NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 51 



locality, from its proximity to the Forth estuary, is unusually 

 attractive to birds requiring shelter and abundance of their 

 natural prey, the latter especially being obtainable even in the 

 depth of winter. 



Mr Clark exhibited, alive, a large and interesting spider — 

 Olios Castaneus (Walck.) — which was found a few days ago in one 

 of the plant stoves of the Botanic Garden, Glasgow, and explained 

 that it must have been imported in a box of seeds from Old 

 Calabar. 



The Secretary read a communication from Mr Henry D. Graham, 

 Lochgilphead, one of the society's corresponding members, in 

 which he mentioned, as interesting additions to the Ornithology of 

 the West of Scotland, the occurrence of the Gadwall (Querquedida 

 strepera), on one of the outer Hebrides, and the red-crested whistling 

 duck [B'uligula rufina) near his own residence. He also made the 

 important announcement of having seen, recently, three specimens 

 of the Greenland or harp seal [Phoca Grcenlandica, Miiller), at the 

 Island of Jura. The supposition of this seal being even a rare 

 visitor to British waters, is grounded on the fact of two skulls of 

 individuals captured in the Severn, upwards of forty years ago, 

 appearing to belong to this species; and, also, that the cranium 

 figured by Sir Everard Home, in the Transactions of the Eoyal 

 Society of London, was taken from a seal shot in the Orkneys in 

 1822. 



PAPER READ. 



On the Darwinian Theory of the Transmutation of Species. 

 By Mr James Eajvisay. 



February 24th, 1863. 

 Hugh Colquhoun, M.D., Vice-President, in the chair. The 

 following gentlemen were elected resident members: — Messrs 

 Edward Alston, James MacGregor, Edward Wiinsch, George 

 Stodart, William Kidston, and William G. Milne, Old Calabar, 

 a corresponding member. 



SPECIMENS EXHIBITED. 



Lieut. Hawes exhibited a collection of ferns and algse acquired 

 by himself in New Zealand; and the Secretary exhibited a series of 



