69 



exhibited to the Society specimens under the microscope, 

 displaying these appearances. 



Mr. Burnett remarked of those species which hibernate 

 under ground, that he had found that they undergo at once 

 the transition from the Pupa slate to that of perfect insects, 

 as occurs in the diurnal Lepidoptera. He said he thought 

 that a kind of alternation of generation, as it is explained 

 by Sars and Steenstrup, was noticeable in insects. He 

 illustrated his point by a very interesting account of Bom- 

 bus americanus, the American Humble-Bee. His paper 

 concluded with some observations on the distinction between 

 the hibernation of animals, and the Pupa condition of 

 insects. (For the paper in full, see Journal of the Boston 

 Society of Nat. History, Vol. VI. No. 1.) 



Mr. Ayres read a paper on a very curious fish which he 

 exhibited to the Society. It was taken at sea, south of 

 the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, in 42° N. lat. and 50° 

 W. long., by Capt. Porter, of St. Stephens, New Brunswick, 

 and is now in the possession of Miss L. Felt, of Boston. 

 When taken it was in a vertical position, with the snout a 

 little above the surface of the water. It was living, but 

 made no attempt to escape. It somewhat resembles the 

 genus Scopelus, but differs from it in so many particulars 

 as to make a new genus necessary to receive it. From a 

 striking peculiarity, the softness of its bones, Mr. Ayres 

 proposes for the genus the name of Malacosteus, and for 

 the species, from its color, Malacosteus niger. 



Some of its most striking features are the large size of the 

 eye, the great development of the facial and branchial apparatus, 

 making the head appear to be one quarter of the length of the 

 whole body, while the cranium in reality is remarkably small ; 

 the immense gape of the mouth and gills, v/hich is greater than 

 in any other known species ; the long sharp teeth in the lower 

 jaw ; the small fins, indicating slowness of progression ; the 

 absence of scales or any traces of their development; the exist- 

 ence of a singular spot on the cheek, a short distance below 



