422 



Thursday, Feb. 23, 18G0. 



Meeting this evening at 7 1-2 o'clock ; Vice President 

 Russell in the chair. Records of the preceding meeting 

 read. 



Donations were announced from the following: 

 To the Librarij — from Philadelphia Academy of Natural 

 Sciences ; E. M. Stone of Providence, R. I.; Charles B. 

 Richardson of New York, N. Y.; John S. Ives ; Boston So- 

 ciety of Natural History ; James Upton ; John L, Russell ; 

 Pennsylvania Historical Society; N. A. Horton; Chicago 

 Historical Society ; Directors of the Public Library at New- 

 buryport; Alpheus Crosby; John B. Alley, M.C. 



To the Cabinets — from James Stone of Beverly ; John 

 P. Putnam; George E. Berrj ; Robert Peele : Brown E; 

 Shaw : A. W. Dodge of Hamilton. 



Letters were read from F. S. Pease of Albany, N.Y.; W. 

 Brown ; H. M. Neisler ot Butler, Taylor Co., Ga.; 0. P. 

 Hubbard of Dartmouth College. 



Mr. Caleb Ccoke, being called upon, presented an ac- 

 count of his voyage to Para last autumn, describing some 

 of the specimens of Natural History which he had collected. 



Mr. Russell then followed and gave an interesting and 

 lucid account of that curious and remarkable group of 

 plants called Epiphytes, or Air Plants. The subject was 

 suggested by some specimens having been collected at Para 

 by Mr. Cooke and presented by him to the Institute. The 

 remarks of the gentlemen were listened to with much atten- 

 tion. These plants arc becoming great favorites with many 

 of our horticulturalists and floral amateurs. Their peculiar 

 habits and mode of culture are claiming attention and will rich- 

 ly repay the care and labor bestowed upon them. A few years 

 since, when the Lily House of our fellow-citizen, Mr. Allen, 



