338 



called excrescence of the Musk Ox, alluded to by Dr. Wyman, is 

 evidently an artificial mixture, principally of vegetable origin. 

 The specimen was given to him by Samuel T. Dana, Esq., and 

 was supposed to have come from Chinese Tartary. It may be 

 considered a fine specimen of factitious drug manufacture, in 

 which art the Chinese excel other nations. 



The characters of the contained substance are the following : 

 color, brownish-black ; fracture, even ; full of bubble-cavities, in 

 some of which white rounded granules were contained. These 

 granules were palm-starch, apparently. 



The brown-black mass dissolved in water almost wholly, and 

 had the odor of cloves. It contained gum and some tannic 

 acid, being an extract from the acacia bark, or a similar pro- 

 duction. The musklike odor of the envelop is not present in the 

 interior. 



Dr. A. A. Hayes exhibited two war weapons, from the 

 west coast of Africa, made by the natives. He called 

 attention to the peculiar texture of the iron, forming the, 

 blades of these weapons. It was traversed by flaws, 

 which extended deeply into the iron, presenting the same 

 appearance as that produced when the native iron of 

 Africa is heated and subsequently hammered. The iron 

 contained no steel, but had been hardened by condensa- 

 tion under the hammer. 



Mr. C. J. Sprague exhibited specimens of Spiloccea 

 fructig-ena^ Schw., and Asteroma pomig^ena, Schw., and 

 remarked upon them as follows : — 



These two funguses are very common upon apples in the 

 winter season, appearing to select no particular variety. The 

 Spilocoea fructiffena appears at first in small black patches under- 

 neath the skin. As it increases in size, it ruptures the skin and 

 invades the surrounding parts, leaving a mottled black and brown 

 scar, which sometimes extends over half the fruit, checking its 

 growth, and rendering the side it affects partially abortive. The 

 circumference of the scar is marked by a deeper and fresher 



