356 proceedings op the academy of [1880. 



November 16. 



The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 



Fortj^-two persons present. 



The death of Alexander Wilcocks, M. D., a member, was an- 

 nounced. 



The following was unanimously adopted : 



Resolved — That the thanks of the Academy of Natural Sciences 

 of Philadelphia be presented to Mrs. Isaac Hays for Waugh's 

 excellent portrait of the late President, Isaac Hays, M. D., whose 

 labors and influence during more than sixty 3'ears contributed 

 largely to promote the interests of the society. 



Dioscism in Andromeda Cateshsei, Walter. — Mr. Thos. Meehan 

 remarked that in 1861 he had reported to the Academy the 

 dittjcism of Epigaea^ and he believed this had stood so far the 

 only case of unisexualit}^ reported in the whole of the large order 

 Kricacepe. He said he had now to add another in Andromeda 

 Gatesbsei of Walter, of which he exhibited specimens gathered last 

 year on the Catawba River, in North Carolina. In the course of 

 mau}'^ days' journeyings he had the opportunit}' of examining num- 

 erous plants in many different districts, and they were all either 

 wholly sterile or wholly fertile in separate plants, as in the speci- 

 mens exhibited. Occasionally, as often seen in dioecious plants, 

 a few capsules would be found on the sterile plants, but he could 

 not say whether the seeds in them were perfect. 



Mr. Redfield inquired whether Mr. Meehan had examined the 

 flowers, and found intermediate stages of development in the 

 sexual organs ? 



Mr. Meehan replied, that the plants were out of flower when 

 observed ; that it was the abundant fertility in some plants, and 

 absolute sterility in others that had attracted his attention. From 

 the remains of the few faded flowers he could And on the plants 

 the stamens appeared perfect on the staminate plant, with no trace 

 of pistil or ovarium, while in the fertile plants no trace of stamens 

 could be found about the remains, though it is probable from 

 analogy in Epigfiea^ these organs in the fresh flowers would be 

 found to exist in a rudimentary state. 



On Fresh-water Sponges. — Mr. Potts, continuing the subject of 

 American forms of fresh-water sponges treated of some weeks ago, 

 said that the number of species noticed during the few months in 

 which they had claimed his attention gave some reason to believe 

 that the Order Spongida has many more representatives in our 

 fresh waters than has been generally supposed. 



