Royal Society of Edinburgh, 519 



racteristic of the G. Euphraticus, nor yet are the smooth anterior 

 oval fovea?. 



" Still, however, it is not improbable that the animal in question 

 may be identical with that described by Olivier ; but it remains to 

 be seen whether his species be distinct from G. JEgyptiacus, a point 

 which his short and imperfect account does not enable us to solve. 



" The sternum of the specimen having been removed by the ani- 

 mal preserver, and lost, has prevented my noticing this part in the 

 above description." 



A skull of an adult Chimpanzee, recently purchased by the So- 

 ciety, was exhibited, and Professor Owen pointed out the distinguish- 

 ing characters between this and the skull of the Orang, also on the 

 table ; he also called attention to certain points of agreement be- 

 tween this skull and that of the Hottentot. 



ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



December 21, 1840. 



At this, the second ordinary meeting of the year, communications 

 were read — " On the Nutrition of Vegetables, by Dr. H. Madden ; " 

 and " On the Fossil Fishes of the Old Red Sandstone of Orkney, 

 among which is a nondescript Species of Diplopterus, by Dr. Traill." 



Beautiful specimens of the fossil fishes of Orkney were exhibited 

 and presented to the Society, chiefly from the "Orkney Slate," con- 

 sidered as a portion of the old red sandstone formation ; and the 

 new species of Diplopterus was proposed to be dedicated to the Ich- 

 thyologist of Neufchatel, as D. Agassiz. It was stated to be cha- 

 racterized specifically by its large head and rounded snout, wide 

 mouth and large scales. A very interesting collection of the fossils 

 of the old red sandstone, from different parts of Scotland, also lay 

 upon the table. 



At the conclusion of public business an important resolution was 

 moved by the Council — " That the Society do vote the sum of £300 

 to Sir John Robison, in acknowledgment of his long services as ge- 

 neral Secretary, — that being the form adopted in the case of each of 

 his predecessors." This was carried after some difference of opinion 

 had been expressed upon the principle of the remuneration. 



January 4, 1841. — The only paper read was the conclusion of one 

 commenced at a former meeting, by Dr. Alison, "On certain Physio- 

 logical Inferences which may be drawn from the study of the Nerves 

 of the Eyeball." From the length of which paper the other communi- 

 cations were delayed. Sir Charles Bell at some length combated 

 the inferences drawn by the author. 



January 18. — Professor Syme communicated a paper by John 

 Goodsir, Esq., M.W.S., " On the mode in which musket-balls and 

 other foreign bodies become enclosed in the ivory of the tusks of the 

 Elephant." 



In this paper, the author, after stating the various doubts and con- 

 tradictory opinions entertained by Camper, Blumenbach, Lawrence 



