12 Proceed in f/s. 



We may summarise the question by saying that food is the 

 governing cause of the winter habits of birds. 



Mr. J. B. Crosfield mentioned that three Siskins had during 

 the past fortnight been frequenting his garden, feeding under 

 a Cujii-essiis. 



Mrs. Tyndall said she had seen Siskins lately in her garden 

 at Eedhill. 



Evening Meeting. — March 19th, 1886. 



The attendance of young persons was specially invited, and 

 about ninety in all were present. 



The following paper was read by Mr. Horace W. Gilbert, 

 on ' How AND Why Animals Differ.' Part II., Vertebrates: — 



When I had the pleasure last year of giving you an address 

 on the subject of the Animal Kingdom I treated of the Sub- 

 kingdom, "Invertebrata," or animals without a back-bone; 

 and I endeavoured on that occasion to give you an idea of the 

 main differences by which the several groups are distinguished 

 from one another, paying special attention to the senses 

 which enable them to find their food, and to the organs of loco- 

 motion and alimentation by means of which they managed to 

 obtain and digest it. In fact I regarded them as " eaters," 

 in contradistinction to the members of the Vegetable Kingdom, 

 which we may call "absorbers." 



On the present occasion I shall consider the subject of the 

 Sub-kingdom " Vertebrata," or back-boned animals, and we 

 shall find that some of the organs enabling them to obtain 

 and digest their food form equally good distinguishing features 

 of the groups into which they are divided ; and I shall pay 

 special attention to the limbs, for we may say that power of 

 locomotion to a back-boned animal means existence itself, 

 unlike some of the invertebrates, as the oyster and coral, and 

 others which are confined to one spot all their lives and have 

 their food brought within their reach by the water. For most 

 of the vertebrates are comparatively of large size, and require 

 a considerable range of water or land to furnish them with 

 their requisite quantity of food, whether they be carnivorous 



1 



