307 



under the name of Percopsis pellucida, from Lake Champlain 

 and Winooski River, is identical with Percopsis guttatus Agass. 

 from Lake Superior. The former being merely a younger speci- 

 men. The genus Salmoperca corresponds with Percopsis. 



The Secretary read a letter, addressed to Dr. Durkee, 

 dated, Wentworth, N. H., May 20, 1850, from Mr. L S. 

 Davis, describing a phenomenon which had come under his 

 own observation in the winter of 1845, as follows: — 



On the first Monday of December, 1845, I was passing 

 from Piermont to Wentworth in my wagon, there being no snow 

 when I left home. After proceeding about two and a half miles 

 towards Wentworth, I noticed that the snow in the road was 

 thickly scattered over with what I supposed were oats ; but 

 noticing that there was no track of any kind in the road before 

 me, I said (audibly, I think,) how could oats be scattered here ? 

 It cannot be, for no one has been along here since the snow fell. 

 So strange was the appearance that I determined to ascertain, if 

 I could, what it was. I sfepped down from my wagon and took 

 several in my hand which were lying straight on the snow ; but 

 in three seconds after touching my warm hand, they coiled up 

 into a ring, as worms do in summer when taken from the tree or 

 bush. I took up several at different times to ascertain if they 

 would all coil up, and the result was the same in each instance. 



I found, on taking the worms into my hand, that they were 

 larger than oats. They were about one inch and a quarter 

 long, about one tenth of an inch in diameter in the middle, and 

 tapering a little each way from the centre. The color was a 

 brownish green. The worm was covered with an extremely 

 short, fine hair, and had, I think, twelve legs. 



The worms lay on the snow when I first observed them, about 

 as thick as oats are sowed on a field, but the quantity diminished 

 as I passed along. The snow was falling at the time, and in 

 consequence covered up many of them. I observed some few 

 scattered along over a space of at least five miles. After riding 

 about one mile from where I first discovered the worms, I 

 called on a gentleman, in whom every one who knows him, 

 reposes the fullest confidence as a man of iruih, and requested 



