68 



bright red color, but turns black after death. Dredged in the 

 harbor of Edgartovvn, from a depth of four fathoms. 



29. Spongia sulphurea, Desor. A large species, massive, 

 variously crooked and bent, often annular. Surface covered with 

 many scar-like impressions, at the bottom of which are seen 

 small perforations. It is of a bright yellow color when alive, 

 like sulphur, but turns black after death. Found in great abund- 

 ance in the Vineyard Sound at a depth of from six to ten fathoms, 

 attached to stones or old shells. 



Among the twenty species here enumerated, nine only are 

 mentioned in Gould's Report on the Invertebrata of Massachu- 

 setts, seven are entirely new, and four have not been found before 

 on this side of the ocean. Most of the species seem to be caxIu- 

 sive inhabitants of the deep waters, with the exception of the 

 two very common species of Echinoderms, {Echinus granulatus 

 and Asterias ruhens^) which are found at all depths. 



Mr. Desor offered for the acceptance of the Society, the 

 original specimens of the above-described species. 



Mr. Burnett read a long and interesting paper on the 

 " Hibernation of Insects, and its relation to their Metamor- 

 phoses." After some preliminary remarks on the relations 

 of the functions of animal organisms to the season of the 

 year, and the laws regulating the phenomena of hibernation, 

 he carne to the consideration of these law^s as particularly 

 manifested in the economy of insects. In the course of 

 his observations this autumn upon the NoduidtB, he had 

 noticed that the ova of one species, Clisiocampa americana, 

 the common Tent Caterpillar, instead of remaining all win- 

 ter, as has been supposed, exposed to the cold and storms 

 in an undeveloped slate, begin at once to undergo the 

 embryonic changes. He found in every egg which he 

 opened, a young caterpillar with the vitelline sac attached 

 to it, the vitelline duct entering upon the back. He had 

 observed the same thing in several other species of Noctui- 

 dfs, and therefore infers its probable existence in all. He 



