Z PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



The following paper was presented for publication : 

 " List of birds collected in Southern Arizona by Dr. E. Palmer, 

 with remarks by Dr. Elliott Coues, U.S.A." 



E. D. Cope made some observations on some specimens of Vertebrata pre- 

 sented by Wm. M. Gabb, of San Francisco, which were procured by him in 

 western Nevada and the northern part of Lower California. 



Of reptiles were two undescribed species of Boas, thus increasing the 

 species of the Fauna Nearctica to four, all of which belong to the family 

 Lichanuridse Cope. The new species belong to Lichanura Cope, and are 

 thus characterized : L. roseofusca; scales in 36 series, those in the or- 

 bital ring seven or eight, the anterior fused into a large preocular. Loreals 1 

 Color brown above. Belly and especially gular region pink shaded. Length 

 two feet five inches. L. m y r i o 1 e p i s ; scales in 45 rows, those in the or- 

 bital ring of equal size, ten in number; loreals 3 Color leaden blue, with 

 three rusty red bands extending throughout the length, but very indistinct 

 on the anterior half of the body. 



Of mammalia he noticed .a good specimen of the Lagomys princeps, 

 from an elevation of 10,000 feet on the Sierra Nevada, near lat. 32°, a locality 

 about 10° further south for the genus than had been hitherto recorded for 

 this continent. Another interesting species was an Arvicola, allied to the 

 A. modesta of Baird, but not described, from Pigeon Springs, on the 

 eastern boundary line of California, east of Owen's Valley. The characters 

 are as follows : Arvicola c u r t a t a Cope ; one of the smallest species of the 

 genus, differing from A. m o d e s t a in its much shorter hind foot and tail, 

 in the lower anterior molar with two external triangles instead of three, in 

 the very light color, and other points. Ears well developed, the marginal 

 half loosely furred externally; long silky hairs from the meatus within, on 

 the exterior two-thirds. Anterior lower molar with a posterior triangle, 

 three internal and two external triangles, with an open trefoil. Tail vertebrae 

 a Utile shorter than the hind foot, and about one-half the head. Hind foot 

 a little over half the head, and five thirds the length of the fore foot. Some 

 long hairs at the bases of the toes, posterior half of the sole densely hairy. 

 Hair on upper surface of feet very long, concealing the claws. Fur rather 

 long, dense, base dark leaden, followed by a light grey, and light brown tip 

 on the upper parts of head and body ; general resulting color above light 

 greyish brown; below and feet white. 



In. Lin. 



Length to end tail vertebraj 2 9-4 



" head, (slightly crushed) 10-7 



" tail vertebrte 48 



" ear from meatus 2- 



" fore foot 3-8 



" hind foot 6- 



" whiskers 10-8 



On favorable reports of the Committees, the following papers were 

 ordered to be published : 



A Monograph of the ALCID.ZE;. 



BY ELLIOTT COUES, A.M., M.D. 



Assistant Surgeon United States Army. 



"Hinc bonus Moehringivs, boniBrissonivs, Kleinivs, Linnae cet. sedin medio in omnes 

 Veritas et Naturae ordo !" — I'allas. 



The AlcidsR contained in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 Washington ; the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia; the Society of 

 Natural History, Boston; the Essex Institute, Salem ; and in the private cabi- 



[Jan. 



