34 



The decease of the Rev. Adam Sedgwick, at Cambridge, 

 England, Jan. 28, aged 88, was announced by the Secretary. 



The decease of M. F. A. Pouchet, at Rouen, Dec. 6th, 1872, 

 aged 74, was announced by the Secretary. 



The decease of Mr. Joshua Francis Fisher, at Philadelphia, 

 January 21st, 1873, aged 68, was announced by Mr. Cresson. 



Prof. Cope communicated a note on two new Perisso- 

 dactyles, from Wyoming Territory. 



Dr. Horn communicated a paper on the Classification of 

 Coleoptera, by G. R. Crotch, M.A. 



Prof. Chase communicated some newly-observed mathe- 

 matical relationships between the orbits of the planets. 



Dr. Cresson exhibited a graduated condenser for the 

 spectroscope, in which the condensation surface is enlarged 

 or diminished gradually and easily, instead of in large in- 

 crements or decrements. 



Dr. Allen described some of the results of his investiga- 

 tions into the fundamental types of Aztec and other pictorial 

 writing, and followed the type forms in their course through 

 various and curious modifications, resulting in otherwise 

 unintelligible figures. He illustrated the process of change 

 by the Crotaloid curve (rattlesnake mouth), the rattlesnake 

 rattle, the full-face and profile human skull, the human 

 figur.e, &c, reduced in one direction to their simplest linear 

 elements, and in the other developed into bizarre combina- 

 tions. 



Dr. Goodwin spoke of the value of such researches, in 

 which the principles of organic change, studied by com- 

 parative zoologists, are applied to the morphology of litera- 

 ture. 



Dr. Brinton added his testimony to the novelty and im- 

 portance of Dr. Allen's researches, and gave instances to 

 illustrate both its necessity and its difficulty. He believed 

 that Dr. Allen had discovered the true method of explaining 

 the American picture-writing. 



The meeting was then adjourned. 



