 

 divide this portion upon the data at present known, so as to make 

 provinces which shall correspond with those of the Atlantic side, is 

 not warranted by the knowledge possessed at the present time ; 

 that the topography and geology of the portion of the West Ameri- 

 can Coast, specified by him, was much more uniform in its charac- 

 ter, as well as in the temperature of its waters, than a correspond- 

 ing extent of the Atlantic coast, to say nothing of the influence of 

 the coast currents which upon this side are pecuhar and enter 

 largely in the matter of distribution of species ; furthermore, 

 that the MSS. data in his possession which were, to say the least, 

 fully as important as what had already been published, and quite 

 likely more authentic, indicated a greater range for each province, 

 and therefore a less number of provinces than suggested by Prof. 

 Verrill. 



Though much had been done by himself and other members of 

 the Academy co-operating with him in the accumulation of data 

 bearing upon the geographical distribution of the mollusca of our 

 coast, still so much remained to be done, in order to make the 

 work thorough and reliable, that it would be merely arbitrary, and 

 necessarily requiring frequent readjustment, to propose at this time 

 any new divisions or subdivisions of the coast into zoological 

 provinces. 



As to that part of the West Coast of North America from 

 Cape St. Lucas, including the Gulf of California, thence southerly 

 to a point a few miles south of Panama, with the exception of col- 

 lections made at a few places in the Gulf of California, also at San 

 Juan del Sur, and its immediate vicinity on the coast of Nicara- 



