may be published in a permanent form, and at 

 a trifling expense. 



On motion of Dr. W. P. Gibbons, it was 



Resolved, That the Publishing Committee be 

 directed to publish 250 copies of the Proceedings 

 of the Academy, (in the form exhibited by Mr. 

 S.) and that the subscription of the same be 

 three dollars a year. 



Dr. Kellogg presented a drawing of a plant 

 given him by Mr. Wallace of Los Angeles, called 

 by the Mexicans, Chia. It belongs to the La- 

 biated family, but the genus is unknown. 



The seeds, that are about the size of flax seeds, 

 are said to be very mucilaginous, and are used 

 medicinally in fevers and dysenteries, and other 

 imitations of the bowels. Dr. K. thought it de- 

 serving the attention of the Academy as a re- 

 medial agent. 



Dr. H. Gibbons exhibited a head of bearded 

 wheat, said to grow wild in the mountains. It 

 measured about seven inches in length. — The 

 grains are quite large and nearly half an 

 inch long. Some doubt was expressed whether 

 it belonged to the genus Triticum, or to a new 

 genus. 



Dr. Wm. 0. Ayres presented the following 

 communication : 



Iu our markets we find fishes constantly offer- 

 ed lor sale, in great numbers, under the name 

 of Rock Fish and Rock Cod. They bear always 

 a high price, and constitute one important item 

 in the sum total of our fisheries, and of course 

 in the resources of the State. They are taken 

 iu rocky localities along the coast and in the 

 Hay, and the title Bock Fish applies to them 

 very well. One more inappropriate, on the con- 

 trary, than that of Rock Cod, could scarcely 

 have been selected — inasmuch as they are widely 

 removed from the family in which the Codfishes 

 are classed. Five distinct species of them we 

 already detected here, all belonging to the 

 Sebastes, and four of them believed to be new. 

 Of this genus we were not previously aware of 

 existence of more than one species, (S. Nor- 

 ms, Cuv.) in the United Slates, — it is the 

 llniidurgaii of the Massachusetts Bay fisermen. 

 Three of our species are very closely allied ; a 

 description is accordingly given of the one that 

 appears most nearly typical (S. nebulosus) and 

 of the other two (S. ruber and S. parvus) the 

 points of specific distinction Irom nebulosus alone 

 are needed. 



Sebastes nebulosus. - Ayres My description 

 is drawn from a specimen thirteen inches in 

 length, weighing two pounds and a half, which 

 may be deemed about their average size. 



Form compressed ; head large, four inches in 

 length ; greatest depth an inch anterior to the 

 opercular angle, being there equal to the length 

 of the head ; body tapering thence to the tail ; 

 width of the head, two inches and three-fourths, 

 width decreasing posteriorly ; crests of the orbits 

 elevated. 



Scales covering the body, operculum, preoper- 

 culum; suboperculum, suborbitals and top of 

 the head to the anterior border of the orbit. 



Head spinous ; a row of five spines forming a 

 crest on each side of the head, viz : a nasal spine, 

 one at the anterior superior border of the orbit, 

 one on the summit of the orbit half an inch in 

 length, one posterior to the orbit three-tenths of 

 an inch in length, one posterior to this, and 

 nearer the median line eight tenths of an inch in 

 length ; the last three are horizontal, and are 

 rather strong ridges with a free spinous apex ; 

 the preoperculum is bordered with (commonly) 

 five flat spines about two-tenths of an inch in 

 height ; the opercular bone ends in two flat, 

 strong, free spines, the upper one being one- 

 fourth of an inch in length ; the membranous 

 operculum projects about four-tenths of an inch 

 beyond these ; the suboperculum terminates pos- 

 teriorly in a concealed spine ; even the anterior 

 suborbital shows on its inferior border an indica- 

 tion of spinous points ; the bones of the humeral 

 cincture exhibit three well marked spines. 



Eyes an inch in longitudinal diameter — Nos- 

 trils immediately anterior to the eyes, the anteri- 

 or orifice having a membranous elongation of its 

 posterior border, two-tenths of an inch in height. 



Teeth fine and crowded in the lower jaw, on the 

 intermaxillaries, the vomer, the palatine bones, 

 and superior and inferior pharyngeals ; those on 

 the superior pharyngeals, are in three patches on 

 each side. 



Lateral line nearly straight. 



Dorsal fin arising a little anterior to the oper- 

 cular angle ; the spinous portion is four inches 

 and a half in length, the spines stout and strong, 

 increasing in length from the first which is only 

 six-tenths of an inch, to the fourth which is two 

 inches high, the height diminishing thence pos- 

 teriorly ; the membranous portion of the fin is 

 two and a half inches in length, rounded an inch, 

 inch and a half in height. The anterior portion 

 ot the spinous part of the fin presents a beautiful 

 serrated appearance, from the fact that the mem- 

 brane is attached to the anterior border of each 

 spine at some distance from the summit. 



The until fin, terminating two inches from the 

 caudal, is an inch and three-fourths in length, 

 which is not quite equal to the height of the soft 

 rays. 



Pectorals rounded, two inches and a half in 

 height, three-fourths of an inch in length, the in- 

 ferior rays are thickened, undivided, free at their 

 tips. 



