58G Zoological Proceedings of Societies. 



November 'iS.— The Secretary exhibited a specimen of the 

 Scolopax Sabini, the new species which had beeu laid before the 

 Club on the 13th of April, and the description of which had been 

 read at the Meeting of the 26th of October. The specimen before 

 the Club was the property of W. A. Dunning, Esq. of Maidstone, 

 and was shot on the 26th of October 1824, on the banks of the 

 MedAvay, near Rochester. This is the second instance of the 

 species having beeu met with in the British Islands. 



The reading of Mr. W. S. MacLeay's paper " On Tunicata," 

 was concluded. 



A discussion, in which several members of the Club took a 

 part, subsequently ensued, on the subject of the quinary arrange- 

 ment and the circular succession and affinities among the groups 

 of Nature ; an allusion to which had been made in the foregoing 

 paper. In the course of this discussion Mr, Vigors took the 

 opportunity of stating a fact which had come to his knowledge 

 in the course of the preceding morning, and which was strongly 

 corroborative of an affinity which he had sometime since ventured 

 to point out to the Club, as existing between the Linnean genera 

 Ramphasfos and Unceros^ and carried on through the latter group 

 to the more typical and omnivorous families of the Insessores. 

 He had seen a specimen of Ramphasfos erijthrorhi/nchiis, Gmel., 

 now alive in this country, which shewed a decided partiality to 

 animal food, and to preying upon weaker birds. The bird in 

 question, soon after its arrival in this country had seized upon a 

 stray bird that accidentally approached its cage, and instantly 

 devoured it. It has since been occasionally supplied with birds, 

 and other animal food, particularly eggs, for which it evinces a 

 decided predilection. The habit of feeding on animal substances, 

 which is conspicuous in the Corvidce^ and occasionally observed in 

 the Buceridce^ is thus partially preserved in the Ramphastidce (a 

 group that has hitherto been considered to feed alone upon fruits 

 and other vegetable productions,) until it gradually disappears in 

 the Psitlacidce. The further discussion of the subject was post- 

 poned to a future meeting. 



November 19. — Anni veuj^aiiy MEF/rrNci. The following mem- 

 bers were elected to form tlie Council and Officers for the en- 



