40 



Coal, and impressions of leaves, &c, from the 

 head waters of Sau Fvaucisquito Creek, San 

 Francisco County. 



Dr. Behr exhibited a Willow of singular form- 

 ation, each male anient being bifid or trifid ; it 

 is closely allied to Sa/ix caprea, perhaps a new 

 species. 



Dr. Kellogg exhibited specimens with four 



drawings illustrating the different species of Tris 



now in blossom near this city : /. sambucina, and 

 two other forms not yet named. 



Dr. Trask presented a specimen of a new Am- 

 monite from Arbuckle's Diggings, Shasta Coun- 

 ty, with the following desciptiou of that fossil. 

 Vm.momtks Batesii, — Trask. 



Shell thin : discoidal, and orbicular ; three and 

 one-half convolutions, each smaller one of which 

 is unconcealed by the larger; convolutions nearly 

 round: slightly undulating well defined costs on 

 each whorl, which appear uninterrupted, and on 

 the last convolution are about one-tenth of an 

 inch asunder; the ribs become more approximate 

 toward the ventral portion of the whorl ; bi I 

 the larger ribs are seen smaller divergent t; j. J ; - 

 mentary costse which appear to converge about 

 midway from the dorsum to the sides of (1 

 whorl: siphon ventral ; dorsum round; septa ar- 

 borescent; umbilicus perforate; greatest diame- 

 ter four and three tenth- inchest Aperture one 

 and two tenths inches. 



This specimen is presented by Dr. Bates, mem- 

 ber of the Assembly from Shasta City, and is 

 liarly interesting as exhibiting the broad ex- 

 tent over which the secondary rocks are spread 

 in the northern part of the Stan;. In th • month 

 of November I discovered the equivalents of this 

 group about forty miles to theeasl ol the lo 

 from which this specimen was taken, and of which. 

 mention is made in myreporl for 1855 to the 

 -laline. under the head of CurbonifeOUS Lime- 

 stone The developement of tin al beds iu the 



latter locality since thai time, and the occurrence 

 ol coals among the rocks, from which the speci- 

 men beiore you was taken leads to pleasant an- 

 ticipations, thai the time is not Ear distant when 

 this State will produce an ample supply of thi^ 

 desirable material for domestic consumption. 

 The specimens from east of the Sacramento with 



Msil before you from the mountains wi 

 thai stream, place the question of the existence of 

 the ixml bearii in this State beyond the 



shade ol doubt I would utate in connect with 



mbjei-1 that there are e\ id. a ,. same 



•t with iu theconnty of El Dorado. 



bul I speak with absolute certainty 



on that point, u ciinens thus far found arc 



small and Ir.ii'Uieiilary. 



ealli T - 



Dr. Wm. 0. Ayres presented specimens of 

 Gasterosteus plcbeim, Gir., brought from San 

 Jose by the Rev. Mr. Douglas. They were ta- 

 ken in a stream formed by the water flowing from 

 Artesian Wells, and are believed by many per- 

 sons of that vicinity to have issued from the 

 wells. But inasmuch as this little Stickleback is 

 very abundant in all the salt and brackish marsh- 

 es of the Day of San Francisco, their presence 

 in the locality where they were' taken may be 

 much more readily accounted for, ou the supposi- 

 tion that they had ascended the streams by which 

 the waters of the wells are discharged into tin 

 Day. They have none of the features which be- 

 long to the fishes inhabiting subterranean regions. 

 Dr. \yre< also presented a specimen of a 

 Flounder, representing a new form, with the fol- 

 lowing d ■scription. 



I'i. itessa mi.iNBATA, —Ayres. 

 /' rwi oval, the dorsal and abdominal out! 

 marly symmetrical ; depth a little less than 

 '.j the entire length. Leir.lh ol the hi ad contained 

 ffh uol quite lour times. 

 ■ tiug somewhat, nol being continuous in di 

 on with the descending line ol the nape. 

 Eyes large, elliptical, their longitudinal diann 

 tor contained tliree and a half time I I nglli 

 of the head : situated on the ri rhl side ; a strong 

 prominent ridge separating the two sockets and 

 extending somewhat further posteriorly, 

 i thryx. 

 Mouth of moderate din the tip ol 



maxillary scarcely reaching the plane of 

 the pupil ol er <\w Ijower jaw the lon- 



ger. A single, even row of strong, blunt. 

 cal teeth in each jaw, shorter and less developi J 

 on the colored side than on the colorless. Hi ten- 

 or pharyngeal teeth like jaws, bul 

 stouter, placed in a single row: superior of sim- 

 ilar size, arranged in ibliquely Iran-. 

 row -. 



irgerand more conspicuous than in any 

 other fish ol this Iri and on our cos 



Those of the anterior portion of the body are 

 nearly smooth ; further bad; they become gradu- 

 ally more and more ciliate though none of I 

 are so rough as in most Flatfishes. Those of the 

 head cover the entire opercular region and chi 

 and in part also the inter-ocular ridge: th 

 ■ ongly ciliate. 

 lateral line arches freely above the pecto- 

 . nd t mis thence straight to the caudal fin. 

 Another, with a structure entirely Bimilur to thai 

 of the ordinary lateral line, in I above the 



eye. passe distance directly backward. 



Is and follows near the dorsal margin 

 and end.- abruptly just anterior to the plan ol 



