HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY. If)") 



fore the Society, Professor Jameson having many years ago ex- 

 hibited this bird sent from Northern India by Lieutenant Tytler 

 (which, since that time, has been discovered by other travellers), 

 for the purpose of pointing it out under the form of the Vultur 

 Niger, it in the young state being considered as a distinct spe- 

 cies, and described under this name ; and also for the purpose of 

 shewing that it, from the nest upwards, undergoes the same 

 changes as the European species, a character, before all others, 

 marking them to be one and the same species. In regard to Bri- 

 tish birds in general, in connection with Indian ornithology, Mr 

 Jameson stated, that more than one-third of them occur in India, 

 either identical with, or undergoing certain slight modifications 

 in the colour of the,plumage, size, &c, characters which, if their 

 habits and manners are the same, would lead him to consider them 

 rather as marked varieties than as new species. To the diurnal 

 rapacious birds Mr Jameson particularly directed the attention 

 of the Society, and stated, that of the 18 diurnal birds of prey 

 found in this island, the following striking distribution was pre- 

 sented, viz. In common with Europe 3 ; Europe and Asia 2 ; 

 Europe, Asia, and New Holland, 1 ; Europe, Asia, Africa, and 

 New Holland, 3 ; Europe, Asia, and North America, 5 ; if, how- 

 ever, the Circus cineraceus exists in North America, which is 

 not at all improbable, we shall have 6 ; Europe, Asia, and South 

 America, 1 ; Europe and North America 3. To these conclu- 

 sions, Mr Jameson remarked, he had come, principally from an 

 examination of the magnificent collection in the Museum of the 

 University of Edinburgh. After some other general observa- 

 tions on the identity of particular species of rapacious birds, in 

 which it was stated, that the Falco cherrug of Gray is the female 

 of the Falco islandicus ; the Circus pallidus, Sykes, the young 

 male of the Circus cyaneus ; the Circus variegatus, the Circus 

 rufus, &c ; Mr Jameson exhibited specimens of the Gallus ban- 

 kiva in its various stages, and remarked, that it is probably one 

 of the originals of the domestic fowl, which seems to have ori- 



