132 



September 27, 1831. 



Dr. Marshall Hall in the Chair. 



An extensive collection of skins of Birds from the northern re- 

 gions of North America was exhibited. It was presented to the 

 Society by Viscount Goderich, Secretary of State for Colonial 

 Affairs, and comprehended specimens of all the rarer species ob- 

 tained during the last Arctic land expedition under the command 

 of Captain Sir John Franklin. Among the one hundred and ten 

 species thus presented to the Society (nearly the whole of which 

 were exhibited) the following are regarded by Dr. Richardson and 

 Mr. Swainson as new to science : 



Bubo arcticus. Pyrgita arctica. 



Lanius excubitorides^ * Linaria tephrocotis. 



borealis. Garridus bracfiyrhynchus. 



TyravMida pnsilla. Tetrao lencurus. 



Richardsonii. * Scolopnx Drummondii. 



Cinclus Americanus. Lams zonorhynchis. 



Merida minor. * brachyrhynchus. 



solitaria. ■ Franklinii. 



Orpheus meruloides. • Bonapariii. 



Erythaca arctica. * Lestris Richardsonii. 



* Emberiza picta. * Clangula Barrovii. 



* pallida. 



The species to which an asterisk is prefixed were not exhibited, 

 the specimens not having been yet transmitted to the Society. 



The whole of the above-mentioned species are described by 

 Dr. Richardson and Mr. Swainson in the forthcoming part of the 

 'Fauna Boreali-Aniericana,' 



In addition to the Birds, specimens of several Mammalia, col- 

 lected during the same expedition, and similarly presented to the 

 Society, were exhibited. Among them was a skin of the Lagomys 

 Princeps, Richardson. 



Mr. Yarrell exhibited a preparation of part of the intestine of an 

 Eel, whicli was perforated by numerous examples of the Echino- 

 rliynchus tereticoUis, described by Rudolpiii in his ' Synopsis Ento- 

 y.oorum' as one of the many species of intestinal worms infesting 

 the fresh-water eel. Most of these worms had penetrated both the 

 villous and muscular coats, and their globular heads were visible 

 nnder the transparent peritoneal covering. A considerable number 

 of a s[)ecies of Filaria were also exhibited, which had recently been 

 taken from the abdominal cavity of an Eel. 



Mr. Yarrell stated his belief that the opinion of some writers that 

 the Eel is viviparous (an opinion which has been often expressed 

 but never proved), was probably founded on the frequent occurrence 



