PROCREDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



37 



departure from the colouring of nature from the same cause? I may add the popular name 

 of the Pi/rrhala vulgaris, or ]]ulltinch, in this county (Somerset,) is "Hoop"— Idem. 

 Ilenip-secd, we believe, often causes this change of plumage.— B. R. M. 



Malformation in a Covey of Partridges, (Perdix 

 ciuerea.) — A friend of mine, shooting near Sherbum, 

 once sprung a covey of Partridges, and succeeded 

 hi shooting eight of the young birds, all of which 

 had a singular malformation in the mandibles, similar 

 to the sketch. The old birds escaped, which made it 

 impossible to ascertain whether the singularity was 

 hereditary or not. — John Hixon, Leeds, October 22nd., 

 1852. 



^%nmMiig3 nf Inrtrtits. 



Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh.— T\\e Royal Physical Society met in the Institution 

 Rooms, 6, York Place, on Saturday, December Uth., 1852, at two o'clock, p, m. ; Mr. Hugh 

 Miller, President, in the chair. The following donations to the library were laid on the table, 

 and thanks voted to their respective donors:—!. "The Transactions of the China Branch of 

 the Royal Asiatic Society for 1848-50," per Dr. Coldstream. 2. Dr. Johnstone's "Flora of 

 Berwick-upon-Tweed," from the author, per R. F. Logan, Esq. 



I. The first communication was a notice of the Bridled Guillemot, CTTria lacrymans,) Temm., 

 shot near Berwick; by John Alexander Smith, M. D. Dr. Smith considered U. lacrymans to be 

 a distinct species; and went into the subject at some length. Mr. Logan considered it merely a 

 variety of U. troile, and stated tliat he had in his hand a paper by Mr. John AVolley, who 

 considered it only the young of U. troile. 



II. The Rev. John Fleming, D. D., next exhibited a recent specimen of the Little Auk, 

 or Common Rotche, fAlca alle,J Linn., in its winter plumage, which had been kindly sent to him 

 by the Rev. Mr. Cunningham, of Prestonpans, near which place it had been taken in an 

 exhausted state by some fishermen. Dii. John Alexander Smith mentioned that another 

 specimen of this bird had been shot in the Frith, ofi" Dalmeney Park during the severe frosty 

 weather we had about a month ago. 



III. A number of interesting specimens of Snakes, Insects, etc., which had been collected 

 by the Rev. H. M. Waddell, at the Mission of Old Calabar, were next exhibited. Mr. Waddell 

 had for some time been stationed there as a missionary for the United Presbyterian Church, 

 and on his recent return to this country he had brought with him the specimens in question. 

 These he had libei-ally divided among some of the naturalists in this city, in order that they 

 might be examined, identified, and exhibited to t]ie Society. 



Among the objects shown. Mil. James Cunnixgham, W. S., (on behalf of Dr. Coldstream, 

 who was unavoidably absent,) exhibited a specimen of the very curious Arachnidan Phrynus 

 Lunatus of Olivier, Latreille, etc. It belongs to the tribe of Solifagm {Tarentulidct ,) and is 

 supposed to be very poisonous. Mr. Waddell stated that this was the only specimen of the 

 kind he had ever met with, and that it had been found in an outhouse among some lumber. 



Dr. Lowe next reported on one or two species of Myriapoda, — one of which was a very 

 large species of lulin; in which, from its size, the peculiar characters of the genus were very 

 distinctly seen In connexion with this he gave some very interesting information as to the 

 habits of one of the British Species which he had himself watched. 



Mr. Andrew Murray, W. S., to whom the Beetles had mostly fallen, exhibited them, and 

 reported that the principal species were Augosoma Centaurns, Fab. male and female, Oryctcs 

 Monoccros, Oliv., and Biplognatha Gagaies, Fab. There was also a species of Oryctcs, which was 

 probably undescribed, and which at least was not in the collection of the British Museum, to 

 which he had sent it for identification. The Beetles shown were all of large size and sombre colours. 



Mr. R. F. Logan described eight of the insects : — two gigantic spiders, one of them belonging 

 to the family Mygalidut; and, after alluding to the fabled bird-catching propensities of the 

 genus Mygnh, completely disproved by their habits, read an extract from the proceedings of 



