115 



Voyages to New E7igland," by the same author, and in 

 which are interspersed similar observations upon the plants 

 and animals then noticed by him. 



Friday^ January 23, 1857. 



Evening meeting at half past seven o'clock. Bev. John L. 

 Russell, Vice President, in the chair. 



Records of preceding meeting read. Donations to the Library 

 announced from John H. Neal, Caleb Foote, Henry Whipple, C. 

 Benj. Richardson of Boston, M. A. Stickney, B. F. Mudge of 

 Lynn, John H. Stone, James Ward, Warren & Sons of Sacra- 

 mento, Cal. 



Also, donations to the Historical Department from James 

 Ward and H. M. Brooks. 



The Cabinet Keeper reported donations from Israel P. Ward, 

 C. F. Putnam and Mrs. George R. Mason. 



F. W. Putnam, read a communication as follows : 



On the Armature of the Lower Bill of the Hatching 

 Tringa Pusilla. Wilson. By Dr. David F. Weinland. 



On the 6th of July last, I caught at Nahant a young of the 

 common Peep {Tringa pusilla, Wils.) of our seashore. This 

 bird could have been hatched from the egg hardly more than 

 one or two days, for it still wore the hard, horny tubercle on 

 the upper bill, which we find in all birds when hatching, and 

 which serves to knock open the eggshell. But I was surprised to 

 find a similar armature on the lower bill, though less prominent, 

 which, as far as I know, never has been observed before. Now 

 the upper horn, as we may call it, reaching a good deal beyond 

 the lower, this latter one cannot work as a knocking hammer, as 

 the upper does ; therefore I suppose that the horn on the lower 

 bill serves only as a support for the upper bill while knocking ; 

 this is the more likely, as the bill of this kind of birds is at 

 that time rather long, slender and weak. 



I am persuaded that this armature of the lower bill occurs in 

 alliTringse ; it may even occur in all Waders when hatching. 



In reference to the structure of this organ in the upper and 

 lower bill, I will add, that it is not a mere excrescence of the 

 sheath of the bill, but formed separately and only attached to 

 it. On the contrary in turtles,';,where we find the same organ, 



