64? Zoological Society. 



no trace of a description of them in any ornithological writer, he 

 proposed for them the following specific character : 



POLYBORUS? HYFOLEUCUS. Pol. ? capite, collo, pectore, abdomine- 

 que albis ; scapularibus Jiisco-griseis ; dorso tegminibusque fuscis ; 

 remigibus nigricantibus ; cauda basi nigra , apice fascia lot a al- 

 lida. 



Jun. Fuscus, capite^ collo, corporeque subtus dilutioribus, remigibus 

 Jiisco-nigricantibus. 



The following observations, by Mr. Yarrell, on the subject of his 

 attempts to preserve Whitebait alive, were read. 



" Several dozens of strong lively fish, four inches in length, were 

 transferred with great care from the nets into large vessels, (some 

 of the vessels, to vary the experiments, being of earthenware, and 

 others of wood and metal,) filled with water taken from the Thames 

 at the time of catching the fish. At the expiration of twenty mi- 

 nutes nearly the whole of them were dead, none survived longer 

 than half an hour ; and all fell to the bottom of the water. On 

 examination, the air-bladders were found to be empty and collapsed. 

 There was no cause of death apparent. About four dozen speci- 

 mens were then placed in a coffin -shaped box pierced with holes, 

 which was towed slowly up the river after the fishing-boat. This 

 attempt also failed : all the fish were dead when the vessel had 

 reached Greenwich. 



11 I was told by two Whitebait fishermen that they had several 

 times placed these fishes in the wells of their boats, but they inva- 

 riably died when brought high up the river. The fishermen believe 

 a portion of sea water to be absolutely necessary to the existence 

 of this species, and all the circumstances attending this particular 

 fishery appear to prove their opinion to be correct." 



A report by Mr. Yarrell on the morbid appearances observed in 

 the examination of the Society's Reindeer, was read. It is as 

 follows : 



" On opening the body and removing the viscera, the lungs ap- 

 peared highly inflamed, of a dark purple colour; and on cutting into 

 their substance, the cells contained matter. The small intestines 

 also bore marks of inflammation, but in a much less degree : the 

 mesenteric glands were diseased, but not to the extent that might 

 have been expected in an animal that had been many years in an 

 artificial state. The external surface of the neck and head exhi- 

 bited a high degree of vascularity, and the animal appeared to have 

 been under the influence of that periodical determination of blood 

 to the head, which is known to occur in all deer at the annual pro- 

 duction of new horns. As far as the brain could be examined by 

 the occipital foramen, both the substance and its investing mem- 

 branes were also inflamed ; but I have no doubt the primary cause 

 of death was the inflammation of the lungs." 



Several new species of birds belonging to the collection brought 

 home from the Straits of Magellan by Captain King were exhibited. 

 In the absence of that gentleman, the following species were pointed 

 out by Mr. Vigors, which are thus characterized in Captain King's 

 MSS. 



TURDUS 



