m 



50 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1770. 



judged to be occasioned by a motion of undulation, with which the sun was 

 strongly affected; for this reason, he does not hesitate to declare this observation 

 insufficient; yet it agrees very well with Dr. Bevis's made at Kew, and is nearly 

 a mean between those of Greenwich, as may be seen by the table. However, 

 Mr. P. prepared himself with all possible care, for the observation of the internal 

 contacts; and though the sun's limb moved continually up and down with a quick 

 motion, he judged the internal contacts at 7^ 21"" 44^5 by the clock, or 7*' iQ 

 24'.5 apparent time, and 3' or 4' later, he saw a thread of light separate the 

 planet from the sun. Mr. P. perceived that Venus, before she separated from 

 the sun, was considerably stretched out towards his limb, which gave the planet 

 nearly the form of a pear; and even after the separation of the limbs, Venus was 

 12 or more seconds before she resumed her rotundity. 



CIckIc. Apparent time. 



At 7'' 30'" 27'.0 y^ 35™ 7^0. . Venus quite round. 



7 38 25 .0. ... 7 43 5 .0. . Venus's limb indented. 

 7 45 8 .0. ... 7 49 48 .0. . Venus of a very irregular form, andstrongly 



affected by an odd twisting motion. 



XXIF^.* Observations on the proper Method of calculating the Values of Rever ■ 

 sions depending on Survivorships. By Richard Price, D. D., F. R. S. p. 268. 

 See Dr. Price's treatise on reversionary payments. 



XXV. Of Electrical Atmospheres. By J. B. Beccaria, F. R.S. p. 277- 



For these theorems, see the author's treatise on electricity, published in Eng- 

 lish by Mr. Nourse in the Strand, in 1776. 



XXVI. On the Preservation of dead Birds. By Mr. T. S. Kuchahn. p. 302. 



Mr. K. thinks he has tried most, if not all, the methods that have been pub- 

 lished or practised for many years past, with all the care and attention he could; 

 and it was not till after the loss of much time and many fine subjects, birds in 

 particular, that he set himself to find out such methods, drugs, and liquors, as 

 would effectually penetrate and perfectly cure all the parts, so as to keep them 

 plump and full. With regard to the present ways and materials, he first re- 

 marks on that in which raw alum, common salt, and black pepper, are applied, 

 that he never could find those materials sufficient for a perfect preservation. They 

 never fail to become humid in moist air and long continued wet weather, they 

 suffer the flesh to rot, and even corrode the wires made use of to confine the 

 birds in their natural attitudes, till the whole drops to pieces on the least touch 

 or motion. Salt naturally degenerates to a pickle; if the bird has been killed 

 by shot, it will ooze through the shot holes. If it has been killed by hand, an 



