April, I860.] eliiott society. 21 



Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, Nos. 11 

 and 12, December, 1859. 



Contributions to the Collection. 



The President presented, in the name of Major JEdward Mani- 

 gcmlt, a fossil mammalian vertebra and a fragment of fossilized 

 wood, found at Pocotaligo, S. C, twenty feet below the siurface. 



Also, in the name of Dr. Edmund Mavenel^ a living Annelide, of 

 the group Hirudineae, brooding over its ova, found in St. Thomas's 

 Parish, near Charleston, S. C. 



Prop. McCrady speaking of the Leech presented this evening, remarked that 

 it was of a genus aUied to the European ClepsiTie, which was known to have the 

 same habit of brooding over its ova. In speaking of the habits of the Hirudi- 

 necs, he jrave an instance which he himself had witnessed at Chester, S. C, of 

 the mode in which the Leech procures the blood of small fishes. In the larger 

 animals the Leech attaches itself to the cutaneous covering, but in this case, it 

 apparently tried, by the touch of its suctorial disk, every part of the surface, 

 until it discovered the cleft of the gill-covers, through which it immediately 

 thr^^st its head, and, passing it down the gullet, fastened it upon the heart, 

 thus showing a remarkable degree of instinct in directing its efforts immediate- 

 ly to the centre of the whole blood system, and the fish was speedily bled to 

 death. 



Application by letter was made by Mr. Chas. W. Polman, in be- 

 half of Hen' Bjorling, Librarian of the Royal Library of Sweden, 

 for a copy of the Proceedings of the Society, Vol. I. Granted. 



A copy of the Proceedings of the Society, Vol. I, was voted for 

 Mr. H. W. Ravenel, Aiken, S. C. 



APRIL 16th, 1860. 

 President L. R. Gibbes in the Ghair. 



Contributions to the Library. 

 KoningHjke Akademie van Wetenschappen, Amsterdam, Ver- 



