135 



deahof red. The plumage of both sexes is alike. Frequents the 

 river. 



Podiceps ruhricollis. Lath. Procured May 24. Found in the 

 stomach grass. At the river. 



Podiceps auritus, Lath. Procured June 2. Found in the stomacli 

 grass, with a few insects. Iris of a very bright golden scarlet ; mar- 

 gin of the eyelids orange ; bill black; legs dusky outside, grayish in- 

 side. Inhabits the river. 



Lams argentatus? Brunn. Procured April 12. Found in the 

 stomach hair, clots of blood, chick peas, and a portion of a sheep's 

 hoof. Iris hazel ; margin of eyelids bright orange I'ed ; bill orange, 

 marked with red, dusky near its tips, which have a horny appear- 

 ance; legs yellowish orange, the claws dusky. Arrives March 23. 

 At first frequents rills, at a short distance from the town, but after 

 the melting of the snow these birds are found at the river. Tiiey 

 are shy, and fly high. 



*Larus ridihundus, Linn. Procured April 20. Found in tiie 

 stomach water-beetles. Iris Iiazel ; bill of a deep lake-colour, wit!i 

 the tip inclining to dusky ; margins of the eyelids bright red ; leg-* 

 same colour as bill; the claws dusky. Total length 14*5 inches. 

 These birds are \ery common about the river, where they breed, 

 on small strips of land, just appearing above water, and surrounded 

 by sedges : the nests are placed in a row, mingled with those of other 

 birds, and are constructed of reeds externally, and weeds inside ; each 

 nest is three or four inches high, and contained on the first of June 

 one egg, of an olive-green colour, spotted irregularly with chocolate, 

 brown, and purple patches. 



Sterna nigra, Linn. Procured May 21'. Found in the stomach 

 beetles. Iris very dark brown, almost approaching to black. Com* 

 mon at the river, where these birds are seen in small companies. 



* Sterna Hirundo, Linn. Procured May 24. Found in the sto- 

 mach fish. Iris hazel. Frequents the river : common. Breeds on 

 the slips of land that are laid bare by the diminishing of the waters 

 at the river: it makes no nest, but lays its eggs on the ground. 



Mr. Waterhouse exhibited skulls of the various genera contained 

 in tlie order Carnivcna, and stated that he had laid them before the 

 Meeting for the purpose of pointing out certain characters, both in 

 the crania and dentition, which might serve to distinguish the sub- 

 divisions of that order. 



Judging from the form of the skull and lower jaw, and from the 

 structure of the teeth, the order Carnivora (Mr. Waterhouse ob- 

 served) appears to consist of six families, of which the Dog, Viverra, 

 Cat, Weasel, Bear, and Seal afford familiar examples ; of these the 

 Cats and Weasels appear to be the most truly carnivorous, and the 

 Bears the least so. 



To these six families Mr. Waterhouse applies the names CanidcB, 

 Viierridce, Felidas, Mustelidce, UrsidcB, and Phocidce. 



In the first of these families (the Canidce) the muzzle is elongated ; 



