136 ^Zoological Proceedings of Societies, 



The Secretary exhibited a specimen of the genus Anas of Lin- 

 naeus which had been taken alive in a decoy near Yarmouth, in 

 Norfolk, and which had been communicated by Mr. Weighton for 

 the information of the Club. It appeared to be a variety of the 

 jinas boschas^ Linn. ; but as it deviated from that species in 

 several characters, more particularly in the structure of the tail, 

 the Secretary proposed to give the bird a further examination and 

 to detail the results of it to the Club. 



Mr. W. S. MacLeay entered into a dissertation on the Affinities 

 and Analogies which connect together the principal subdivisions 

 of the Linnean genus ScarabcBus^ all of which he illustrated by a 

 reference to the figures of the different parts of the structure of 

 'the insects of that genus, and also to the insects themselves, which 

 he exhibited to the Meeting. 



March 8. — Captain King exhibited specimens of the following 

 New Holland Birds which he stated his intention of presenting to 

 the Linnean Society : viz. Halcyon sacra; Barita tibicen adult and 

 young; some species of Meliphaga; an undescribed Ilcematopus ; 

 Rallus torquatus, Aptenodytes minor ^ Tachypetes aquilus; an un- 

 described species of Larus shot in King George's Sound, which he 

 denominated L, Georgii, and two undescribed species of Sterna. 



In the course of some observations which followed on the sub- 

 ject of New Holland Birds, it was stated that the original English 

 name of Mr. Lewin's Meliphaga chrysocephala, (Sericulus chry- 

 socephalusy Swains., Oriolus regens, Temm.) was King\s Oriole 

 or Iloneysucker, so called after Governor King, who first dis- 

 covered the bird and sent it to England. The original specimen 

 sent home by him is at present preserved in the collection of his 

 family. It was also observed that the well known species of 

 Parrot, the Platycercus scapulatusy commonly called the King 

 Farrot, was also originally called King^s Pafrot after the same 

 gentleman. 



A " Notice on a peculiar property of a species of Echinus," by 

 Mr. E. T. Bennett, was read by the author. 



March 22. — Mr. Broderip exhibited a portion of a decayed 

 Elm, which he had received from H. Bright, Esq. M.P., and 

 requested information as to the cause of the decay, and whether 

 it originated in the ravages of an Insect. As however the only 



