3/ 



-i'-U^ 



EEDING! 



PROC EEDINOxS 



OF 1 



CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



*\ 



VOL. 1. 



SAN FRANCISCO. 



1854. 



Sept. 4th, 1854. 

 Dr. A. Kellogg in the chair : 



Mr. W. J. Steene, by the Ed. of the Pacific, 

 presented a curious specimen of cabbage, grown 

 on the Sacramento bottoms, which, instead of 

 a head formed of leaves in the usual manner, 

 lias a globular head formed by an enlargement of 

 the top of the main stock, live inches in diame- 

 ter, and weighing some two pounds or more, 

 perfectly sound, with a thin rind, and of the 

 consistency of the inner portion of a common 

 cabbage stump. It has the shape and appear, 

 auce of a rouud, field turnip, except that it has 

 perfectly formed cabbage leaves on its sides and 

 top, occurring at intervals, as on the ordinary 

 cabbage stock. 



Dr. Kellogg exhibited a drawing and speci- 

 mens of a plant from the sea shore and salt 

 marshes of the Bay of San Francisco, the Fran- 

 kenia grand /folia. 1 his plant is often coated 

 with crystals of salt, which has given it the 

 common name of Salt-weed. It is a low herb 

 very much branched, the limbs opposite, with 

 dense clusters of somewhat wedged-shaped leaves 

 folded back or rolled up ; within these, are un- 

 bosomed small pink flowers — stamens usually 6, 

 pistils 3. 



Dr. Ayres presented descriptions of the fol- 

 lowing species of fish, believed to be new : 



Labrus pulcher, Ayres. This species, one of 

 l.e finest of our fishes, makes its appearance in 



the market about the first of August, and con. 

 tinues in season till nearly the close of February, 

 They are sold by the fishermen under the name 

 of Blackfish, and are also not anfrequently call- 

 ed Sheepshead. — Specimens are often seen weigh- 

 ing six to eight pounds. My description is 

 taken from one sixteen and a half inches in 

 length, weighing two pounds and a half. 



Form very similar to that of Tautoga Ameri- 

 cana. Greatest depth one-fourth the total length. 

 Length of the head, five inches and one-fourth. 

 Forehead protuberant, especially in large indivi- 

 duals, from an accumulation of fat immediately 

 above the eyes. 



Lips thick, loose and fleshy. 



Teeth on the intermaxillaries and in the lower 

 jaw alike — consisting externally of a single row, 

 stout and conicle, of which the two anterior 

 pairs are much larger than the others and pro- 

 ject forward ; within this external row is a band 

 of blunt, rounded teeth, not arranged in regular 

 rows, scarcely projecting above the membranes. 

 No teeth on the palatine bones or the vomer. 

 Teeth ou the pharyngeals, merely flat, tessclatcd 

 tubercles ; on the inferior pharyngeal, a few of 

 the anterior ones are distinct, conicle. 



Edges of the operculum and preopereuium 

 destitute of spines or serrations. Scales deeply 

 imbedded, not conspicious, elongated subcpia- 

 drangular, covering the body, the operculum, 

 and the sub-operculum ; extending but slight]} 

 on the verticle fins. 



The rays of all the fins arc enveloped in a 

 thickened, partially opaque membrane. 



The spinous portion of the dorsal fin is four 

 inches and four-tenths in length ; tin- spines arc 

 stout and strong, and one is continued by a B«ehJ 

 prolongation one to t wo tilths of an inch in ex- 

 tent; thus making the height of this portion 



% 



L 



