HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY. 485 



ticularly Coleoptera, found by him during his late tour in Su- 

 therlandshire. After some general observations on the distri- 

 butions of insects in Scotland and England, and especially on 

 the occurrence of some Scandinavian species in the north of 

 Scotland, and of some of the species belonging to the warm 

 climates of Europe, and in the south of England, the author 

 enumerated and exhibited the principal species he had collected, 

 and made remarks on such as were new, rare, or otherwise in- 

 teresting. — Dr Neill read an essay on the composition and qua- 

 lities of a new building-concrete, communicated by Mr Steven- 

 son. The paper was prefaced by a variety of historical details 

 on the subject, which was illustrated by specimens The Secre- 

 tary read an account of a series of new and rare plants collected 

 during an excursion, in the summer of 1834, to the United 

 States and Canada, communicated by Mr James Macnab. — 

 Professor Jameson exhibited a series of new and rare birds ; 

 among the latter were the Semi-palmated Goose, Charadrius ni- 

 grifrons ; Haematopus ostralegus, from New Holland ; Otis rufi- 

 collis, South Africa ; Tantalus plumbeus, South America, &c. He 

 also described an Ibis, Tanagra, and Rubecola, new to science. 



Ibis spinicollis. — Bill curved, and of a brownish-black colour ; 

 upper mandible furnished at its base with 13 greyish bands, each 

 about Inline in length; length 7 inches, with the upper man- 

 dible projecting over the other at the point. Nostrils linear, and 

 inserted into a groove which extends along the bill to the tip, 

 about | of an inch from its base. Head destitute of feathers, 

 also the centre and forepart of the neck, to a distance of \ inch. 

 Neck, forepart covered with straw-coloured spines, on the back 

 and upper part and sides with short greyish-white downy fea- 

 thers, under with short bluish-black metallic feathers. Body, 

 above of a brownish-black, each feather being alternately banded 

 with dull and metallic reflections ; below greyish-white. First 

 and fourth feathers of wing longest, second and third equal; 

 wings nearly as long as the tail. Length from tip of bill to tip 



