61 



low; style exsert b s youd the stamens; capsules ses- 

 sile, slightly -A sided, or sub-cylindric, obloug, with a 

 conical apex strait, or somewhat curved, very vil- 

 lous canescent pubescent. 



Juke 25th, 1855. 



Col. L. Ransom in the Chair. 



M. Auguste Le Folis, of Cherbourg, France, was 

 elected a Corresponding Member. 



Donations to the Cabinet. 



From Capt. A. Hanson, a fossil specimen, being 

 part of the lower jaw of an Elk, from Shoalwater 

 Bay. 



From Geo. H. Hudson, Esq., a suite of eggs of the 

 Murre, {Uria troile, L.) brought from the Farallon 

 Islands. 



From H. R. Bloomer, Esq., three nests of the Gold 

 Finch, (Chrysomitris tristis. L.) 



From S. P. Whitmore, Esq., an Indian skull, from 

 the vicinity of the Mission of San Jose. The thanks 

 of the Academy were voted for these donations. 



From Dr. W. 0. Ayres, the skull of a Sea Lion, 

 (Otaria jubata ?) from the Farallon Islands. 



This specimen is of interest, as illustrating in one 

 particular the habits of these animals. The left zy- 

 gomatic arch had been perforated by a bullet, and 

 the lower part of the left inferior maxillary bone 

 shattered by another, both of these injuries having 

 been received so long since that the action of the 

 absorbents had almost perfectly smoothed the splin- 

 tered edges of the bones. Inside of the wound of the 

 zygoma was found the piece of lead tvhichhad caused 

 it, which was at once recognised (from certain pecu- 

 liarities of form) as one which had been fired, without 

 fatal effect, at a Sea Lion on the same rocks in the 

 summer of 1854. We have thus a demonstration 

 that these huge seals return, in some instances at 

 least, year after year to the same localities. They 

 leave the Farallones in November, and return in May, 

 being absent about six months. How far they mi- 

 grate during the interval we have at present no 

 means of determining. 



The one from which the skull presented was taken 

 was estimated to weigh about a ton. 



Dr. Behr presented the following description of a 

 plant representing a new genus and species 

 CnLOuopynoN, mihi. 



Calyx bifidus, antice fissus. Corolla hypogyna, 

 exserta, ringens, tubo filiformi, labiis aequilongis, 

 superiori piano triangnlari, inferiori latiori, inflate 

 Stamina quatuor, didynama, corolla? tubo inserta, 

 inclusa ; superiorum anthera: uniloculares, peltate, 

 inferiomm biloculares, loculis disjunctis, altero me- 

 difiiO, terminali, altero Blamento infra atfixo. Ova- 

 rium triloculare, loculis multiovulatis. Stylus sim- 

 plex, ad apicem incrassatus. Stigma subbilabiatum. 

 Capsula Semina 



Genus inter Adenostegiam et Tripbysariam inter- 

 medium, certe quidem ab utraque divcrsissiinum. — 

 Corolla; conformatione maxime cum Triphysariacon- 

 venit, a quo cu-terum anthcrarurnstructura, Adenos- 

 tegiae simili, omnino differt. 



Chlokopteon palustbe, mihi. 



Berba annua, ramosa, pubescens. Folia alterna, 

 Buneata, apice tridentata. Spicte terminates, foliosse. 



I'lanta humilis, lute \ iridis, tlores albidi, labio in- 

 fcriore atropurp ureo suffuso. 



Habitat locis humidis salsaginosis, propeloeum 

 Russ Garden dictum. 



Mr. Horace Davis presented a valuable series of ge- 

 ological specimens, with the following statement : 



The accompanying specimens of wood and clay 

 came from some mining shafts in Caldwell's garden, 

 which is a portion of Shaw's Flat, about two miles 

 north of Sonora. That immediate locality (the gar- 

 den) has not been mined until quite recently, but 

 was cultivated as a ranch, until last fall, when a very 

 rich lead was accidentally discovered, in a portion 

 of which these specimens were found. Shaw's Flat 

 is a broad stretch of rich mining country, quite high 

 in itself, and yet surrounded by hills much more el- 

 evated than itself. 



The gold is quite evenly diffused over all this flat 

 ground, save in the south-west corner, where it is 

 confined to a narrow strip— a single line of claims. 

 Here, too, it is quite deep under-ground. There 

 seems to be a small river bed buried here, and this 

 forms the lead. At its upper end, when first found, 

 it is, say 30 feet under, ground. Thence it slopes 

 gradually to the south-west, while the surface of the 

 ground rises; so that the shafts grow constantly 

 deeper, till the lead runs under Table Mountain.— 

 The last shaft which has struck it is about 120 feet 

 deep. As near as I could judge, the bed of this 

 stream was not broken, as it seemed to preserve its 

 regular grade, but was rather buried. 



The surface soil in the garden is the common red 

 clay about Sonora. At a depth of about 10 to 15 

 feet, you strike a thick stratum of white clay, of 

 which I enclose specimens. Below this (which varies 

 in its thickness) is gravel mixed with boulders (most- 

 ly of white limestone, 1 think) and below this, buried 

 in with it, is the gold. I was told that the banks of 

 the river were distinctly traceable, and that the dirt 

 paid handsoraly clear to the bank. 



These trees were found in this gravel. Some were 

 standing upright ; some presented the appearance of 

 the stumps of burnt trees; some were fallen logs. — 

 There were layers of leaves on the ground, very per- 

 fect, when first brought up the shaft, but which I 

 could not preserve I enclose one or two fragments 

 where they have been preserved on the clay. 



There were much finer pieces of wood than I have, 

 but I obtained the best I could. 



It may be interesting to state that these claims are 

 paying as high as $600 to $800 per day. 



July 2, 1855. 



Dr. Randall in the Chair. 



Mr. Tennent exhibited a very beautiful series of 

 specimens of Algse, Sertularirc, &c, prepared by 

 himself, from specimens collected in this vicinity. 



A letter was read from the Boston Society of Nat- 

 ural History, acknowledging the receipt of the Pro- 

 ceedings of this Academy. 



Proceedings of the Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 5, pp. 

 176-192, were received from the Society. 



Two numbers of the Monterey Sentinel, from the 

 publishers. 



The thanks of the Academy were voted for the do- 

 nations. 



Dr. Kellogg presented specimens of a shrubby 

 Polygala from Placerville, accompanied by a draw- 

 ing. This is the only species we have seen on the 

 Pacific, and is one of scientific interest. There were 

 reasons, of a negative character, for suspecting tho 



