16 



from James Elkington, the proprietor, feathers of the condor, 

 lately exhibited in this city ; from Dr. E. Emmons, eight an- 

 cient Roman coins, obtained at Syracuse, in the Island of Si- 

 cily ; 8 specimens of crania of animals, and 22 insects ; from 

 Benjamin Atkins, crystallized garnets and geodiferous quartz, 

 from Saratoga Springs ; snowy gypsum from Niagara, and 

 pearl spar and gypsum in their matrix, from Lockport ; from 

 William Martin, a species of moss, growing on a maple, from 

 Amsterdam, N. Y. ; from James Geddes, amber found 34 feet 

 below the surface of the ground, in the deep cutting of the 

 Delaware and Chesapeake canal ; from Simeon De Witt, a 

 fossil gryphite and hsematitic iron ore, from the same locality 

 as the last ; from Harvey Meech, a pigeon hawk, preserved. 

 The above being an addition to the cabinet of 339 specimens, 

 exclusive of the collection of plants. 



The Curators also reported, that they had purchased a liv- 

 ing specimen of the Proteus (menobranchus lateralis of Har- 

 lan) of Lake Erie, but that it survived only a few days, and 

 is now preserved in spirits. 



February 15. The following donations were received: 

 from Samuel B. Barlow, spodumene ? from Granville, Mass. 

 and several copper coins ; from James Eights, an ancient Ro- 

 man, and a Nova Scotia coin ; from George W. Clinton, al- 

 um ore and iron pyrites, from Mount Independence ; from T. 

 Romeyn Beck, a meteorological table for the year 1825, kept 

 at Albany ; from the New-York Lyceum, Annals of do. No. 

 11 ; from James E. De Kay, M. D. of New-York, the follow- 

 ing pamphlets; — Discours et Rapports lus dans la seance gener- 

 ate annuelle de Societe Asiatique de Paris, 1825-Sixieme Ex- 

 position publique de Societe de Flore, Bruxelles, 1825— So- 

 ciete de Geographic. Questions proposees aux voyageurs, &c 

 Paris,1824 — Assembled generate annuelle de la Societe de la 

 Morale Chretienne, Paris, 1825— Instruction sur Pusage du vin 

 de Kinkina de G. Seguin, Paris, 1824— Rapport fait a' P A- 

 cademie des Sciences de Paris, 1829, par Cuvier sur P ou- 

 vrage de M. J. V. Audoin sur le thorax des animals articulees, 

 Paris, 1823 ; from the Literarv and Philosophical Society, of 

 New-York, volume 2 Part 1 of its Transactions. 



A communication was read from James Geddes, corres- 

 ponding member, on the geological features of the south side 

 of the Ontario Valley, (see Transactions, vol. 1, Art. VIII.) 



A communication, from George W. Featherstonhaugh, on 

 the principles of the natural draught of horses, was read. 



The practical importance of this paper to the commercial 

 part of the community, induced the Institute to direct its pub- 

 lication in one of the newspapers of this city. Its value will 

 warrant its republication at this time. 



