Boston Society of Natural History. 381 



Dr. C. G. Page, of Salem, through Dr. Wyman, presented a specimen 

 of Lilium with very extraordinary markings, found in company with Li- 

 lium Philadelphicum, and probably a variety of that species. 



June 6, 1838. — G. B. Emerson, Esq., President, in the chair. 



Joseph P. Couthouy, Esq., presented two species of Cidaris, and ac- 

 companied them with a written paper on the generic distinctions of the 

 Echinodermata, especially on those of the genera Echinus and Cidaris. 

 This paper was rendered peculiarly interesting by the writer's personal 

 acquaintance with the economical value of these animals, and by his amu- 

 sing description of the manner in which they are served up and devoured 

 on the Mediterranean coasts. 



Mr, C. also read a paper on the genus Patelloidea of Q,uoy and Gai- 

 mard, {Lottia of Sowerby,) a genus which is not to be distinguished from 

 Patella by the shell, but in which the animal is very essentially different. 

 His principal object was to show, and to illustrate by living specimens 

 upon the table, that the Patella amcena of Say, and Patella alveus, Con- 

 rad, both belonged to this genus. He conjectured that the P. ccBrulea and 

 p. pdlucida of Europe, would also be found to come under this genus. 

 He showed that in the animal, the anal and genital orifices are not situa- 

 ted, as stated by Quoy and Gaimard, like those of Patella, just back of 

 the head and near the right tentacula, respectively ; but that they are sit- 

 uated at the bottom of the cervical sac- near the base of the branchise. 

 He described a thin, subtriangular, corneous plate, situated perpendicu- 

 larly on each side of the lingual ribbon, of which he had nowhere seen 

 any mention. He had constantly found it both in Patella and Patelloidea, 

 and thought it should constitute a part of their generic characters. 



Mr. W. Whittemore, had found Planorbis armigerus, Cydas similis, 

 and Physa heterostropha of Say, in a small pond in Cambridge, speci- 

 mens of which he laid upon the table. 



Dr. Jkffries Wyman, made a report upon an anomalous substance 

 resembling bone, recently committed to him. On submitting a definite 

 portion to fire, it gave out the odor of burnt leather, leaving a mass of the 

 same magnitude, but with a loss of 25 per cent, in weight, effervescing 

 with sulphuric acid. He remarked, that although concretions had been 

 found in nearly every cavity of the body, none of so large a size had been 

 found except in the alimentary canal or the urinary organs. Its rough 

 prominences forbade the idea that it was derived from the former, and 

 nothing of an analogous character had been taken from the human uri- 

 nary organs except in one instance. Its .structure was laminated. The 

 only conclusion to which he could arrive was, that it was formed in the 

 animal economy, and probably in the system of some of the lower orders 

 of animals. 



