Viola bicolor, Pursh. V. tenella, Raf. near Woodbury, V.

Viola papilionacea, Pursh. In Pennsylvania. V.

Viola concolor, Forster. At the falls of the Schuylkill. V.

Viola Striata, wild. V. asarifolia, Mg. Ditto. V.

Eschynomene aspera, Mx. near Glocester point. E.

Florkea uliginosa, Mg. below the falls of Schuylkill. V.

Arabis rotundifolia, Raf. At Cambden. This species is intermediate between the A. reptans and the Draba arabisans. V.

Arabis parviflora, Raf. and Athaliano, Bart. Ditto. V.

Carex acuta, Mg. common in woods; many other species of this extensive genus are omitted in the Prodromus. V. Sedum ternatum, Mx. near Darby. V. Uvularia acutifolia, Raf. at the falls. V. Charophyllum procumbens, Mg. Ditto

V.

4

Dentaria diphylla, Mg. Ditto. V. Cerastium nutans, Raf. near Gray's Ferry. V.

Cerastium tenuifolium, Pursh, at the falls. V.

Ranunculus debilis, Raf. Germantown. E. Lithospermum tenellum, Raf. at Cambden, common. V.

Festuca tenella, Mg. wild. Ditto. V. Gentiana crinita, wild, near Frankford. A.

Scripus acicularis, L. in New-Jersey, common. E.

Quercus obtusiloba, Mx. Ditto. Ambrosia elatior, L. in Pennsylvania, near Germantown. A.

Asclepias viridiflora Raf. (and Pursh) near Darby. E.

Asclepias cutea, Raf. Ditto, rare. E.

Polygala spathulata, Raf. near Mount Holly. E.

Enothera uniflora, Raf. in New-Jersey. E.

Callitriche terrestre, Raf. (and Mg.) above Cooper's Ferry. V.

Callitriche cruciata, Raf. at Germantown. E.

Hyacinthus botryoides, L. near Germantown, naturalized. V.

Narcissus pseudonarcissus, L. naturalized, near Gray's Ferry.

E.

Lechea mucronota, Raf. in New-Jersey.

Epilobium divaricatum, Raf.near Chesnut Hill. E.

Leiophyllum thymifolium, Pursh, (Ammyrisine buxifolia, Pursh; abominable name!) between Cambden and Mount Holly. E.

Pyxidanthera barbulata, Mx. near Woodbury. V.

Spirea tomentosa, L. Ditto. E. &c. &c. &c.

We have been induced to notice this Prodromus at some length, because it is the first work of its kind published in the United States, and as botanical knowledge is increasing fast in our country, it might be taken for a model of some similar future production. But as it would rather be an improper one, let us hope that our botanists will avoid the faults i has been needful to point out. Dr. Bigelow's Florula Bostoniensis, which shall be noticed hereafter, would be a better model, although it bears a different name. It is particularly expected thatthe gentlemen now engaged in framing a Prodromus Flore Noveboracensis, will compile it and publish it in such a shape and style as will do honour to themselves, and escape the most severe criticism. C. S. R.

1. Description of the Tubipora Striatula, a new species of Fossil from the State of New-York.

OSSIL Tubipores, although not unF common in nature, have been almost unnoticed by methodical writers. Remains of this genus, or rather family of Polyps, are not scarce in North America, and in particular in the northern and western parts of the state of New-York. I have seen many species in the possession of Dr. Saml. L. Mitchill, which appear altogether new, and whose descriptions I

hope he will soon give us. I shall at present merely give the description of one species, which I found in my tour, in the summer of 1816.

Tulipora striatula. Tubes connivent, fastigiated, compact, thicker above, nearly straight, hexagonal, unequal, minutely striated, outside and inside."

The specimen upon which this species is ascertained, and which is deposited at the Lyceum of Natural History, was found at Glen's falls on the Hudson river, imbedded in a calcareous sand-stone many

feet below the surface of the ground, and nearer to the bed of the river. The stratum had been permeated in the lapse of ages by the waters, and the specimen left exposed, although it was disengaged with some difficulty. It is itself nearly changed into the same sand-stone, very heavy and of a gray colour. It is nearly cubical, about five inches long, two or three broad, irregular on the sides, truncated at both ends. The tubes are all compactly connected, through the whole length instead of being only connected by transverse diaphragms, as in the majority of other species; these tubes diverge a little from their base, by growing gradually thicker towards the top, where their broadest diameter reaches two lines sometimes: they are slightly flexuous and rather unequal in breadth and length, although their majority forms at the top a truncated plane, not quite even however. The greatest number are hexagonal, with the sides nearly equal, but many have unequal sides, some are pentagonal, and a few heptagonal, either with equal or unequal sides. The little furrows are slightly lexuous and visible inside as well as outside. They are articulated by internal cells, very visible where the inside is broken and not petrified; it is even sometimes visible outside by slight transverse furrows, and lower cells are shorter vertically than horizontally; the upperones are generally equal in height and diameter, but some of the uppermost are longer than broad.

This production, as well as the other fossil tubipores, are vulgarly known in the United States under the appellation of petrified Wasp-nests, a faint similarity with some nests of wasps being perceived in many; which has led the ignorant to believe that they are petrifications of such bodies, of which their stratum and their geological position preclude the possibility.

All the species of Tubipores now living are found in the sea; but the local position of my specimen of Tubipora striatula, is not demonstrative of the geological fact that the place where it was found, was once the bed of the sea: from many circumstances, I conclude that it rather was the bed of the large lake of the Hudson, and the species might (with some others) have inhabited lakes instead of the ocean, or have lived in such lakes at a period when it had a communication with the ocean.

2. Specimens of several new American species of the genus Aphis.

This genus has always appeared to me

highly interesting. It is one of the first which cannot fail to attract the notice of the Botanist; all its species being parasitical on plants, and often highly injurious, deserve to be studied even by those who do not cultivate Entomology. It appears that this genus is one of the most extensive in nature, and if it is supposed that one third of all plants nourish them, and that every such plant breeds a peculiar species, we could hardly conceive such a prodigious multiplication of species: it is however highly probable, that many species can live on different plants, and that a less number of plants affords them. As yet scarcely less than 100 species have been enumerated, and very few of them described, the authors having followed Linnæus in the practice of conceiving that the specific name derived from the plant on which they feed, was sufficient to characterize them, which implied the erroneous belief of their being found thereon exclusively. These little insects have also attracted the attention of philosophers, and the experiments made upon them by Bonnet and Hubert, have revealed two wonderful secrets of nature; Bonnet discovered that the females separated from the males could breed, and that their female posterity to the seventh generation, could likewise breed without intercourse with the other sex! and Hubert has lately ascertained that the ants use them as their cattle, carrying their eggs and young on the plants suiting each species, in order to feed on the honied liquor they exude. These facts fill us with admiration, and account for the rapid propagation of those insects, and their sudden appearance on many plants.

I shall endeavour to study all the species of this genus found in the United States, and invite the attention of the Botanists and Entomologists to this interesting subject, begging them to distinguish particularly those which feed on different species of plants, those which breed on a single exclusive species, and the few species which may feed on a common species of plants. Meantime, I shall enumerate and describe concisely about 12 species, which I observed in the state of New York, last year, (many on rare plants), the whole of which are probably new or yet undescribed.

1. Aphis Diervilla-luten. Body nearly rounded, annulated, whitish rufous, length 1 line; antens very short bent, one third the length of the body, appendages long truncated two thirds the length of the body.

2. Aphis Aralia-hispida. Body pale

Crenulated Phyllostome. Def. Appendage of the nose lengthened and crenulated.

7. Phyllostoma emarginata. Geoffr. cat. mus. Phyllostome échancré Desm. tabl. p. 12. -Notched Phyllostome. Def.Appendage of the nose lengthened, lanceolated, and denticulated, top truncated and notched.

8. Mustela rufa. Geoffr. cat. mus. n. 217. Marte marron, Desm. tabl. p. 16.-Red Weasel. Def. Fur very long, brown, variegated with little lines of a brownish fallow; tail black, ears very short.Obs. Size of Mustela foina, L.

9. Civetta fasciata. Geoffr. cat. mus. Civette à bandeau ou Genette de France, Desm. tabl. p. 17.-French Civet Def. Fur rufous brown, back, feet, and tip of the tail dark brown, breast light rufous, a band across the eyes of a dirty white. Obs. size of the Mustela foina, L.-rose and lower jaw whitish, very distinct from the Civetta genetta of Spain and Barbary; found in France.

10. Civetta indica. Geoffr. cat. mus. Civette de L'Inde Desm. tabl. p. 17.Indian Civet. Def. Fur yellowish gray, a collar of three rufous brown stripes, back covered with parallel lines of same colour, several rows of brown dots on the sides, belly whitish-Obs. Larger than the Civetta fossana, and of a more slender shape-native of the East Indies. 11. Canis leucoxurus. Raf. C. argentatus Geoffr. cat. mus. Renard argent Desm. tabl. p. 18.--White tail fox. Def. Fur entirely black, except the end of the tail, which is white, and some white hairs on the forehead and cheeks.Obs. Size and shape of the Isatis or Canis lagopus, L. found in the north of the two continents: very different from the Silvery Fox Canis cinereo argenteus, L.but as the name of C. argentatus, implied a similarity and did not apply corectly, I have changed it to another more correct. 12. Canis antarcticus. Geoffr. cat. mus. Renard antarctique Desm. tabl. p. 18.— Antarctic Fox. Def. Brownish feet, fallow outside, tail shortened. Obs. Size of the common Fox, colour rather darker; lives at the Falkland Islands.

p. 19. Dasyure gutte.-Dotted Dasyure. Def. Grizzled gray, dotted with white. Obs. Native of Australia, along with the D. maculatus, of which it had been considered as the female; this last is black.

15. Sciurus rufiventer. Geoffr. cat. mus. Ecureuil à ventre roux Desm. tabl. p. 21.-Fallow-belly Squirrel. Def. Back fallowish brown, belly pale fallow, tail brown at the base, fallowish at the end. Obs. Native of North America, rather larger than the Sc. vulgaris. L.

16. Sciurus erithopus. Geoffr. cat. mus. Ecureuil fossoyeur. Desm. tabl. p. 21. -Burrowing Squirrel. Def. Back brownish gray, feet fallow, tail brown with scattered yellowish hairs. Obs. Smaller than the Sc. vulgaris, long nails; perhaps a species of my genus Tenotis, which contains all the squirrels with pouches like the genus Cricetus, and who live under ground, then it might be called Tenotis griseus. Raf.

17. Castor europeus Raf. C. galliæ. Geoffr. cat. mus. Castor de France Desm. tabl. p. 25.-European Beaver. Def. Fur short, tail one fourth of total length. Obs. The Beaver of the eastern continent has been ascertained by Geoffroy St. Hilaire to be different from the American Beaver ; he is much larger, and with a shorter tail in proportion; his fur is not so long, but the colour varies in both species, and this species does not build dams and lodges, but burrows near the water.

18. Cavia cristata. Geoffr. cat. mus. Cavia huppe. Desm. tabl. P: 25.-Crested Aguty. Def. Fallowish brown, belly yellowish, tail very short, a crest of long hairs behind the head. Obs. Size and shape of Cavia aguti; native of South America.

19. Lepus egyptius. Geoffr. cat. mus. Lievre d'Egypte. Desm. tabl. p. 26.Egyptian Hare. Def. Fur pale grizzled, legs brown, ears long, broad, and scarcely involuted. Obs. Size and colour of common Hare, but rather lighter on the back. From Egypt.

20. Echidna Setosa. Geoffr. cat. mus. Echidne soyeux Desm. tabl. p. 27.-Red Echidna. Def. Hairs long, ears thick and chestnut colour, stings weak and shorter, except on the back of the head, the sides and the tail. Obs. From Australia, different from the Echidna hystrix, which has strong and long stings.

14. Dasyurus guttatus. Desm. tab!,