PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 319 



that the birds were hatched on the bare ground without any prepa- 

 ration or nest, in consequence of which no care of the parent could 

 suffice to prevent them from perishing, were they excluded other- 

 wise. Mr. Vigors thought that the Caprimulgidce scarcely consti- 

 tuted an exception at all, as ihey stood at the extreme limit of the 

 Insessores. 



A general meeting was held on Friday, December the 1st. ; 

 Harry Chester, Esq., in' the chair. The report of the council an- 

 nounced that the Hon. W. T. T. Fiennes has most liberally offered 

 to place in the custody of the Society during his life, at his own 

 risk, the whole of his very valuable collection of birds; five hundred 

 specimens, mounted in cases. The council had accepted this very 

 liberal offer, and hope that this collection will shortly be exhibited 

 in the rooms of the Society, where they cannot fail to prove highly 

 valuable to the Society by furnishing it with the means of promoting 

 efficiently many of its important objects. 



Viscount Boyne, Thomas Barrett Lennard, Esq., the Rev. J. 

 Jennings and F. B. Long, Esq. have been elected Members of this 

 Society. 



During the last month the council have not been able to obtain 

 any new specimens for the collection of live birds in St. James's Park. 

 Already, however, it contains a very valuable and full collection of 

 Bi-itish Aiiatidce. The birds are generally in a healthy condition, and 

 the extent of the water on which they are located enables them to 

 be seen in a natural state; all the more ordinary Anaticlce, being al- 

 ready procured, the council are anxious to make exertions for obtain- 

 ing an addition to their stock of rare and unique specimens, and trust 

 that the support of the public will enable them to meet the expences 

 necessary for the purpose. 



Mr. Bartlett then made some observations respecting the two species 

 of Gull, viz. the Glaucous Gull and the Iceland Gull, having recently 

 obtained two specimens very much differing in size yet agreeing in 

 every other particular. Mr. B. had in consequence been led to exa- 

 mine a great number of specimens, and found them vary from thirty- 

 four inches in length to twenty-five inches with intermediate speci- 

 mens, so that it was impossible in many instances to decide which was 

 the Glaucous or Iceland Gull. This being the case, he was inclined 

 to bcHeve the whole of those specimens he had seen, to be Glaucous 

 Gulls, and the bird named Iceland Gull, was in reality a small 

 Glaucous Gull. 



Mr. Blyth then proceeded to make some remarks on the close affi- 

 nity of particular species of the Mealy Linnet, and at the conclusion 

 the meeting adjourned to January 3lh. The attendance was more 

 numerous than on any former occasion, including Charles Lucien 

 Bonaparte, Prince of Musignano, Dr. Horsefield and other distin- 

 guished naturalists. 



