138 JZoological Society. 



He will see at page 39, vol. i. seven authorities given for the fact, 

 that a saline solution may be evaporated to dryness ; and at page 1 1 , 

 vol. i., Blair's Chronological Tables quoted as " confirmation strong " 

 of a statement made in the book of Genesis. 



And, lastly, if he be still bent on reading the book, we will hint to 

 him a method, by which he may read almost the whole, and yet de- 

 rive much edification. Our secret is, to read only the extracts from 

 other authors. Mr. Ritchie has copiously employed the scissors, 

 and his work is the reverse of amber, being chiefly valuable for the 

 fragments which it contains. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



January 22, 1850.— Matthew Truman, Esq., M.D., in the Chair. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Description of a new species of Chrysodomus, 



from the mouth of the mackenzie river. 



By J. E. Gray, Esa., F.R.S. etc 



Sir John Richardson, M.D., on his return from the Arctic search- 

 ing expedition, kindly presented to the Museum a series of shells 

 which he had collected between the mouth of the Mackenzie River 

 and Cape Parry : several of them were broken by the extreme cold 

 during the wintering of the expedition at Great Bear Lake. 



The collections consisted of the new Chrysodomus here described, 

 and the following species, which are exactly similar to the species 

 brought home by Ross, Parry, and the other arctic voyagers from 

 Baffin's Bay, and are interesting as showing that these species are 

 found more than half-way towards the Northern Pacific Ocean ; viz. 



Saxicava arctica. Very like S. rugosa, but larger. 



Hiatella arctica. Very large size, with the hinge-teeth almost 

 entirely obliterated. 



Mya truncata. 



Glycimeris siliqua. All young. 



Cardium Groenlandicum. On the shores. 



Crassina semisulcata, Leach, not Miiller. In the mouth of the 

 river : eaten by the birds. 



Buccinum glaciate. 



The egg of a large species oi Natica was abundant on the sands, 

 probably N. ampullaria, Lamk.? 



Chrysodomus Heros. 



Shell elongate ; spire conical, longer than the mouth ; whorls con- 

 vex, two or three upper with a strong central keel, rest with irregularly 

 placed distant rounder tubercles, the last rounded, not keeled ; throat 

 white. 



Var. 1 . Whorls as with a strong, central, continuous keel ; the last 

 slightly nodulose. 



( 



