﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  179 
  

  

  County 
  ; 
  presented 
  by 
  C. 
  B. 
  Turrill. 
  Section 
  of 
  Baleen, 
  from 
  

   the 
  Humpback 
  Whale, 
  Monterey, 
  California, 
  showing 
  the 
  arrange- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  plates 
  of 
  baleen. 
  (This 
  specimen, 
  which 
  is 
  unique, 
  

   was 
  obtained 
  "by 
  purchase.) 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  stated, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  valuable 
  contribution 
  

   to 
  the 
  Academy's 
  Museum 
  made 
  by 
  Captain 
  Williams, 
  that 
  last 
  

   spring 
  Professor 
  Davidson 
  solicited 
  the 
  Captain 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  natural 
  history 
  for 
  the 
  Academy, 
  and 
  he 
  cheerfully 
  con- 
  

   sented, 
  and 
  had 
  brought 
  us 
  the 
  interesting 
  material 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  

   presented 
  this 
  evening; 
  the 
  male 
  walrus 
  head 
  and 
  the 
  seal 
  are 
  pre- 
  

   served 
  in 
  salt, 
  and 
  are 
  now 
  stored 
  at 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey 
  office. 
  Cap- 
  

   tain 
  Williams 
  reports 
  the 
  season 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  a 
  very 
  open 
  one, 
  

   and 
  unfavorable 
  for 
  collecting, 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  single 
  

   whale, 
  etc." 
  

  

  He 
  went 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  latitude 
  72 
  deg. 
  15 
  min., 
  and 
  could 
  have 
  

   gone 
  much 
  further 
  ; 
  and 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  whalers 
  were 
  as 
  far 
  east 
  as 
  

   Smith's 
  Bay, 
  in 
  153 
  degrees 
  east, 
  and 
  could 
  have 
  gone 
  even 
  far- 
  

   ther, 
  had 
  they 
  not 
  been 
  afraid 
  of 
  the 
  ice 
  coming 
  down 
  and 
  cutting 
  

   off 
  their 
  retreat. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Frink 
  stated 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  gum 
  " 
  or 
  resin 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bread-fruit 
  Tree, 
  presented 
  by 
  him, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  obtained 
  by 
  cutting 
  

   through 
  the 
  bark, 
  when 
  a 
  juice 
  runs 
  out, 
  of 
  the 
  color, 
  consistence 
  

   and 
  taste 
  of 
  ordinary 
  milk 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  twenty-four 
  hours 
  it 
  

   ferments, 
  and 
  the 
  gum 
  separates, 
  like 
  butter 
  in 
  the 
  churning 
  of 
  

   cream 
  ; 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  in 
  large 
  quantities 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  seams 
  of 
  their 
  

   canoes, 
  and 
  for 
  plasters 
  for 
  cuts, 
  sores, 
  etc. 
  For 
  the 
  latter 
  use 
  he 
  

   had 
  found 
  it 
  exceedingly 
  valuable, 
  and 
  his 
  opinion 
  had 
  been 
  con- 
  

   firmed 
  by 
  the 
  few 
  surgeons 
  to 
  whom 
  he 
  had 
  given 
  samples 
  for 
  ex- 
  

   periment. 
  It 
  is 
  soluble 
  in 
  several 
  fluids, 
  and 
  may 
  yet 
  come 
  into 
  

   extensive 
  use 
  for 
  making 
  fabrics 
  water-proof. 
  

  

  The 
  marine 
  worm, 
  " 
  Palolo," 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  presented, 
  is 
  seen 
  

   floating 
  in 
  early 
  morning 
  in 
  certain 
  channels 
  near 
  Savai 
  and 
  Upolo, 
  

   Navigator 
  Islands 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  (as 
  it 
  is 
  stated) 
  on 
  only 
  two 
  days 
  in 
  

   the 
  year 
  ; 
  its 
  return 
  is 
  calculated 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  with 
  astronomical 
  

   precision 
  ; 
  it 
  appears 
  in 
  great 
  abundance, 
  and 
  is 
  caught 
  only 
  before 
  

   sunrise, 
  for 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  shines 
  it 
  disappears, 
  to 
  return 
  only 
  

  

  