50 



June 24, 1834. 

 Joseph Sabine, Esq., Vice President, in the Chair. 



A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary by Keith E. Abbott, 

 Esq., and dated Trebizond, Dec. 10, 1833. It referred principally 

 to a collection of objects of Zoology formed by the writer in his neigh- 

 bourhood and presented by him to the Society^ and contained notices 

 of other objects which he expects to be able to procure and 

 transmit. 



It also gave some account of " the famous honey of Trebizond, which 

 is spoken of by Xenophon in his history of the retreat of the ten thou- 

 sand Greeks, as having produced the effect of temporary madness or 

 rather drunkenness on the whole of the army who ate of it, without, 

 however, causing any serious consequences. It is supposed to be 

 from the flowers of the Azalea Pontica that the Bees extract this 

 honey, that plant growing in abundance in this part of the country, 

 and its blossom emitting the most exquisite odour. The effect which 

 it has on those who eat it is, as I have myself witnessed, precisely 

 that which Xenophon describes : when taken in a small quantity it 

 causes violent head-ache and vomiting, and the unhappy individual 

 who has swallowed it resembles as much as possible a tipsy man ; a 

 larger dose will completely deprive him of all sense and power of 

 moving for some hours afterwards." A portion of the honey accom- 

 panied the letter, and was exhibited. 



The other objects presented by Mr. Keith Abbott were also exhibited. 



At the request of the Chairman, Mr. Gould brought the Birds se- 

 verally under the notice of the Meeting. Their principal interest 

 rested on the assistance afforded by a collection formed in such a loca- 

 lity towards the determination of the geographical limits of certain 

 species. Those among the Birds of Europe which are found in India 

 also would, it is reasonable to anticipate, occur in the intermediate 

 locality of Trebizond ; but there are, among the Trebizond Birds, 

 various European species which do not, as far as is yet known, occur 

 in India, and the existence of which in so eastern a range is conse- 

 quently interesting. 



The following species are contained in the Trebizond collection 

 presented to the Society by Mr. Keith Abbott. The remarks as to 

 the localities inhabited by them respectively are by Mr. Gould. 



1. Aquila pennata. Inhabiting eastern Europe and the adjacent 

 parts of Asia and Africa. 



2. Buteo vulgaris, Bechst. European j but not previously observed 

 in Asia, although there is a nearly allied species in the Himalayan 

 mountains. It has not yet been noticed in Africa. 



3. Circus ceruginosus. European, Indian, and African. 



4. Circus cyaneus. European, African, Indian, Chinese, and North 

 American specimens present no apparent specific differences. 



