in countless numbers. They are observed scatteringly at first, about 



four hundred feet above the sea, on the dry, loose sand attached 



to some loose stone or lump of sand hardened by the mists. They 



gradually increase in number as you ascend, over enormous areas 



of drifting sand brought by the strong . south-west winds from the 



western coast of the island. On the higher slopes of the highest 



rid^e, the soil looks dark as observed from below, and in the numer- 



• 1 

 ous gulleys that can be seen to descend from the summit there 



is a line of white color following the tortuosities of their course. 



These lines would deceive the thirsty pilgrim with the delusion of 



foaming torrents, did he not know that it never rains on this coast. I 



could not imagine what produced such an appearance of dashing 



foam. However, on coming upon the higher altitudes, and upon the 



dark and ashy soil 600 or 800 feet high, I found the helices much more 



numerous, and attached in vast colonies to clusters of mosses, and 



upon stones, and upon each other ; and, on suddenly coming to 



the end of one of the gulleys above described, I was astonished to find 



what apjjeared to be narrow, dashing torrents, to be in reality infinite 



myriads of dead helices which had blown from the slopes down into 



the gulleys. 



Darwin visited this island during his voyage in the Beagle. He 

 gives a brief description of his observations in his published memoirs. 

 I, also, saw many shells on the island lying loose upon the surface of 

 the hills, all the way from fifty to eight hundred feet above the sea. 

 But they seemed to me to have been dropped by birds, for where I 

 saw very old ones partly decayed, I also saw fresh ones which, to all 

 appearances, had not been di'opped many hours. 



On the Isthmus I made extensive observations and dissections of 

 cocoanuts, from the. youngest fi'uit upwards, the results of which con- 

 firm all my own conclusions expressed the last evening I met the 

 Society, and disprove wholly the possibilities suggested by Professor 

 Agassiz. I will communicate on this subject hereafter. 



Mr. L. Lincoln Thaxter was elected Resident Member of 

 the Society, and Mr. George Mixter, of Ilarwich, Mass., a 

 Corresponding Member. 



January 15, 1862. 

 The President in the chair. 



Mr. Alexander Agassiz gave a description of a remarkable 

 annelid found in considerable numbers along the coast of 

 Massachusetts, Autolytios cormctus (/Sacconereis), presenting 



