February 12, 1866. 
_ The Presipenr (W. H. Cooxson, D.D., Master of S¢ Peter's 
College) in the Chair. 
The following new Fellows were elected : 
H. Russexiu, B.D., S¢ John’s. 
T. H. Canny, M.A., Sidney Sussea. 
On the Functions of the Air-cells, and the Mechanism 
of Respiration in Birds. By W. H. Drosizr, M.D. 
Caius College. 
Hz remarked that, although, during the last two centuries 
and a half, a great many distinguished anatomists and physio- 
logists (whose names he mentioned) had directed their special 
attention to the conformation of the respiratory organs of birds, 
and their functions, nevertheless our knowledge in regard to 
these matters was in a very unsatisfactory state. For instance, 
with regard to the number and relations of the large air-vessels 
in connexion with the lungs of birds, anatomists seem to be not 
yet agreed; and with respect to the uses of these, the views 
held by different physiologists were very contradictory, and at 
best only conjectural: all which shews that the subject in ques- 
tion was one of great difficulty. 
It is not a little singular that the views, which have been 
chiefly relied on as explaining the principal uses of the air-cells 
and their continuations into the cavities of the hollow bones of 
birds, will not bear for a moment a close scrutiny. The first 
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