364 



Thursday, April 28, 1859. 



Evening Meeting at 7-i o'clock. Yice President John L. 

 Russell in the Chair. 



Records of preceding meeting read. Donations were an- 

 nounced as follows, since the meeting of the 14th of April^ 

 viz : — 



To the Library — from the Canadian Institute, at Toronto j 

 Montreal Society of Natural History ; Philadelphia Academy 

 of Natural Science ; Congregational Library Association at 

 Boston ; Mrs. L. P. Johnson ; John H. Stone ; S. John- 

 son ; A. Crosby ; J. F. Allen ; J. F. Webb ; J. L, Sibley 

 of Cambridge. 



To the Cabinets — James A. Emmerton ; F. Winsor ; 

 R. H. Wheatland ; Museum of Comparative Zoology at 

 Cambridge, in exchange ; J. H. Eagleston ; S. Shreve j 

 Miss M. J. Scobie ; Miss J. H. Wood, by Temple Hardy. 



A letter was read from Saint. Louis Academy of Science, ac- 

 knowledging the receipt of the Proceedings of the Institute. 



Dr. R. H. Wheatland mentioned that, on the 15th inst., 

 he had taken in the Marshes near Nahant Beach, several 

 specimens of a new species of Stickleback. In general ap- 

 pearance it somewhat resembles the common two-spined spe- 

 cies, but differs so much in several of its characters that it can 

 hardly belong even to the same genus. He stated that while 

 but three species are described from Massachusetts, we have 

 in Essex County certainly five, and probaly seven species be- 

 longing to several genera. Of these three are many spined, 

 three two-spined, and one four-spined. 



He then alluded to the great change of color which oc- 

 curs in fishes at different seasons and under different cir- 



