4li PROCEEDINGS Of SOCIETIES. 



" The amiable disposition and unaffected piety of Dr. Landsboroxigli, se- 

 cured to him the love and admiration of all who knew him. Few men have 

 ever gained the respect and affection of a large circle, both of private and 

 scientific friends, to so great an extent as Dr. Landsborough. His life was 

 spent in the simple and earnest search of knowledge among God's Avorks, 

 and the equally simple and earnest teaching of his Word to those among 

 whom he dwelt, as their pastor, for the long period of forty years. 



" He died on Tuesday, the 12th day of September last, in the seventy- 

 third year of his age." 



These remarks were fully reciprocated by the members present, by a 

 general expression of regret at the loss they had sustained. 



Mr. Thomas Keid was then proposed as a resident member in the usual 

 form, as was also Mr. G. J. Lyon. 



Mr. GoDRLiE exhibited specimens of Hierochloe borealis, Roem. and Sch., 

 and Holosteum umbellatum, Linn. ; the former found abundantly near Thurso, 

 by Mr. Robert Dick ; and the latter was communicated to him, by Dr. Leesch- 

 ing, as having been found on a hill near Bowling. 



Dr. ScouLER, the Honorary President, then delivered a Lecture on the 

 Skeleton of Birds. He said, that in each of the great groups of the animal 

 kingdom, there are two facts to be taken into consideration. A certain uni- 

 formity of plan and structure is seen throughout the whole series ; and this 

 plan, although never departed from, is modified so as to fulfil a great variety 

 of functions. In some families the uniformity of type preponderates, and is, 

 so to speak, more rigidly adhered to ; while in others, the plan is almost lost 

 amongst the rich variety of structure and function. Thus the structure of 

 the brain is almost the same in every species of bird, while in fishes it varies 

 in almost every genus. In reptiles, from the Tortoise to the Lizard and the 

 Serpent, we have almost every variety of form and function under a common 

 type, while in birds the diversities are few. and comparatively unimpoi-tant. 



The bird may be defined a vertebral animal, adapted for flying ; and from 

 these two data we may dediice in an a priori manner, all the peculiarities of 

 their oi-ganisation. The muscular energy necessaiy to move the body 

 through the air requires, as an essential condition, that the bird should be a 

 warm-blooded animal, as the animal heat and muscular power are in th^ 

 direct ratio of the oxygen consumed. The power of flight also requires that 

 the mass of the viscera should be in the centre of the animal, and hence the 

 broad sternum for their support, which exceeds in magnitude that of any 

 mammiferous animal. The vertebra? of the neck are numerous, to give the 

 requisite mobility to the head, — the chief organ of prehension. On the other 

 hand, the head has neither teeth nor masticating appar'atus, as this would 

 disturb the centre of gravity ; and, accordingly, the function of mastication 

 is performed by the stomach. Another condition is, that birds must be 

 oviparous ; and this again depends on their nature as aerial animals. The 



