110 



OSGOOD, J. B. F. Specimen of Sarcodes sanguinea (Snow Plant) from Lake 

 Tahoe, 6,024 feet above sea-level. 



PETERSON, G. W. Young of Limulus polyphemus from Salem. 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. Collections of Birds' Eggs from various localities, 

 principally Arctic. 



VALENTINE, Miss MARGARET P. Several pieces of Roman Pavement from 

 Bransby, England. 



WALKER, SAMUEL L. Specimen of Rhombus maculatus from Salem Harbor. 



WATERS, W. C., of Boston. Kangaroo from Australia. 



The President opened the meeting with a few general remarks upon 

 the history of the place, mentioning that Swampscott in 1852 had a 

 separate organization, having been previously a part of Lynn. The 

 Indian name was Wannasquomskut, signifying at the cliff or rock sum- 

 mit, and hence modified into Swampscott. He then invited Eev. 

 James T. Hewes to preside over the discussions of the afternoon a 

 vote having first been passed, that when this meeting adjourned it 

 adjourn to 4 o'clock to-morrow (Thursday) afternoon, in the rooms at 

 Salem. 



Rev. Mr. HEWES was brief in his preliminary remarks, saying that 

 he came here "to learn how to see," and giving utterance, among 

 other things, to the truthful idea that it is not necessary to go away 

 from home to get recreation, instruction, or pleasure. 



Mr. F. W. PUTNAM was requested to report on several fishes which 

 had been placed on the table. These he stated were specimens of the 

 Rock Cod and of the Pollock. He said that it was like "bringing 

 coals to Newcastle '' to come to Swampscott and talk about Codfish, 

 but still there might be some points in the structure of the fishes now 

 before him that might prove interesting to the meeting, and he would 

 therefore call attention to them. He then gave a general account of 

 the structure of the family of fishes of which the Cod and Pollock 

 were members, stating how it differed from the families of which the 

 Salmon, and Sea Perch, QT*" Conners," were representatives. In this 

 connection he called attention to the structure and position of the fins 

 in the several orders of fishes, and their value as characters in distin- 

 guishing the orders and families. He also spoke of the peculiar modi- 

 fication of the fins of fishes, some serving as aids to the movements 

 of the body in swimming. Some fishes swim entirely by their dor- 

 sal fins, others by the pectorals, while in still others the pectorals and 

 ventrals were so modified as to be organs of locomotion through the 

 air or on land. He then called attention to the peculiar structure of 

 the ventral, by which means a sucking disk or cup was formed, giving 

 the fish the power of attaching itself with great strength to rocks or 

 other materials ; and to the peculiar structure of the dorsal fin of the 

 Remora, or Shark sucker, which fin was so modified as to form a suck- 

 ing disk on top of the head, enabling the fish to make itself fast by 



