185 



in which the sweepings and dust, arising from splitting the leaf, 

 accumulate to a large amount, and are thrown away as useless. I 

 here present two specimens of vegetable wax, extracted from these 

 sweepings, one of which has been melted in hot water. Also the 

 two proximate ingredients, Cereine and Myricine, into which I have 

 separated it, in order to prove its identity. The Cereine is origi- 

 nally deposited in a white gelatinous mass. This I have melted. 



That this wax is the glossy covering which is spread by nature 

 over the surface of the leaf and stem, may be seen on inspecting 

 the two specimens of leaf, one previous to, and the other after my 

 operation to deprive it of the wax. The so called wax of the 

 common Myrica cerifera, as is well known, is a vegetable tallow, 

 containing Stearine and the other ingredients of fat. 



I am of opinion, though without having made any detailed and ex- 

 act experiments, that from these sweepings may be extracted suffi- 

 cient wax to pay a good profit ; for from what I have tried, I can- 

 not imagine the expense would exceed 40 or 50 per cent, of the 

 value of the wax made. It can easily be made of a pure white 

 color. 



Dr. Storer presented from Mr. J. Le Conte a paper entitled 

 "Monograph of American Histeroides," for publication in the 

 Journal. Twenty-five species are characterized as new, viz. : 



P. coarctatum. Elytris striis quatuor integris aequalibus, quinta 

 et suturali abbreviatis, hac breviore. Habitat in provinces Austral- 

 ibus. 



P. gracile. Syn. : Hister frontalis, Say. 



P. attenuatum. Fronte excavato. Elytris striis dorsalibus 

 quatuor primis et suturali integris, quinta e serie punctorum con- 

 stituta. Hab. in prov. Australibus. 



Omalodes borealis. Thorace lateribus punctatis, stria margini 

 valde approximata. Elytris striis dorsalibus quatuor, marginali 

 valde abbreviata, suturali nulla. Tibiis omnibus 4-dentatis. Hab. 

 ad Insulam longum, Nov-Eboraci. 



O. Harrisii. Punctatus. Thorace bistriato, striis integris, ap- 

 proximatis. Elytris striis omnibus integris. Tibiis anticis 4-den- 

 tatis. Hab. in Pennsylvania. 



Hister fcedatus. Syn. : H. melanarius, Dej. Cat. 



H. decisus. Thorace punctatissimo, striis inequalibus. Elytris 



PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. 20* OCT. 1844. 



