PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 35 



the Insessores, and the Cormorants on the other, which were hatched quite naked, 

 not being Insessores. — In the first case, the reason why the Caprimulgidce were 

 excluded covered with down was sufficiently obvious, when we remember that 

 these birds were hatched on the bare ground, without any preparation or nest, 

 in consequence of which no care of the parents could suffice to prevent them 

 from perishing, were they excluded otherwise. Mr. Vigors thought that the 

 Caprimulgidce scarcely constituted any exception at all, as they stood at the 

 extreme limit of the Insessores. 



The second General Meeting of this Society for the present session was held at 

 the rooms on Friday, Dec. 1, Harry Chester, Esq., in the Chair. 



The Report of the Council announced that the Hon. W. T. T. Fiennes had 

 most liberally offered to place in the custody of the Society during his life, and 

 at his own risk, the whole of his very valuable collection of stuffed birds, 500 speci- 

 mens, mounted in cases. The Council had accepted this most liberal offer, and 

 hoped that the collection would shortly be exhibited in the rooms of the society, 

 where it cannot fail to prove highly valuable, by furnishing it with the means 

 of promoting efficiently many of its important objects. — Since the last meeting 

 Viscount Boyne, T. B. Lennard, Esq., Frederick Beckford Long, Esq., the 

 Rev. John Jennings, and several other members, have been elected. — During 

 the last month the Council have not been able to obtain any new specimens 

 for the collection of live birds in St. James's Park. — The society has already a 

 valuable collection of British Anatidce. — The birds are generally in a very 

 healthy condition, and the extent of the water on which they are located enables 

 them to be seen in a natural state. — All the more ordinary Anatidce having been 

 already procured, the Council are anxious to make exertions for obtaining 

 additions to their stock of rare and unique specimens, trusting that the support 

 of the public will enable them to meet the expenses necessary for this purpose. — 

 Mr. Bartlett made some interesting observations on the various species of 

 Gulls, and Mr. Blyth on the close affinity of particular species of the Mealy 

 Linnet, and the meeting adjourned. 



MEDICO-BOTANICAL SOCIETY. 



Earl Stanhope, Pres., took the chair on Wednesday, Nov. 22. — After the 

 routine business Prof. Johnson read a desultory paper, regretting that the Society 

 had not met with the support nor reached the high station it deserved. Though 

 known and recognized, the labours of the Society were little appreciated by the 

 larger proportion of the metropolitan literati. Whence is this ? Why is not 

 the importance of the branch of science the object of their pursuits more felt by 

 the majority of the men in practice ? Because physicians are too much the 



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