1823.] Liuftean Society. 69 



brana Tympani, and that of the Elephant ; by Sir E. Home, 

 Bart. VPRS. 



In 1 799, Sir Everard discovered the muscular structure of the 

 membrana tympani in the elephant, and this discovery had led 

 to that of the same membrane in the human ear being also mus- 

 cular. He had likewise inferred that its oval shape in the 

 elephant was the reason why the ears of that animal were not 

 affected by musical sounds equally with those of man, in which 

 the membrana tympani is circular ; the muscular radii being of 

 equal length in the latter case, and unequal in the former one. 

 Since that period, he had laid all his friends in India under con- 

 tribution for the head of a young elephant preserved in spirits ; 

 but remained unsuccessful until lately, when he received from 

 Sir T. S. Raffles, to whom the natural history of the east is sd 

 much indebted, the head of an elephant only three weeks old. 

 In this, the membrana tympani was in its proper place, and 

 measured an inch and a half by an inch and one-eighth ; the 

 radii were attached to the point and to the two sides of the 

 handle of the malleus, which was situated in a transverse direc- 

 tion. Having been informed by Mr. Corse that the elephant can 

 hear very low sounds with great distinctness, the author attri- 

 butes this faculty to the long radii of the membrane. Mr. Broad- 

 wood having sent one of his tuners with a piano to the elephant 

 at Exeter 'Change, it was found that the animal scarcely 

 attended to the high sounds, but listened to the low ones with 

 apparent satisfaction. Some observations on the membrana 

 tympani of various other quadrupeds were likewise given in this 

 paper. It was found that the lion in the above menagerie was 

 little affected with high musical sounds, but became quite infu- 

 riated by low ones ; uttering loud yells, which ceased with the 

 music. 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. 



The meetings of this Society were resumed on Nov. 5, when 

 the reading of a paper was commenced, entitled, " Remarks on 

 the Identity of certain general Laws which have been lately 

 observed to regulate the natural Distribution of Insects and 

 Fungi : " by William Sharpe Mac Leay, Esq. 



Of this extended and profound paper, which was not con- 

 cluded until the third meeting, on Dec. 3, we can give but a 

 brief notice. It related to what may be termed the metaphysics 

 of natural history. In the Horas Entomological, a work not long 

 since published by Mr. Mac Leay, and with which our zoologi- 

 cal readers are doubtless acquainted, he has advanced views 

 respecting the natural series of animated beings, which, though 

 founded on a close attention to their entire structure, may have 

 appeared extraordinary as well as novel : they relate to a particu- 

 lar quinary distribution which he has observed of the subjects of 

 the animal kingdom ; and in this paper a very remarkable con- 



