214 Linnean Society. [June 18, 



tbat the slips of muscular fibres coming from the sacro-coccygeal and 

 sacro-supracaudal muscles exert their influence in the same office. 



" Although these small muscles are very powerful, they would be 

 quite inadequate, alone, to the office of raising perpendicularly, 

 spreading the feathers and maintaining them for any considerable 

 time, were it not that the feathers of the upper tail- covert are partly 

 raised and maintained in this position by the elevation of the true 

 tail." 



The paper was accompanied by coloured drawings, representing 

 in detail the muscular apparatus in the tail of the Peacock. 



Read also a memoir " On the Solid Vegetable Oils." By Edward 

 Solly, Jun., Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. &c. 



Mr. Solly commences his paper by referring to the usual division 

 of oils into three classes, the fat, the drying and the volatile. The 

 fat oils vary in their properties according to the relative propor- 

 tions which they contain of Elaine or fluid oil and of Stearine or 

 solid oil ; those which contain much of the former being fluid at 

 oi'dinary temperatures, while those which contain a larger quantity 

 of stearine ,are solid under ordinary circumstances and constitute 

 the class of Tallows or Butters. Of these the vegetable kingdom 

 afibrds a very considerable number ; and Mr. Solly having recently 

 received specimens of several, has collected in the present paper a 

 large amount of information concerning them, to which he has added 

 his own observations. He arranges the Vegetable Butters or Tallows 

 according to the botanical affinities of the plants by which they are 

 produced, and enumerates the principal among them as follows : — 



1. Theohroma Cacao, L., and several other species of Theohroma. 



2. Valeria Ind'ica, L. 



This tree (the Tallow-tree of Canara) is remarkable for producing 

 at the same time an excellent resin resembling copal and a solid fat 

 or tallow, suitable for the manufacture of candles. Mr. Solly has 

 examined several specimens of the oil, which aU agree in general 

 characters with Dr. Babington's description, published in 1825, but 

 diff'er in some minor points. The peculiar fracture described by him 

 does not always appear, and is probably modified by the rate of cool- 

 ing and other circumstances. 



3. Pentadesma hutyracea, G. Don. 



4. Carapa Touloucouna, Guill. and PeiTott. 



5. Guianensis, Aubl. 



6. Stillingia sehifera, Mich. 



For seeds of the Stillingia and specimens of the tallow prepared 



