1824.] Royal Society. 69 



gested : now as the ground was covered with snow, and as the 

 long frost had destroyed everything they could feed on, these 

 field-fares must have returned here for a short time, in conse- 

 quence of the inclemency of the weather abroad. Red-wings 

 and field-fares always leave this country when they are in the 

 best condition. The approach of severe frost is indicated by 

 the arrival of water-birds, as that of thaw is by the coming of 

 the spring migrators. Birds often outstrip in their migrations 

 the progress of the frost itself. 



Dr. Jenner considers that Dr. Darwin must be mistaken in 

 what he says respecting cuckoos seen feeding their young. The 

 birds in question must have been goat-suckers, which are very 

 easily confounded with cuckoos by those who are not fully con- 

 versant with the characters of their plumage, Sec. 



This very interesting paper concludes with a recapitulation of 

 the principal facts contained in it, and of the author's views 

 respecting them. 



Dec. 1. — The anniversary meeting took place this day (St. 

 Andrew's Day falling on a Sunday), and was numerously attended. 



After stating the names of those Fellows whom the Society 

 has had the misfortune to lose since the last anniversary, the 

 President, Sir H. Davy, delivered a discourse, in which he no- 

 ticed such of them as had by their communications to the 

 Society, or by their philosophical labours, advanced the progress 

 of science. In presenting the following sketch of the Presi- 

 dent's address, we wish it to be distinctly understood that we 

 pretend to offer a mere outline ; it is quite impossible, in the 

 space to which we are necessarily confined, to impart to the 

 reader an idea of the high and eloquent eulogium which the 

 President bestowed upon the memory and labours of some of the 

 deceased Fellows. — Beginning withDr.Hutton,he observed, that 

 his labours of more than half a century had established his re- 

 putation as one of the most able mathematicians of his country 

 and age ; after alluding to the papers which had been published 

 in the Transactions of the Society, he observed, that during the 

 long period that he was Professor at Woolwich, he might be 

 regarded as having eminently contributed to awaken and keep 

 alive that spirit of improvement among the military students, 

 which has so much contributed to the character of the British 

 officer, and which has been attended with such beneficial results 

 to the country. The merits of Dr. Hutton as an experimental 

 philosopher, the President observed, were of no mean kind ; 

 they were displayed in his paper on Gunnery, for which he re- 

 ceived the Copleyan medal, in 1778 : this paper contained an 

 account of some difficult and delicate experiments on the force 

 of gunpowder, from which conclusions were drawn connected 

 with important practical results. Sir Humphry then observed, 

 that Dr. Hutton's greatest work was, perhaps, his calculation of 

 the Density of the Earth, founded upou Dr. Maskelyne's expe- 



