﻿ACADEMY 
  OP 
  SCIENCES. 
  113 
  

  

  Byes 
  black. 
  Feet 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  long 
  hairs. 
  Primaries, 
  wholly 
  fawn 
  colored 
  ; 
  

   thinlv 
  scattered 
  over 
  the 
  surface, 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  havin": 
  a 
  reddish 
  tinge. 
  

  

  Secondaries, 
  pale 
  fuscous, 
  fiiwn 
  color 
  at 
  the 
  base. 
  

   Expanse 
  of 
  wings, 
  O.OO 
  inch. 
  

   Length 
  of 
  body, 
  0.28 
  inch. 
  

  

  (1 
  J 
  Coll. 
  Hy. 
  Edw.) 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  Cal., 
  April, 
  1873. 
  

   The 
  smillest 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  yet 
  known 
  to 
  me. 
  It 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  rest 
  in 
  

   the 
  flowers 
  of 
  Compositor. 
  

  

  LIST 
  OF 
  SPECIES. 
  

  

  Sphinx 
  perelegans, 
  n. 
  sp 
  Gilroy, 
  California. 
  

  

  " 
  Oreodaphne, 
  n. 
  sp 
  S. 
  Helena, 
  California. 
  

  

  " 
  Vancouverensis, 
  n. 
  sp 
  Esquimault, 
  Vancouver 
  Island. 
  

  

  " 
  Sequoia, 
  Bois 
  Bear 
  Valley, 
  California. 
  

  

  Pseudal 
  ypia 
  (n. 
  gen.) 
  Crotckii, 
  n.sp. 
  Warner's 
  Ranch, 
  California. 
  

  

  Clenucha 
  Wahingliamii, 
  n. 
  sp 
  Fort 
  Crook, 
  Oregon. 
  

  

  Epialus 
  modestus, 
  n. 
  sp 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  California. 
  

  

  Professor 
  Davidson 
  said 
  that 
  having 
  been 
  disappointed 
  in 
  not 
  re- 
  

   ceiving 
  the 
  drawings 
  for 
  his 
  improvement 
  on 
  the 
  telemeter, 
  he 
  

   would 
  review 
  what 
  had 
  been 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  by 
  the 
  various 
  in- 
  

   ventors 
  to 
  date. 
  He 
  explained 
  the 
  methods 
  available, 
  and 
  the 
  

   accuracy 
  of 
  those 
  in 
  use 
  on 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey, 
  where 
  the 
  chain 
  

   was 
  almost 
  abandoned 
  in 
  filling 
  in 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  topographical 
  

   work. 
  He 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  surveys 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  the 
  hilly 
  sections, 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  greater 
  rapidity, 
  

   and 
  far 
  greater 
  accuracy, 
  by 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey 
  methods 
  and 
  in- 
  

   struments, 
  than 
  by 
  those 
  yet 
  in 
  use. 
  The 
  great 
  object 
  of 
  military 
  

   and 
  civil 
  engineers 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  an 
  ob- 
  

   ject 
  by 
  means 
  within 
  the 
  instrument 
  itself; 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  partially 
  

   accomplished, 
  and 
  the 
  proposed 
  improvement 
  is 
  beheved 
  to 
  be: 
  

   another 
  step 
  forward. 
  

  

  Aboriginal 
  Shell 
  Money.* 
  

  

  BY 
  ROBERT 
  E. 
  C. 
  STEARNS. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  numerous 
  objects 
  or 
  substances 
  which 
  exist 
  in 
  a 
  natural 
  state, 
  and 
  

   which 
  require 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  mechanical 
  preparation 
  for 
  adaption 
  for 
  use 
  as 
  money, 
  

   the 
  shells 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  marine 
  mollusca 
  — 
  or 
  shell-fish, 
  so 
  called 
  — 
  furnish 
  at 
  

   once 
  an 
  excellent 
  and 
  appropriate 
  material. 
  Where 
  the 
  metals 
  do 
  not 
  exist, 
  or 
  

   the 
  knowledge 
  of 
  manipulating 
  them 
  is 
  wanting, 
  no 
  substance 
  or 
  form 
  can 
  be 
  

   named 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  once 
  so 
  available 
  and 
  convenient. 
  Thus 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  certain 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  also 
  Overland 
  Monthly 
  for 
  October, 
  1873. 
  

   Peoc. 
  CAi. 
  AOAD. 
  Soi., 
  Vol. 
  V.— 
  8 
  

  

  