Proceedings of the Wemermn Society, 1^ 



Dec* 5. — Dr R. K. Greville, formerly V. P., in the chair. 



1, Notice of Fossil Fishes found in the neighbourhood of Edinf 

 burgh, S^c. by Professor Jameson — The Professor remarked that he 

 had been induced to exliibit a part of his collection of fossil fishes 

 to the Society, for the purpose of correcting an oversight of M. 

 Agassiz, who states, in his work on Fossil Ichthyology; that he had 

 received from Professor Jameson a series of fossil fishes /rom Bur^ 

 diehoiise, whereas none of the specimens he sent him were collected 

 at Biirdiehouse, or even in Mid-Lothian, the whole being from Fife- 

 shire. The Professor also stated that the discovery of fossil ichthy* 

 olites in this neighbourhood was not of a recent date, as he had 

 found bones and scales of fishes more than eighteen years ago in 

 our secondary deposits, and had been in the practice for many years 

 back, of stating the above to his pupils in the lecture-room, and 

 pointing it out in the field. Some general observations were then 

 made on the age of fossil fishes, their distribution in red sandstone 

 and limestone, slate-clay, bituminous shale, and coal in the Lothians, 

 Angusshire, Lanarkshire, &c. ; and he concluded by remarking that 

 Agassiz, after an examination of several hundred species of fishes 

 from secondary rocks, had found no character whatever to distin- 

 guish fresh from salt water fishes. The species exhibited were the 

 following : Palaeoniscus ariolatus, omatissimuSf Robisoni ; Ewrynotus 

 crenatus, and Pygopterus Jamesoni, 



Dr Traill then made some remarks on the identity of the lime- 

 stone of Fifeshire with that of Burdiehouse, which he stated was 

 proved not only from its geological position, but also from the fos- 

 sil fishes which were exhibited by Professor Jameson, they belong- 

 ing not only to the same genera, but all, with one exception, being 

 of the same species as those found at Burdiehouse. 



2. On iJte similarity of some Birds from Northern India with Euro* 

 pean Species, by Professor Jameson. — In continuation of his list of 

 Birds of Northern India, nearly allied to the European, the Pro- 

 fessor remarked, that it was his intention (already stated last year) 

 to bring before the Society every species which should come un- 

 der his observation, for the purpose of pointing out the similarity, 

 in many respects, of the ornithology of that region with that of 

 Europe. * With this intention, therefore, he had now to lay before 

 the Society three species, bearing a striking resemblance to the 

 European, viz. Saxicola rubicola, Sturnus vulgaris after second 

 moult, the bird in full plumage having bo en already exhibited, and 



