1 882. 153 Trans. N. Y. Ac. Sci. 



of the deeply-rooted belief in witchcraft, etc., that is to be found 

 there, even where the people have taken on the externals of civil- 

 ization. She proposed the question whether, in view of the 

 credence given to spiritualism and the hke among our own people, 

 the claim of a great advance in culture and enlightenment, from 

 these ruder, but kindred, superstitions, could be consistently main- 

 tained. 



Dr. Beard replied that, as regards spiritualism, it is precisely as 

 Mrs. Smith had said, a manifestation of the same kind ; but the 

 superstition is of a milder type, lacking the ferocious and tragical 

 features that belong to the witchcraft delusion, and herein lies the 

 advance and the improvement. 



Several other members discussed various aspects of the paper of 

 Dr. Beard. 



April lo, 1882. 

 The President, Dr. J. S. Newberry, in the Chuir. 

 Thirty-five persons present. 



The Secretary referred to the arrival, a day or two before, of 

 the remarkably large African elephant, " Jumbo," sold from the 

 London Zoological Gardens, on account of supposed vicious dis- 

 position. He noted certain of the differences between the two spe- 

 cies of elephants, the African and the Asiatic — the former being 

 reported as generally larger, and also readily distinguished by the 

 great size of the ears. 



The President commented on the same subject, and illustrated 

 by blackboard drawings the distinctive features of the teeth in the 

 two species. The teeth of the Asiatic elephant, like those of our 

 American fossil species, are crossed by parallel ridges of enamel 

 and dentine ; while in the African elephant the plates are waved 

 in such wise as to produce not parallel, but lozenge-shaped ridges 

 on the crown of the tooth. 



Mr. F. G. Weichmann then read a paper entitled : 



FUSION- structures IN METEORITES. 

 (Abstract.)'' 

 After referring in general to the peculiar interest which attaches to 

 meteorites, and the uncertainty as to their real nature which is still felt 



*This paper is printed in full in the Annals of the Academy, Vol. II, No. 10. 



