310 Wernerian Natural History Sociely of Edinburgh. 
signed for it.] From his formula. Mr. Playfair finds the length 
of the seconds’ pendulum for London to be 39:13009 English 
inches. The bill now before parliament for equalizing weights 
and measures states the length to be 39°138047. 
An Account of the Sleeping Woman of Dunninald, near Mon- 
trose; by the Rev. James Brewster. Her first sleeping fit lasted 
from the 27th to the 30th of June 1815. Next morning she 
again fell into a sleep which lasted seven days— without motion, 
food, or evacuation. At the end of this time, by moving her 
hand and pointing to her mouth, it was understood she wanted 
food, which was given to her ; but she remained in her lethargic 
state still the 8th of August,—six weeks in all, without appear- 
ing to be awake, except on the 50th of June. Her pulse for the 
first two weeks was about 50; the third week 60; and pre- 
vious to recovery it was at 70 to 72. Though extremely reduced, 
she gained strength so rapidly that before the end of August she 
worked regularly at the harvest. This case is well authenticated. 
In a paper on Barometers, by Mr. Playfair, iron tubes are 
recommended for barometrical observations in mountainous or 
remote countries. The tubes being truly bored, and of the pro- 
per length, the mercury is to be poured into them at the place 
of observation. A finger being then placed on the orifice, the 
tube inverted in a cup of mercury, and being again stopped with 
the finger (after all oscillation has ceased) and withdrawing the 
cup, the quantity in the tube will give the result. The quantity 
may be measured by means of a graduated float, 
Papers on the following subjects have also been read. On 
an Aérolite which fell near Bombay on the 5th of November 
1814. On Means for Lighting Coal Mines. On the Education 
of Mitchell, the blind and deaf Lad. On Analyses of Sea-water, 
An Account of an Animal found in Horses’ Eyes in India. Ex- 
periments on Light; also a Paper on the probable Existence of 
a new Species of Rays in the Solar Spectrum, apparently pro- 
duced by the Collision of the Particles of Light when emitted 
from the Sun’s Surface; by Dr. Brewster. And an Account of 
some Veins of Greenstone which traverse the Granite of Sable 
Mountain, 
wae WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 
On Saturday, the 13th of April, Mr. Thomas Forster read a 
paper to the Wernerian Society of Natural History of Edinburgh, 
on the generic varieties in the forms of the brain and crania of 
animals, and the possibility of distinguishing the genus and sex of 
animals by the figure of the skull. Mr. F. illustrated his paper by 
about fifteen drawings of crania of different animals made from 
nature, under his direction, by Mr, Lizars of Edinburgh. 
f ROYAL 
