115 



July 23, 1839. 

 William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



A collection of 68 Bird-skins, made by Capt. Belcher on the west 

 coast of South America, and presented to the Society by the Lords 

 Commissioners of the Admiralty, was exhibited, and commented on 

 by Mr. Vigors. 



Among other observations, Mr. Vigors directed the attention of 

 the Society to typical or leading characters, of the various groups of 

 which specimens were found in the collection ; and pointed out the 

 relations which subsist between the great primary groups of his own 

 system of ornithology, and the different situations they are fitted to 

 occupy, — the earth, the water, the air, the forests, and the marshes. 

 Mr. Vigors afterwards went over the collection in detail, and made 

 many interesting observations respecting the habits and relations of 

 the different species. 



The following paper, on the production of Isinglass from Indian 

 Fishes, was read by Dr. Cantor, Corresponding Member : 



" In the December number, 1838, of Parbury's Oriental Herald 

 appears a letter ' On the Suleah Fish of Bengal, and the Isinglass it 

 affords' : the description of this fish I shall quote in the words of 

 the anonymous writer. ' The Suleah Fish,' he observes, ' when at 

 its full size, runs about four feet in length, and is squaUform, resem- 

 bling the Shark species in appearance, but exhibiting a more dehcate 

 structure than the latter. The meat of this fish is exceedingly 

 coarse, and is converted by the natives, when salted and spiced, into 

 " burtah," a piquant relish, well known at the breakfast-tables of 

 Bengal. The bladder of the Suleah may be considered- the most 

 valuable part of it, which, when exposed to the sun and suffered to 

 dry, becomes purely pellucid, and so hard that it will repel the edge 

 of a sharp knife when applied to it. These bladders vary from half 

 a pound to three quarters of a pound avoirdupois in weight, when 

 perfectly dry. . . . The Suleah Fish abounds in Channel Creek, off 

 Saugor, and in the ostia or mouths of all the rivers which intersect 

 the Sunderbuns, and are exceedingly plentiful at certain seasons.' 



" Conceiving the great importance of the discovery of isinglass 

 being a product of India, I was naturally anxious to examine the 

 source, arising from a branch of natural history to which in particular 

 I have devoted ray attention ; but from the general nature of the de- 

 scription, I was obliged to defer my desire of identifying the fish till 

 some future opportunity should enable me to do so. Quite unex- 

 pectedly, however, a few days ago, the last overland despatch brought 

 me a letter from my valued friend Mr. McClelland, a Corresponding 

 Member of this Society, an extract of which, bearing upon the point 



