399 



animal's body. When a genuine pearl is found, it is almost 

 beyond price ; but the accidental discovery of such a one in 

 New Jersey, not long since, led to an excitement through the 

 country on the subject, that was alike senseless and unprofita- 

 ble. To nearly all the infatuated seekers, the pearls proved 

 both priceless and worthless, as any prudent person might 

 have expected ; for in none of our New England species do 

 pearls occur that have aiiy value, unless very rarely indeed. 



Mr. M. said that some specimens of corals had been han- 

 ded him said to have been found within this town. Prob- 

 ably these are not at all " in place." 



The Chair sustained the lust remark, stating that in the 

 earlier times the lime used in New England was not obtained, 

 as at present, from the calcination of limestone, or, at all 

 events, a very large share was produced from tlie burning 

 of corals and shells, great quantities of whicli were brought 

 from the West Indies, &c., for the purpose. In Salem, 

 for example, the locations of several lime kilns, are yet 

 pointed out and considerable fragments of corals are now and 

 then turned up from the earth near them, the remnants of 

 the heaps that once supplied the business. 



Samuel P. Fowler of Danvers made a series of interestine- 



O 



remarks on the behavior of our native plants under cultiva- 

 tion. He illustrated his statements with specimens of sn.ch 

 grown in his own garden, and affording in almost every 

 case; better flowers and more luxuriant foliage than in 

 their wild situations. Among them were instanced the 

 Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) the Pleurisy Root 

 (Asclepias tuberosa) the Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus 

 Moscheutos) and many others. 



Mr. F. alluded to the fact that there were several species 

 of fishes which, though not recognized as inhabitants of 

 our coast two or three years since, have become somewhat 



