192 Proceedings of the Wernerian Society. 



boldt in South America, and who had been a prisoner at large 

 for the last fourteen years. 



At this meeting, the following gentlemen were elected office- 

 bearers for the year 1832 : 



ROBERT JAMESON, Esq. President. 



Vice-Presidents. 



Dr John Boggie. Dr Robert Graham. 



Rev. Dr Brunton. Robert Stevenson, Esq. 



Secretary, Pat. Neill, Esq. Librarian, James Wilson, Esq. 



Treasurer, A. G. Ellis, Esq. Painter, P. Syme, Esq. 



Council. 



Sir Arthur Nicolson, Bart. W. C. Trevelyan, Esq. 



Dr John Gillies. Mark Watt, Esq. 



Rev. Dr Scot. Sir Patrick Walker. 



Dr C. Anderson. W. A. Cadell, Esq. 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



ZOOLOGY. 



1. The Arabian Horse and the Camel. — It is an erroneous 

 opinion which believes Arabia to be very rich in horses. Many 

 tribes are wholly unprovided with them, and Burckhardt sup- 

 poses that there do not exist 50,000 of those animals between 

 the extreme boundaries of the Euphrates and Syria, a much 

 smaller number than the same extent of ground would furnish 

 in any other part of Asia or Europe. The Syrian districts, 

 especially Hauran, produce the best ; but of pure Arabian blood 

 of the choicest breeds, few have ever been exported. If a Be- 

 douin wishes to express his admiration of the speed of another's 

 mare, he blesses the animal copiously, and, addressing her mas- 

 ter, says, " Go and wash your mare's feet and drink up the 

 water.*" The best Arabian camel, after three whole days'* ab- 

 stinence from water, shows manifest signs of great distress; 

 in case of absolute necessity, it m\^t possibly go five days with- 

 out drinking, but this trial can never be required, since there 

 is no route across the Arabian Desert in which wells are farther 



