263 



vol.7. Reuss liber Kreideschichten, Plates 8 and 14. Of these, 

 the A. magnijica, figured by Reuss, resembles most the present 

 species. Considering, however, that the genera of Edwards have 

 been looked on with some misgiving, by more than one good 

 authority, and particularly in respect to the characters taken 

 from the teeth of lamellte, and the so-called columella, I deemed 

 it safer to leave this species, for the present, among the members 

 of the Genus Astrasa, as received by Dana ; though, at the same 

 time, I feel pretty sure it will have to be removed therefrom, as 

 soon as the classification of polyps is better understood. 



The specimen from which this description was taken was 

 growing on a sponge. The plate was about 2^ inches long, 

 1^ inches broad, and 3 lines thick, at the thickest part. The 

 edges of the plate were in some places very thin. Dr. A. A. 

 Gould thinks the sponge a West Indian species, and this, com- 

 bined with the fact that it was in the same case with Mr. Bart- 

 lett's Florida collection, makes it very probable that this species 

 inhabits Florida. 



The President gave a brief account of some facts 

 noticed during a recent visit to Surinam. 



The committee appointed to consider the expediency 

 of dividing the Department of Crustacea and Radiata, 

 reported in favor of the project, and the report was 

 adopted. 



H. R. Storer, M. D., was elected Curator of Crustacea. 



Messrs. James H. Weeks and George N. Faxon were 

 elected Resident Members. 



DEPAETMENT OP MICROSCOPY. 



Dr. John Bacon exhibited three different forms of oxalate of 

 lime, occurring as a deposit in the urinary secretion, remarking 

 that they were interesting in a pathological point of view, as well 

 as from their chemical relations. They were, first, the ordinary, 

 apparently octohoedral form ; secondly, the rare dumb-bell form ; 



