110 



William Hincks, Toronto, C. W. ; W. W. Jeffries, West Chester, Pa. ; 

 Prof. T. C. Porter, Lafayette College, Pa. ; S. I. Smith, New Haven, 

 Ct. ; Dr. Benjamin Pickman (Feb. 8) ; George Scarborough, Sumner, 

 Kansas (Feb. 10) ; Truman H. Aldrich, Troy, N. Y. (Feb. 12) ; Moses 

 How, Haverhill ; C. E. Eobinson, New York (Feb. 13) ; G. F. Mathew, 

 Cienfuegos, Cuba (Feb. 14) ; J. W. P. Jenks, MicMleboro ; G. J. Hacl- 

 ney, Boston (Feb. 15) ; T. H. Alclrich, Troy, N. Y. ; John W. Dean, 

 Boston; T, W. Davids, Colchester, England (Feb. 16); A. D. Brown, 

 Princeton, N. J. ; Dr. D. H. Storer, Boston ; John Paul, Ottawa, HI. ; 

 A. C. Goodell, Salem; N. E. Atwood, Boston (Feb. 18). 



Mr. A. Hyatt made some remarks upon the Eozoon Canadense, the 

 earliest known indication of animal life thus far discovered. It is 

 found in the Upper Laurentian formation, which has been hitherto 

 supposed to be of earlier date than the appearance of any life upon the 

 earth. This discovery, establishing as it does the fact of the aqueous 

 origin of the rock in which it is found, was considered as an additional 

 proof that beds of rock which have been considered of igneous origin 

 are in fact sedimentary origin. This fossil, after careful microscopic 

 examination by Dr. Dawson, of Montreal, was pronounced by him to 

 be a gigantic Ehizopod of the order Foraminifera. Dr. W. B. Carpen- 

 ter, of London, the great authority upon the Foraminifera, has fully 

 sustained Dr. Dawson in his decision. Mr. Hyatt, in conclusion, said 

 that he had recently had an opportunity to examine this fossil, and 

 saw no reason to doubt its being of animal origin. 



Mr. E. Bicknell stated that he had been engaged in preparing some 

 specimens of this fossil, and after a careful examination of these 

 specimens he had no doubt of its being of animal origin, as all the 

 characters described by Drs. Dawson and Carpenter were very plainly 

 seen. He also stated that he had noticed an appearance very much re- 

 sembling a Marine Alga in the specimens examined by him, but that 

 he was not fully prepared to decidfe them to be si\ch at the present 

 time. 



Capt. N. E. Atwood, of Provincetown, presented some observations 

 on the different species of Whales. He spoke first of the differences 

 between the Porpoise, the Sperm Whale, and the Eight Whale and its 

 allies, in which the teeth are so modified as to form baleen, or whale- 

 bone. The food was then alluded to. The Sperm Whale feeds princi- 

 pally upon the Squid, or Cuttle-fish. Large specimens of the mandi- 

 bles of the Cuttle-fish were exhibited, and presented by Capt. Atwood 

 to the Institute. The favorite food of the Eight Whale consists of 

 small Crustaceans, Medusee, and the like. The Finbacks feed on Men- 

 haden and other small fishes. Many times he had observed this spe- 

 cies devour at one time large numbers of small fishes. 



He then spoke of the relative size of the sexes. The males of the 

 Sperm Whale have yielded as largely as 140 barrels of oil, whereas the 



