84 [Oct. 



the tail. It was with a flock of other birds, and as it slowly left the bank of the 

 river, I remarked that there was a peculiarity in its gait. It pondered over the 

 ground as it walked with eccentric pace, as if it were measuritig angles ; and it 

 struck me that it is this trait to which Plutarch alludes, and which gave to the Ibis 

 the character of Hierogrammaticus or Geometer. If any one else has had the good 

 fortune to see this bird in its natural state, he will perhaps have noticed the 

 singularity which I have described." 



In confirmation of Mr. Harris's remark about the scarcity of the 

 real Ihis religiosa at the present day in Egypt, Mr. Gliddon observed, 

 that although he had shot over the length and breadth of the land 

 at all times of the year, he had never seen a living Ibis during 

 twenty three years residence there. The only modern specimen of the 

 Ibis he had ever seen was a dead one, offered for sale by a Moghrebbee 

 hunter at Cairo, about 1835. Mr. Harris has been familiar with 

 Egypt for twenty-seven years, and besides being a profound hierologist, 

 is a keen and observing sportsman. His experience is therefore 

 authoritative ; and a sufficient refutation of the accounts of tourists, 

 who talk of seeing Ibises on the Nile as if they were common birds 

 there confounding this with that commonest of all birds, the 

 buffalo crane, called by the Arabs Jlboo-gerdan. 



The black Ibis, though very rare, has been shot by Mr. Gliddon near 

 lake Bourlos in the Delta. Both species are still abundant above 

 Dongola. 



Dr. Morton called attention to two plates, which he exhibited, of 

 Layard's folio illustrations of the ruins of Nineveh, whereon are figured 

 the Camel (C. bactrianus,) and Dromedarj'^ (C. dromedarius,) with as 

 much distinctive accuracy as if they had been drawn but yesterday, 

 and yet they date, according to Mr. Layard, 2600 years before our 

 era, or, according to Rawlinson, more than a thousand years later. In 

 either case, they are additional evidence of the distinctness of species, 

 a point which has been disputed, simply because they are said to pro- 

 duce with each other a fertile hybrid offspring. 



The following resolution was adopted : Resolved, That a copy of 

 the Proceedings, as far as published, be presented to the Agricultural 

 Society of Lyons. 



October 8ih. 

 Dr. Morton, President, in the Chair. 



Two letters were read from the Secretary of the Geological Society 

 of London, dated severally. May 8th and May 23d, 1850, acknowledg- 

 ing the reception by that Society, of Part 4, Vol. 1, new series, of 

 the Journal, and of recent Nos. of the Proceedings. 



Also a letter from Col. J. D. Graham, dated Washington, September 

 20th, 1850, desiring the renewal of his certificate of membership in 

 the Academy, which had been lost. On motion, the request was 

 granted. 



