geon of H.M.S. Blossoiti, who acoompanied Captain Beechey in 

 his voyage to Behrlng's Straits; notes vvhich vvill shortly be pub- 

 lished in illustration of the natūrai history of that expedition. " The 

 pouch beneath the throat of this bird," says Mr. Collie, " is of a 

 yellowish red colour, and when distended, the feathers on its upper 

 and posterior surface are separated to some distance from each 

 other, and exhibit very distinctly the ąuincuncial order in which 

 they are implanted. On first looking at this pouch, I vvas a little 

 surprised at finding that it did not communicate with the mouth or 

 Jhuces in any way that 1 could perceive. I succeeded in inflating 

 it oniy by long and forcibly blo\ving into the trachea. I desired the 

 man \vho had the skinning of the specimens brought on board to 

 inflate the pouch before commencing the skinning, and to let nie 

 knovv vvhen he had advanced to the shoulders. He however dis- 

 located the shoulder-joint first, when the distended pouch imme- 

 diately collapsed. The trachea had been tied. As soon as I was 

 informed of this, I had little doubt that the pouch had been in- 

 flated from the lungs ; and on observing tvvo wide openings, one 

 anterior to the humeral articulating face of the scapula, the other 

 the usual opening of the joint, I hesitated not to infer that it was 

 through the first of these the air had passed in, and that the dislo- 

 cating of the joint, by which its capsular ligament was torn, had 

 allowed the air to escape at the opening which corresponds to that 

 on the head of the humerus, and vvhich immediately leads, as vveli 

 as the other just mentioned, into the centre of the scapula. I now 

 opened the trachea immediately before the sternum, and again 

 attempted inflation from that part, but in vain. 1 tried it also, but 

 with no better success, from the larynx. I next examined with the 

 blovvpipe near the opening of the scapula, in the cellular substance 

 under the skin, and soon detected a small opening that conducted 

 the air to the pouch, which vvas readily inflated by blovving through 

 the opening, and so long as it vvas shut the pouch continued dis- 

 tended. That this opening vvas not artificial, — the efFect of the 

 rupture of the fine membrane lining the air-bladder, — vvas evident 

 from its not opening directly into it, but onIy after a passage of 

 some length, gradually enlarging. That this vvas the sole opening 

 into the pouch appears proved from the fact that after detaching 

 the sac from all the parts beneath, i. e. from ail the parts excepting 

 the skin, it did not permit the gas to escape except by this open- 

 ing, and that it continued to be capable of inflation from it. I vvas 

 satisfied in discovering it on one side ; and of course inferred 

 that it vifas similar on the other, the opening of the scapula being 

 similar." 



At the request of the Chairman, Mr. Martin read the follovving 

 notes of the dissection of a female Testudo Gracą, L., vvhich died 

 in the possession of Oct. Morgan, Esq. The animal vvas of the 

 usual size, its dimensions being as follovvs : the carapace in length 

 13 inches ; the plastron 9| inches in length ; and the circumfereuce 

 of the shell, 18 inches. 



