225 



selected^ from the haunts of crime and poverty, more diseased 

 and debilitated individuals, than were presented by this acci' 

 dental assemblage of the victims of a broken law of Nature. 



Such facts and sights as the above convince me that Hybridity 

 is a true test of specific difference ; and that admixture of spe- 

 cies, in man or animals, must end, sooner or later, in deteriora- 

 tion and extinction — very soon, if unmixed with the pure stocks, 

 and later, if thus mixed, — that, at any rate, extinction of the 

 hybrid race is its doom, either by death or absorption into the 

 parent races. For wise purposes, which we can know but im- 

 perfectly, the Creator permits, as we see, different races of men 

 and animals to produce fertile offspring inter se ; thus far, and 

 no farther, can man go in his attempts to mingle species, which 

 change perceptibly within narrow limits, and then perish, or 

 return to their origin. One of the consequences of the above 

 opinion is, that the genus Homo consists of several species. 



Dr. Durkee stated, that as there had been discussions 

 upon the manner in which the common earth-worm makes 

 its appearance in reservoirs in the open air, he would say 

 that he had recently observed an earth-worm ascending 

 eight or ten inches, and then descending, by a motion of 

 portions of its body at a time, evidently adhering to the 

 sides of the reservoir by means of its glutinous excretion. 

 This is only one instance, and he would not pretend that 

 the occurrence is always to be explained in this manner. 



Dr. C. T. Jackson, after giving the names of some minerals 

 to be presented to the Society, remarked, that there were pecu- 

 liar appearances belonging to minerals from any given locality, 

 in shade, color, or other properties, which would, in many 

 instances, enable an experienced mineralogist at once to decide, 

 by a simple examination of the specimens, from what locality 

 they had been taken. These appearances could not be given in 

 text-books, but might be learned in the cabinet and in the field. 



Dr. Jackson also remarked upon the laws of association in 

 minerals, as existing in all countries, irrespective of latitude or 

 longitude. Certain minerals generally accompany each other ; 



PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. VOL. V. 15 OCTOBER, 1855. 



