36 [Apkjl, 



additional observations on the generation of the Opossum, which were 

 read and referred to the Committee on the previous paper, viz : Drs. 

 Morton, Leidy, and Hallowell. 



Dr. Morton also read a letter from Dr. Middleton Michel, of 

 Charleston, S. C, addressed to the Rev. Dr. Bachman, containing some 

 highly interesting " Facts concerning the habits and generation of the 

 Opossum." Referred to the above Committee. 



Mr. Henry C. Lea communicated, for publication in the Journal, a 

 paper entitled " Catalogues of the Tertiary Testacea of the United 

 States ; by Henry C. Lea." Referred to a Committee, consisting of 

 Dr. Morton, Mr. Phillips, and Mr. Conrad. 



Dr. Leidy read a paper, describing a new fossil genus of Ruminan- 

 toid Pachyderms, {Merycoidodon Culhcrtsonii;) which was referred tcJ 

 Drs. Wilson, Morton, and Pickering. 



On motion Resolved, That a copy of the Proceedings, as far as pub- 

 lished, be presented to the Rev. Dr. T. S. Savage. 



On motion, also Resolved, That a copy of the first number of the 

 New Series of the Journal, be presented to M. Fischer de Waldheim. 



Jlpril nth, 1848. 

 Vice President Morton in the Chair. 



Letters M'ere read — 



From Prideaux John Selby, Esq., dated Twizell House, Northum- 

 berland, England, March 14th, 1848, returning acknowledgments for 

 his election as a correspondent : — 



From Richard Brown, Esq., dated Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, 

 N. S., March 1st, 1848, offering for the acceptance of the Academy, a 

 number of interesting coal fossils from that region : — 



From Mr. Joseph Smith, of Amherst, N.S., dated March 29th, 1848, 

 in relation to the " Joggins main seam of Coal " in that vicinity : — 



From the Secretary of the American Philosophical Society, dated 

 April 9th, 1848, acknowledging the receipt of the last number of the 

 Proceedings. 



A letter was read from the Rev. Dr. T. S. Savage, addressed to Dr. 

 Hallowell, dated. Natchez, Miss., Jan. 10, 1848, containing the follow- 

 ing interesting information, in relation to the habits of some specimens 

 of Natural History from Africa, recently presented by the writer to 

 the Society. 



«' It was my intention to have made an earlier communication on the habits of 

 several of the specimens of Natural History, which I sent to the cabinet of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, from Liberia, but having been much occupied in 

 matters of higher moment, I have not found the time to do it, and, even now, I 

 must defer my observations on the ants, &c. 



At the present time, I propose to give a few facts respecting but one specimen 

 of the Saurians, ^of which I send several, some of which I think will prove to 

 be new) and two Ophidians. 



I. Crocodilida, At this distance of time, I cannot say whether I found this 



