James.] 210 [April. 



which, on motion, was referred to a committee consisting of 

 Professor Kendall, Dr. Ruschenberger, and Dr. Hayden. 



Mr. T. P. James called the attention of the Society to the 

 second edition of the " Musei Boreali-Americani sive speci- 

 mina exsiceata muscorum in Americae Rebuspublicis Foede- 

 ratis detectorum, conjunctis studiis W. S. SuUivant et S. Les- 

 quereux," which he took pleasure in exhibiting as the labor 

 of fellow members, remarking that the set comprised 536 

 species and varieties, together with 123 duplicate packets, 

 displaying a rare collection of the Bryological flora of North 

 America, including of course the California mosses described 

 by Mr. Lesquereux, and published in the thirteenth volume 

 of the Transactions of the Society, exquisitely put up ; the 

 merit of which, he said, did not consist solely in the beauty of 

 the specimens, but in the accuracy of the nomenclature, ema- 

 nating as they do, from a source that is authority on this 

 subject. 



The time consumed in collecting and preparing so many 

 plants, all carefully, critically, and microscopically investi- 

 gated, is illy requited by the price fixed for disposal, viz., 

 thirty-five dollars in gold. 



Mr. James embraced the opportunity to show two impor- 

 tant works on the same subject recently published by Mr. 

 Sullivant, — one in elephant folio, accurately describing the 

 Musci of the Wilkes' U. S. Exploring Expedition, and elabo- 

 rately depicting fifty-six new species on twenty-six plates, 

 each highly magnified, and with complete analysis. The 

 other, the " Icones muscorum," in royal octavo, describing 

 and figuring mosses peculiar to North America, not heretofore 

 figured, embraced on 129 copper-plate engravings, in like 

 manner produced in the highest state of the art of engraving. 



Mr. James thought it a fitting occasion thus to present and 

 allude to the rapid strides that science was making in this 

 direction, owing almost solely to the energy of those two 

 gentlemen, who have devoted so much valuable time, skill, 

 and means to its advancement. 



Mr. Peale exhibited permanent soap-bubbles, made from 

 oleate of soda and glycerine. 



