13 



the water, which divided up in a more complicated way. 

 While one division was going on, and before the parts 

 separated, each half again divided itself, and each of 

 these quarters again divided, and so on, until a chain was 

 formed of a dozen or more unfinished worms, all using the 

 mouth of the foremost one, and having their digestion and 

 circulation in common. 



The PRESIDENT announced the death of an associate 

 member, Henry C. Perkins, M. D., of Newburyport, who 

 died suddenly at his home on Saturday. In the morning 

 he was taken ill. No special clanger was apprehended 

 during the day, though some anxiety was felt ; about 

 seven o'clock in the evening, while physicians were in 

 the house and friends were near him, he suddenly closed 

 his eyes upon this world and expired. 



Dr. Perkins was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Per- 

 kins, and was born in Newburyport, Nov. 13, 1804. He 

 fitted for college at the Newburyport academy and entered 

 the Freshman class at Harvard in 1820, graduating in 

 1824. He immediately commenced the study of medi- 

 cine with Dr. Richard S. Spofford, of Newburyport. In 

 October, 1825, he entered his name as a student with Dr. 

 J. C. Warren, of Boston, and continued with him until 

 he received the medical degree in August, 1827. On the 

 3rd of September, 1827, he commenced practice in New- 

 buryport, having had a professional life in that place of 

 a little more than forty-five years. 



He was well known as a zealous and enthusiastic 

 student in several branches of science. His investigations 

 went out in a great variety of ways. He undertook the 

 grinding and polishing of the lenses for a telescope. He 

 experimented on the qualities of chloroform and ether as 

 ansesthetics. Some fossil bones, brought to this city in a 



