68 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



Dr Allen Thomson, the Chairman of the Museum Committee, 

 expressed his gratification at being present at this, the first meeting 

 of the Society within the University walls, where he hoped that 

 many such meetings would be held ; and concluded by presenting 

 to the Museum a specimen of the Didunculus strigirostris, which had 

 been given to him by the Rev. Dr Turner. This very rare bird, 

 a native of Samoa, is the nearest living species to the extinct Dodo, 

 and the value and importance of the gift may be guessed from the 

 fact that there is only one other specimen in Britain, in the 

 possession of Dr Rolleston, at Oxford. On the motion of Mr 

 Gray, the Society returned thanks to the Senate for their 

 permission to meet in the University. 



ANDERSON'S UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS. 



January 3d, 1871. 



Mr Edward R. Alston, F.Z.S., in tlie chair. 



Mr William Macgregor was elected a resident member. 



SPECIMENS EXHIBITED. 



The Chairman exhibited, with remarks, several curious varieties 

 of the common Mole (Talpa eitrojMect) from different parts of 

 Britain. The most interesting of these was a specimen of a rich 

 golden hue ; and another of the specimens, which was killed at 

 Dunipace, was of a uniform clear greyish white. 



Mr A. H. Dennistoun, Jun., exhibited a specimen of the 

 Ptarmigan from Dumbartonshire, the locality being perhaps the 

 furthest south of any known haunt of the species in Great Britain. 

 This bird, which was in full summer plumage, had been shot by 

 Mr Crum Ewing on the hills between Glen Fruin and Luss 

 Glen, a haunt invested with additional interest from the 

 circumstance of its being at a much lower elevation than the 

 mountain tracts usually frequented by Ptarmigan. 



