173 



EIGHTH MEETING. 



Royal Institution. — ^February 7, 1853. 



J. B. YATES, Esq., F.S.A., &c., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The Secretary read the following recommendations from the Council, 

 which were unanimously agreed to : — 



1st. — *' That, in accordance with the resolution of the Society passed 

 on the 29th November last, the President and Secretary of the 

 Chemist's Association should be invited to attend the meetings of this 

 Society." 



2nd. — ♦' That, in order to enable the Officers of the Society to carry 

 out the wishes of the learned bodies in the town, with regard to the 

 celebration of the centenary of the birthday of Roscoe, on Tuesday, the 

 8th March next, the ordinary Meeting of the Society, which falls on the 

 previous evening, should be suspended."* 



The Secretary read a letter from Mr. C. F. Salt, Secretary of the 

 Polytechnic Society, stating that a resolution had been unanimously 

 passed by that Society inviting the President and Secretary of the 

 Literary and Philosophical Society to attend its meetings. 



Resolved unanimously : — 



"That the thanks of the Society be presented to the Polytechnic 

 Society for the invitation of the Officers of the Society to attend their 

 meetings." 



Mr. William Ferguson exhibited drawings of Bomhycilla Caro- 

 linensis, B. Garrulay and Merops Apiaster. 



The Bomhycilla garrula or Bohemian chatterer, is a common visitant 

 now of our country, though originally a denizen of Northern Asia and 

 Europe : it has also been lately discovered in North America. It is 

 interesting, less from its rarity, than from the peculiar waxy expansion 

 of the midrib of the wing feathers. It is not unlike the American cedar 

 bird, B. Carolinensis, but is larger, and has white bars on the wings. 

 Two years ago it was asceitained, on unquestionable authority, that one 

 specimen at least, killed in England, and recorded as '* garrula,'' was 

 the cedar bird " Carolinensis." It is possible that this latter may 

 have occurred oftener, and been mistaken for the more common 

 chatterer ; and it is worthy of the attention of local ornithologists to note 



• For account of the proceedings, see note at page 154. 



