149^ 



Mr. H. R. Storer presented a living specimen of Sala- 

 mandra fasciata from the Blue Hills, Mass., — it being the 

 second specimen only that had been seen by any naturalist 

 in Massachusetts, — and a living S. erythronota from the 

 same locality. Mr. Storer also presented, in behalf of Dr. 

 W. I. Burnett, the follo\\ing Reptiles from South Carolina, 

 namely : Elaps fulvius, Coluber gutiatus, Psammophis fla- 

 geUiformis, Heterodon niger, H. plaiyrhiiios, H. scimus(l), 

 Tropidolepis undulntus, Anolius Carolincnsis, Ameiva sex- 

 lineata, Lygosoma lateralis, Rana halecina, Hylodes gryllus, 

 Plethodon glutinosus, Notophihahnus viridesceiis. 



Mr. C. A. Spencer of Canastota, N. Y., was elected i Cor- 

 responding member. 



August :20, 1851. 



Dr. C. T. Jackson, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Prof. Wyman exhibited a preparation of the brain and 

 spinal cord of the Lophius Americanus Cuvier, commonly 

 known as the Goose-fish. 



The spinal cord of this fish presents some interesting anato- 

 mical peculiarities, which have been quite differently described 

 by different anatomists. In consequence of an early erroneous 

 description having been generally copied without any attempt to 

 verify it, it seems to have been very generally admitted that the 

 spinal cord in these fishes is quite short, terminating in front of 

 the middle of the spinal canal. 



Wagner, in speaking of the spinal cord of fishes in general, 

 says : " occasionally it is very short in those fishes, Orthagoris- 

 cus, Lophius piscatorius, that are provided with a short trun- 

 cate vertebral column." {Camp. Anat. Verteb. Animals, p. 214.) 



Arsaky, who may be regarded as an accurate anatomist, 

 " has ascertained, (as stated by Longet,) that in the Baudroie, 



