Dr. Ayres called attention to a remarkable turtle, in the possession of Mr. Van Reed, known as the “Sacred Turtle” of the Japanese. It is a species of Emys, closely allied to _E. terrapin_. Its marked peculiarity is, that its back is covered by a growth of _conferva_, which is often several inches long, and which gives the animal its sacred character among the Japanese, who believe this growth to be _hair_. The species is allied to _C. rivularis_; but the cells are more elongated. Dr. Ayres stated that he had observed a growth of _conferva_ on various aquatic and amphibious animals in New England, and that, in these, it was always attended by disease, with more or less ulcerated at the roots. He was satisfied that this was always the case with fishes exhibiting this growth. The turtle in question, however, does not show any evidence of disease. Dr. Ayres made some further remarks on the similarity of the fishes of Mr. Van Reed’s collection to species found in California. Mr. Gabb noticed a resemblance in the fossils to those of this State. REGULAR MEETING, MARCH 16TH, 1863. President in the Chair. Nine members present. The attention of the Academy was called to the fact that the names of Dr. W. Newcomb, of Oakland, and of Mr. H. C. Bennett, of Columbia, both Corresponding Members of several years’ standing, had been omitted from the published list. Donations to the Cabinet were received as follows: Specimen of tree cotton, from near Mazatlan, Mexico; presented by Dr. Trask. Donations to the Library: Alternate generation of Annelids, by A. Agassiz. Proceedings of the Boston Natural History Society, vol. IX, sheets 1 and 2. Report of the Trustees of the State Lunatic Asylum for 1862. Dr. Kellogg read the following paper: Description of two New Species of Collomia from Nevada Territory. BY A. KELLOGG, M.D. COLLOMIA Nutt. _C. tinctoria_ Kellogg. [FIG. 2.] [Illustration: FIG. 2.] Stem erect, slender, one to three inches in height (often so minute as to appear almost stemless) villous and pulvurently viscid glandular throughout. Leaves opposite, lower pair oblong-spatulate obtuse, lamina slightly decurrent down the petioles; those above, lanceolate, petiolate, acute, or acuminate, mucronate, one-nerved, quite entire. The minute yellow flowers crowded at the summit in pairs, from the axils of the much abbreviated branchlets, short, pedicellate; and with the long, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, bractoid leaves aggregated into a somewhat dense, subsessile head. Calyx obconic, membranaceously diaphanous at the base; segments green, cup prismatic (or pentangular); also with five prominent processes, or folds, at the clefts, the semi-lanced segments acute, or acuminate, subulate pointed, three-nerved.