Regular Meeting, January 19th, 1863.

Vice President, Dr. Trask, in the Chair.

Present, eleven members.

Dr. W. W. Hays, U. S. A., and Mr. William Ashburner were elected Resident Members.

Donations to the Cabinet were received as follows:

A miscellaneous collection of plants, consisting of from two hundred to three hundred species, from the Pacific slope, by H. G. Bloomer; specimens of a Yucca, and of Larrea Mexicana, from Kern river, by J. E. Clayton.

Mr. Bolander presented the following paper:

Description of a New Species of Melica.

BY H. N. BOLANDER.

Melica L.

M. stricta Bolander.

Spikelets very large, secund, horizontal, four to six-flowered; flowers stipitate, upper ones imperfect and abortive, slightly tinged with purple.

Glumes equal, oblong, membranaceous, five-nerved; nerves evanescent at about three-quarters the length of the glumes; scarious margined and pointed, nearly the length (one-half inch) of the flowers.

Paleæ very unequal, chartaceous; lower oblong, seven-nerved, all except the middle one evanescent at about two-thirds the length of the palea; scabrous, largely scarious margined and pointed; upper palea spathulate, bicarinate, ciliate, one-third shorter than the lower.

Ovary obovate, contracted near the truncated apex, sessile, smooth; styles terminal, divergent; stigmas plumose; pilis fasciculate, minutely serrate; squammulæ very small, connate, entire; stamens three; caryopsis?

Root perennial; culms upright, terate, striate, one and one-half feet high, very brittle; sheaths striate, scabrous; ligula exserted, lacerated; leaves narrow, one-sixteenth to two-sixteenths of an inch wide, acuminate, outside and margins scabrous, (four to seven inches long) striately nerved, upright, nearly appressed.

Raceme upright, rather simple; branchlets smooth, appressed, few-flowered; pedicels pubescent at the angle.

Collected by Mr. George W. Dunn, at Silver City, Nevada Territory.