Ijinnccan Society. 



is applicable, except when the change in the semiaxis major is very 

 minute. 



" This comet is one of those which most nearly approach the 

 orbit of the earth. When in one of its nodes, it may be at a distance 

 from us equal to T 'oth of our distance from the gun; but the mass 

 is so small, that a much nearer approach would give no just cause 

 for alarm. 



" It is to be hoped that ephemerides of this comet will be given 

 for 1835, calculated upon at least three different hypotheses, with 

 respect to its perihelion passage, in order that astronomers may 

 Jcnow the lines in which to sweep for it each day, so that it may be 

 detected as early as possible." 



VII. A Letter from Mr. Herapath to the President, announcing 

 the discovery of a comet*. 



LINN^EAN SOCIETY. 



March 1. Read, a letter from James Lindsay, M.D. describing 

 the Helix obvoluta, found in Hampshire, addressed to R. I. Murchi- 

 son, Esq. Pres. G.S. 



The author last May met with this, along with other Helices, 

 such as nitidaand rufescens, amongst the moss and roots of trees in 

 Dibham wood near Brinton, Hampshire, and along the north side of 

 jthe South Downs. There are smooth tooth-like processes on the 

 inner side of the lip, of which Lamarck takes no notice. The 

 aperture is triangular, mouth a little reflected, forming a distinct 

 sinus externally, and altogether answering to the Lamarckian de- 

 scription. 



Read also, A communication on the Recent Nautilaceous Mollusca 

 of Great Britain, by J. G. Jeffreys, Esq. F.L.S. 



March 15. Read, continuation of Mr. Jeffreys's paper. 

 April 5. A paper was read, entitled, " On the Osteological 

 Symmetry of the Camel ; Ccpnelus Bactrianus of Aristotle, Linnaeus, 

 and Cuvier. By Waiter Adam, Fellow of the College of Physicians 

 of Edinburgh." Communicated by Robert Brown, Esq. V.P.L.S. 



The] objects of this elaborate paper are, to state minutely the 

 dimensions of the several bones of a large quadruped, the Camel 

 having been selected to illustrate the general type of its class, on 

 account of its size ; to trace the mutual relations of these dimensions ; 

 and thus to exemplify the general osteological form in animals of 

 similar configuration. The bones are described in accordance with 

 the nomenclature of Dr. Barclay. After a brief exordium stating 

 the objects of the paper, as just described, and an explanation of 

 some of the terms employed, the author proceeds to detail the pro- 

 portionate dimensions of the bones constituting the entire skeleton of 

 theBactrianCamel,in the following order ; viz. the head ; the vertebrae, 

 classified in the usual manner ; the sacrum ; the tail ; the ribs ; the 

 cavity of the thorax, and the sternum ; the scapula ; the pelvis, 

 and the limbs. The height, the breadth, and the basilar length of 

 the cranium, Dr. Adam states, are very nearly in the proportion 



* Sec our present volume, p. 154. 



1,2,4- 



