Zoological Society. 69 



the young ones are less noisy and more flagging in the motion of 

 their wings. Than the flight of the Woodcock before and after in- 

 cubation, Sir F. Mackenzie states that he knows nothing more rapid, 

 as for an hour or two about dusk he (probably the male, though 

 two have been seen together pursuing each other) flies in large 

 circles over the tops of the trees, uttering his sharp and piercing 

 cry, a whistle which sportsmen may have occasionally heard weakly 

 when cocks are first flushed in the back flight in March. Some- 

 times his sudden flight will be arrested and changed into a sailing 

 slowly, like a pouter Pigeon, his cry being at the same time varied 

 to a purr or bleat resembling that of the Ptarmigan : then he will 

 dart away with greater rapidity than a Pigeon in full flight, moving 

 his wings, however, with a different action from that of the Pigeon, 

 and with inconceivable rapidity. 



The soil where the nests were found is gravelly and rather dry; 

 the grass tolerably long, without underwood ; and the trees, oak, 

 birch, and larch not exceeding thirty years' growth. The situation 

 is warm, and not 150 feet above the level ot the sea; it is not far 

 distant from the river. The woods are kept quiet, and several phea- 

 sants' nests were hatched in their close vicinity. 



It is probable that the parent birds sought this spot for the pur- 

 pose of breeding, as they must have arrived in the spring from 

 other localities : for those who shot in the covers till February de- 

 clare that they did not know of a single Woodcock being then left 

 in them ; and had there been two or three, the keeper must have 

 been aware of it. 



The skeleton was exhibited of the Weasel-headed Armadillo, Da- 

 sypus 6cinctus, Linn. ; and Mr. Owen read some Notes on the 

 osteology of that species ; which are given in full in the Proceedings 

 of the Committee. Among other particulars mentioned were the 

 following : — 



The spines of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dorsal vertebra? are the longest, 

 and slope considerably backwards; the rest of the spines, together 

 with those of the lumbar vertebra?, also incline in the same direc- 

 tion, but in a less degree. " Every one who has seen the living 

 Armadillo running about the open plot of ground in the Society's 

 Gardens must have been struck with the machine-like manner in 

 which the body is carried along. The short legs are almost con- 

 cealed, and their motions are not accompanied by any correspond- 

 ing inflections of the spine, the two extremities of the trunk not 

 being alternately raised and depressed as in the quadrupeds which 

 move by bounds. Hence there is no centre of motion in the 

 vertebral column, or point towards which the spinous processes 

 converge, but all these have a direction towards the sacrum. 

 The relation which the structure of the vertebral column bears to 

 the mode of progression of a quadruped is extremely interesting, 

 and enables us to judge in some degree from the spine alone of 

 the locomotive faculties of a fossil species." 



The small processes that intervene between the manubrium and the 

 sternal ends of the clavicles in the young animal, are afterwards an- 

 chylosed to the latter bone, and being joined together form a part 



