42 



solitary remnant of the individual, and as no other trace has 

 been found of the existence of this species in North Ameri- 

 ca, much doubt is thrown upon the fact of its discovery in 

 tlie alleged locality. 



The President's remarks led to a general conversation on the 

 importance of using great caution in fixing the true locality of 

 specimens in scientific collections. Prof. Agassiz laid great 

 stress upon it. Fie said, the name of the locality should be in- 

 delibly inscribed upon every specimen as soon as it is received, 

 even if its scientific name be as yet unknown. By this simple 

 act great confusion and doubt might be sometimes avoided. He 

 said, that he had had for several years in his possession a very 

 interesting fossil fish, MaUotus villosus, which he had received 

 without any mention of the locality from which it had been ob- 

 tained. This fish was of great geological importance, as it was 

 the only instance of a Fossil being identical with a living species. 

 On visiting Dublin several years after it came into his possession, 

 he was shown other specimens of the same fish, and learnt their 

 singular history. They were brought from Iceland, on the 

 shores of which large numbers of them are annually destroyed 

 and converted into this state by volcanic disturbances, by which 

 they are killed and buried in the mud, and become petrifactions. 

 Prof. Agass z,and Drs. Gould and Cabot, all mentioned instances 

 of specimens of Natural History having been brought from local- 

 ities where they were said to have been found, but which must 

 have been previously carried there from other localities. 



Prof. Agassiz had recently made some observations on 

 the structure of the Foot in the embryo of birds, which he 

 thought would throw new light on the classification of birds, 

 and perhaps call for radical changes in the system now in 

 use. He had examined the feet of the embryo of Turdus 

 migratorius, Hirundo riparia, Sylvia cestiva, and Frin- 

 gilla melodia, and found the following appearances in all. 



The four toes, which in the mature bird are separate, three 

 being directed forwards and one backwards, are in this state all 

 directed forwards, and webbed. There is as yet no trace of 

 bone in them, there are only rows of cartilaginous cells in the 



