HISTORY OP THE SOCIETY. 



405 



the glow-worm ; a colony of which, found in the neighbour- 

 hood of Edinburgh, he had made the subject of particular ob- 

 servation. He pointed out the change of habits, in regard to 

 food, which takes place among these insects, at a certain period 

 of their transformation, the larvse being predaceous, or attack- 

 ing living prey, particularly minute testacea, and other mol- 

 lusca, while the perfect insects are herbivorous. — A communica- 

 tion by Mr Macgillivray was then read, regarding the occur- 

 rence of a flock of foreign water-fowl, the Anas iEgyptiaca, 

 on the eastern coast of Scotland ; but the author suggested the 

 possibility of these birds having strayed from Lord Wemyss's 

 pleasure-grounds at Gosford ; and that the present instance could 

 not therefore, with certainty, be regarded as illustrating the na- 

 tural migration of the species. A drawing was exhibited of the 



leader of the flock, which had been shot by Captain Sharpe 



An extensive and valuable series of highly finished representa- 

 tions of the indigenous animals of Great Britain, chiefly quadru- 

 peds and birds, by Mr Macgillivray, was also exhibited to the 

 meeting. Professor Jameson pointed out that their peculiar ex- 

 cellence consisted in their combining, with great beauty of pic- 

 torial effect, a more accurate representation of the forms of the 

 crania, as always identical in the young and old of the same spe- 

 cies, — an important particular, greatly neglected by ornithologi- 

 cal draughtsmen ; and also in there being less mannerism in the 

 general treatment of the plumage, the characteristic form and 

 texture of the feathers of each species being particularly attended 

 to by Mr Macgillivray. 



R. Jameson, Esq. President, in the chair. — A communica- April 20. 

 tion from Dr Scouler of Glasgow was read, giving an account 

 of the discovery during last autumn (1832) of two specimens 

 of the Sorex remifer of Geoffroy, in the vicinity of that city. 

 They differ from the water-shrew in being of a larger size ; 

 of a deep velvet-black on the back and sides, and a ferruginous 

 brown beneath, with the tail rounded at its origin, but compress- 



VOL. VII. g g 



