28 Proceedings of the Americmi Philosophical Society. 



The iron casing, used to protect the bottle, had been exposed to the 

 fire during three processes ; yet, excepting at the lower corner, it did not 

 appear to be injured. With slight emendation, and with the protection 

 of a stout disk of malleable iron, situate so as to form a basis. Dr. Hare 

 had no doubt it might be used for several more operations. 



In distilling the potassium from the lube, "per descensum," as descri- 

 bed in his account of the process already referred to, the cap converging 

 to a tapering tube was screwed on to that end of the receiver which was 

 nearest the bottle; and, of course, this end was the lowermost in the dis- 

 tillatory process. This arrangement was preferable, as it prevented the 

 loose deposition always found at the end of the tube farthest from the 

 fire, from falling into the naphtha employed together with the potassium. 



Agreeably to a provision of the by-laws, the list of surviving members 

 of the Society was read. The number is 316 ; 216 of whom are resi- 

 dents of the United States, and 100 in foreign countries. 



Feb. 6. — Mr. Saxton laid before the Society several copies of medals, 

 produced by the galvanic process of Prof. Jacobi, of St. Petersburgh, and 

 a small vase, obtained by a similar process, using a fusible metal matrix, 

 which was removed when the form was obtained. 



Mr. Lea exhibited nearly forty specimens of representations of plants 

 and shells by the photographic process of Talbot, modified by Mr. Mungo 

 Ponton, of Edinburgh. They were prepared by his son, Mr. Carey Lea, 

 and were entirely successful ; the minute parts of the plants and the out- 

 lines being perfect. 



F'eb.21. — Mr. Lea read a paper, entitled " Description of Nineteen 

 new Species of Colimacea," from his collection. These were recently 

 received, and chiefly from Mr. W. W. Wood, now of Manilla. 



Bulimus Woodianus,* Bulirnus bicoloratus, Bulimus subglobosus, Buli- 

 mus gracilis, Bulimus carinatus, Bulimus virido-striatus, Bulimus Virgin- 

 eus, Bulimus Liberianus, Cyclostoma Woodiana, Carocolla bifasciata, 

 Helix cepoides. Helix Blainvilliana, Helix Lamarckiana, Helix luteo-fas- 

 ciata, Helix ferruginea, Helix Cuvieriana, Helix Blandingiana, Helix 

 Humphreysiana, Helix Balesteriana. 



Dr. Hare described a mode of procuring silicon by an easy process. 

 In the year 1833, Dr. Hare had published an engraving and description 

 of an apparatus for evolving silicon or boron from their gaseous fluorides. 

 In operating with the apparatus alluded to, a wire rendered incandescent 

 by a calorimotor was made to ignite potassium while surrounded by fluo- 

 silicic or fluoboric acid gas. Consequently the potassium and fluorine 

 entered into combination with phenomena of combustion, while the silicon 

 veas deposited or left in combination with potassium and its fluoride. 



* Want of room forces us to leave out the descriptions of these nineteen new 

 species. 



