CLXIII 



minnows was next exhibited and their characteristics ex- 

 plained. The next object in order was the skull of a cat, 

 picked up on the beach, which was interesting from the 

 very extreme age indicated by the teeth, many of which 

 had dropped out, and the cavities become closed. The 

 horse-shoe, or king crab, was next taken up. These were 

 not the animals themselves, but only the shells, the ten- 

 ants having vacated on their quarters becoming too close 

 for them, a new and larger shell being secreted in a short 

 time. They also cast out the lining of their stomachs. 

 '1 hese animals are among the lowest of their class, ap- 

 proaching the fossil trilobite. The sand flea was also re- 

 ferred to as a proper crustacean. The sea urchin was ex- 

 hibited as a specimen of the radiates, and shown to be in 

 its structure closely allied to the starfish. A black body 

 about two inches long, with prongs projecting from the 

 corners, and which is popularly supposed to be a seaweed 

 bladder, was explained to be the egg case of a skate. 

 The fish attains its perfect form in this case, being suppli- 

 ed with water during its entire growth by. means of the 

 four tubes or prongs. 



Dr. Henry C. Perkins, of Newburyport, was next called 

 on. He said he came to learn, not to teach, but still would 

 not be selfish. He thought the society had made a collec- 

 tion of all the specimens the waters of this region afforded. 

 He once had a dredge made, and used for several years by 

 a boatman, for the purpose of fishing up, if possible, some 

 new species not found on the shore, but succeeded in find- 

 ing only one — an arctic shell. He had been interested in 

 watching an excavation in order to study the various strata 

 and other objects of interest. The hill where the observa- 

 tory stood during the last war, had changed from a north- 

 west to a northeast slope. The sand resembles the Plum 

 Island sand, and at the present time the drought had reach- 



