This collection comprises over one thousand specimens of rocks, ores, fossils, and miscellaneous objects of natural history. It is supposed that they are chiefly of Japanese origin; but, as there is among them a fragment of a Dutch tobacco-pipe, carefully labeled, there may be other objects in the collection from foreign countries. The articles are all labeled, in the Japanese language: they are carefully fastened to the cases in which they are arranged, with exquisite Japanese neatness. The small crystals are inclosed in glass receptacles, having nearly the form of two large watch-crystals, attached to each other by the edges.
In the general character of the specimens in this collection, a singular resemblance was noticed to the productions of California, especially in the fossils and silicified woods, of which latter there are a number of beautiful specimens. There are several bivalve shells of pliocene or miocene tertiary age, and some casts of gasteropods, exquisitely formed in chalcedony. A number of sharks’ teeth, of the genus Lamna, were also noticed. Among the fossils is a single shell of palæozoic age, a Spirifer; it is not impossible, however, that this may have been carried from China to Japan; at all events, a Spirifer from that country resembling this, and of Devonian age, has been described in the Proceedings of the Geological Society of London.
There are quite a number of specimens of copper ore in the collection; they are all of the common yellow sulphuret, (chalcopyrite) except one or two of erubescite. This would indicate that the principal ore of this metal in Japan, as in other countries, is the sulphuret of copper and iron.
Native gold in quartz is also present in the collection; but no ores of silver were noticed, except one specimen of steel-grained galena, which is probably argentiferous. There are several specimens of realgar. Among the other minerals noticed were: calcite, adularia, chalybite, in the form of flos ferri, garnets, small crystals of pyroxene, crystals of mica, pectolite, and another zeolitic mineral resembling Thomsonite, as also native sulphur, obsidian, and a variety of volcanic rocks and lavas.
The collection is quite interesting, and would be more so if the labels could be read. The principal inference to be drawn from it, is the predominance of volcanic formations, and of the later tertiary strata, in the region in which this collection was made.
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.