379 



the Institute. It is a rare bird to be found in this vicinity, 

 and is peculiar to Melville Island and the higher northern 

 latitudes. He closed by proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. 

 Lucas for this addition to the Cabinet. 



Benjamin F. Mudge, of Lynn, being called upon stated 

 that Wcnhani is not very rich in its mineralogy, or very in- 

 teresting in its geology, except perhaps, in the extensive peat 

 meadows which here abound, and which are considered as 

 the incipient stages of the coal formations ; also, in the pe- 

 culiar pits, or devil's dens as they are commonly called, 

 which are supposed to be formed by the action of Icebergs, 

 according to the suppositions of Agassiz, Lyell, &c. Some 

 general remarks upon these subjects were made, and Mr. 

 Mudge then exhibited some fossils, specimens of trilobites, 

 found near Quincy in this State. 



R. H. Wheatland mentioned that in ;Miles River, in this 

 place, a new species of Bream is found in considerable 

 abundance — known by a long black appendage to the gill 

 covers, — -and informed the good people of Wenliam, if they 

 should take any specimens of this fish, that some of them 

 would be very acceptable to the Institute. He then men- 

 tioned that among the donations recently received was a 

 fine collection of turtles, toads, frogs and lizzards, from 

 South Carolina, presented by Dr. J. H. Mellichamp — also, 

 from Capt. C. H. Fabens, two living specimens of the Tes- 

 tudo tabulata, from Cayenne, S.A., one of which was of 

 very large size and said to be of great age. He proposed 

 votes of thanks to Dr. Mellichamp and Capt. Fabens for 

 their valuable donations. 



Samuel P. Fowler, of Danversport, spoke of the gratify- 

 ing fact, that since the birds had been permitted to be un- 

 molested by the boys, several of our birds had become quite 

 domesticated. He mentioned that the Maryland Yellow- 



