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Proceedings of the Wernerian Natural History Society, 



1331, Jan. 22. — Dii Robeet Kaye Greville, V. P. in 

 the chair. — Mr John James Audubon (who has spent the win- 

 ter in Edinburgh) read an account of the White-headed Eagle 

 of America, Aquila leucocephala, and exhibited a splendid en- 

 graving of the bird, prepared for his great work, entitled, The 

 Birds of America. The Rev. Dr David Scot then read an essay 

 on the Selavim or Quails of the Bible. After which there was 

 read a letter from an intelligent settler at Swan River, in New 

 Holland, giving a description of the soil and general aspect of 

 the country, which appear nowise so inviting to emigrants as 

 had at first been represented. 



Feb, 5. — Henry Witham, Esq. lately Y. P. in the chair. 

 The Secretary read an account, communicated by the Rev. 

 Lansdown Guilding of St Vincents, of a new and beautiful 

 species of West Indian Moth, called by him Atticus Wilsonii, 

 (in honour of Mr James Wilson, Librarian of the Society, and 

 a distinguished entomologist). A fine coloured drawing of the 

 perfect insect of both sexes, with the larva and cocoon, was ex- 

 hibited to the meeting. Professor Jameson then made a com- 

 munication regarding the Flints found in Banffshire by Mr 

 James Christie, Secretary of the Banff Institution. Nodules 

 were exhibited imbedded in a kind of felspar-clay. The . flint 

 has not yet been detected in situ; but Professor Jameson 

 thought it not improbable that a portion of the chalk formation 

 may be observed in some of the hollows in that district of coun- 

 try. [See the present Volume of this Journal, p. 163, &c.] The 

 Professor next read a learned essay, by a Fellow of the Royal 

 Societies of London and Edinburgh, on the form of the Ark of 

 Noah, as described in the Pentateuch ; shewing that the word 

 tzohar, rendered window in our translation, rather means taper- 

 ing' upwards ; and that, with this modification, the form of the 

 Ark was not only admirably adapted for floating, but also for 

 withstanding the shock of waves, although this last quality has 

 been generally denied to it hy unscicntijficj:ojxjm.ei\t^tors. [This 

 paper is printed in the present Number of this Journal, supra 

 p. 310, &c.]. At the same meeting, the Rev. D. Scot read a 

 paper on the Alabaster of the ancients. 



JANUARY — MARCIJ 1831. B b 



