NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 143 



in great abundance, and fruiting luxuriantly; Mnium cindidioides 

 in extensive patches, but barren; Grimmia spiralis with fruit in 

 considerable abundance, and in excellent condition; Hypnum 

 catemdatum (Schwaeg) at the head of tlie glen, covering the per- 

 pendicular face of a huge rock in such continuous masses as to 

 exclude every other form of vegetation; Hypnum atrovirens, also in 

 fruit, from rocks in the same locality. Above these rocks, and at 

 a level of 3500 feet, was found Hypnum albicans — an unusual 

 situation for the species, its habitat having been hitherto confined 

 to sandy flats on the sea shore. On Glas Mhiel, the highest 

 mountain in the district, Dr Stirton had found Polytrichum 

 sexangulare occupying a site usually covered by a mass of snow, 

 but wliich had last summer been thawed by the excessive heat. 

 The moss was in great abundance. Dr Stirton also enumerated 

 other rare mosses which he had gathered in the district, viz.: 

 Bryum Ludwigii (Wils.) in fruit, Tetraplodon angusfatus, Hypmcm 

 umbratum, AmUyodon dealbatus, Bryum Wahlenbergii var. glaciale, 

 etc. He likewise mentioned having seen on the same mountain 

 the rare and curious flowering plant, Midgedium alpinum, but in 

 a station quite inaccessible, unless by means of ropes, etc. 



II. — On the Birds of Prey mentioned by Greek Writers. 

 By Dr Scouler. 



The author referred particularly to the Natural History of 

 Aristotle, with a view to ascertain, as correctly as possible, the 

 species, and to reduce the names which occur in that author to 

 their corresponding modern appellations. The subject is one 

 which, since the restoration of learning, has occupied the attention 

 both of scholars and naturalists; but the investigation is attended 

 with extreme difficulty from the very brief and often unsatis- 

 factory notices of the classic writers, and from the necessity of 

 comparing and bringing together the passages bearing on the 

 subject which are scattered through their works. As to this 

 aspect of the inquiry, our labour was now greatly abridged, as, 

 from the compilations of Gesner, Bouharet, and their successors, 

 all that antiquity could afford had been brought together, and 

 only required to be verified and illustrated by the criticisms of 

 modern scholars. But even if the preliminary critical labour was 

 accomplished, we have only arrived at the commencement of our 

 task. We have to deal with things as well as words; we are 



