ACADEMY OP SCIENCES. 249 



tus Avium Europ., by Dubois, 1872. Procecdin2;3 Acad. Nat. 

 Sciences of Philadelpliia, pp. 73-120. Am. Jour. Arts and Sci- 

 ences, July, 1872. Amer. Naturalist, Aug., 1872. R. Comitato 

 Geologico d' Italiano, Bull. Nos. 3 and 4. Vocabulary of the Utah 

 and Sho-sho-ne or Snake dialects, from the Salt Lake City Museum, 

 through Mr. Turrill. 



Donations to the Museum : Eight specimens of minerals from 

 Utah, by Samuel Purdy, Esq. Specimen of conferva, from the 

 tules, Sacramento river, by C. D. Gibbes. Two aboriginal skulls, 

 specimens of petrifactions, and sample of granite used in the build- 

 ing of the Mormon temple, all from Utah, also iron ore, from 

 Dutch Flat, by C. B. Turrill. 



DeBcription of New Species of Shells from California. 



BY ROBERT E. C. STEARNS. 



Siphonaria Brannani, Stearns. Shell oval, subconical, helcion-shapcd ; apex 

 recurved and somewhat twisted, anterior and sometimes quite in line with mar- 

 gin ; surface of shell irregularly undulating, of a dark brownish color, and 

 marked with numerous fine whitish radiating ribs which crenulate the margin ; 

 shell internally shining, and dark chocolate brown ; muscular impression and 

 siphonal groove distinct. Some specimens are quite irregular in outline, being af- 

 fected in that respect by the inequalities of the surface upon which they are found. 

 Numerous specimens "of this shell were collected at Santa Barbara Island, oflF 

 the southern coast of this State, in the month of June, 1871, by Mr. S. A. L. 

 Brannan, to whom I am indebted for the specimens from which this description 

 is made. The largest of eighteen specimens measures, long. -39, lat. -30 inch, 

 though most of the specimens are much smaller than above dimensions. 



Truncatella Stimpsonii, Stearns. Shell cylindrical, solid, light reddish horn, 

 color, or amber ; shining, slightly decreasing in size towards apex ; closely and 

 strongly longitudinally ribbed, the ribs even, regular and interrupted only by 

 the suture ; upper whorls wanting, remaining whorls, 4 ; aperture oval, some- 

 what oblique, slightly angulated above ; peristome continuous, thickened and 

 moderately angulated at its junction with the body whorl. 



Length of largest specimen, -22 inch ; length of aperture, -06 inch. 



Habitat ; False Bay, near San Diego, California, where numerous speoimrns 

 were detected by Henry Hemphill, Esq. This shell is quite distinct from T. 

 Calif ornica Pfr, the latter having an almost smooth surface. Specimens of T. 

 Stimpsonii are in the cabinets of Messrs. Henry Hemphill, W. G. Binney, and 

 Thomas Bland, the Philadelphia' Academy of Natural Sciences and my own. 



Mr. Stearns informed the Academy of the death of Major Sidney 

 S. Lyon, a well known geologist, who died at his home in Jeflferson- 



