196 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



largely increased. Sir Win. Hooker, in his "Flora Scotica," 

 published in 1821, records about 200 species; while in the Rev. 

 John Stevenson's " Mycologia Scotica," recently issued, over 2100 

 are enumerated. Our local botanists have taken up the study of 

 the Fungi in earnest, with a view to the meeting of the Cryptogamic 

 Society of Scotland in Glasgow during the ensuing autumn, when 

 an exhibition of the lower forms of plant life will take place. 



Professor Young: exhibited a number of Tortoise remains from 

 Rodriguez, on which he made some interesting remarks. 



Mr. Robert Hill, corresponding member, showed remains of 

 Fishes from Berbice, British Guiana; and the President gave a 

 description of the various specimens, and announced that Mr. Hill 

 had presented them to the Hunterian Museum. 



Mr. John Kirsop exhibited a collection of mounted specimens 

 of Ferns, Grasses, and other plants, from the interior of South 

 Australia, sent by Mr. Alexander Murdoch; also Seaweeds from 

 Kangaroo Island, sent by Mr. Duncan Brown, Port- Adelaide. 

 , Mr. George A. Burns brought forward a number of bones of the 

 Moa (Dinomis gigantea), which he had received from Mr. George 

 Dennistoun, of Row, who had lived for many years in New 

 Zealand. They were found by that gentleman on the banks of the 

 Waitaki River, which divides the provinces of Otago and Canter- 

 bury, and were lying exposed in a deep gully on the Canterbury 

 side, which had been cut into by very heavy rains. He says that 

 these specimens are very small ones, and that when put together 

 the largest of these remains stands about 15 feet high. It is 

 generally supposed that the Moa has not been seen alive since 1850. 

 They are represented by the natives to have been fat, stupid, 

 indolent birds, which lived upon vegetable food. They belong to 

 the order Grallatores, which includes the Ostrich, Cassowary, Emu, 

 and Dodo; they are also called the Brevipennes, or short- winged, 

 and were unable to fly, although they used their stumpy wings 

 to assist them in running. Moas were very unwieldy birds, and 

 the bones, especially those of the leg, are very massive and solid. 

 The toe-bones almost rival those of an elephant, while the thighs 

 are double those of an ostrich, and of such great strength that they 

 could hit out behind with much force, and could kill a man or a 

 dog with a single kick. Mr. Burns also showed a bundle of assegais 

 from South Africa, which he thought might be interesting to those 

 who had not seen these deadly weapons, of which so much had 



