210 Obituary. 



&c. ; Mr Jameson exhibited specimens of the Gallus bankiva in its various stages, 

 and remarked, that it is probably one of the originals of the domestic fowl, 

 winch seems to have originated not from one, but from many species ; Bucco 

 grandis; Phasianus albo-cristatus in its various stages; Parus (Leiothrix) fur- 

 catus, Temminck ; Cinclus Pallasii, Temminck. With regard to the characters 

 assigned to the genus Leiothrix by Swainson, of which the Parus furcatus is the 

 type, and which has been justly separated from the true Parianee, some obser- 

 vations were made showing that several of these are quite inapplicable to the 

 type of the genus. In exhibiting the Cinclus Pallasii, Mr Jameson remarked, 

 that the genus was confined for many years to but one species, the existence of 

 the Pallas Dipper being called in question, and that not found out of Europe. 

 Now, however, we have three, and probably a fourth (a bird existing in the col- 

 lection of the University of Edinburgh, which may be placed in this genus, or 

 rather forms a connecting link between the genus Cinclus and that of Pitta,) 

 some of which are found in all the great continents of the world, with the exception 

 of New Holland. That the Cinclus Pallasii is the same as the Cinclus Ameri- 

 canus, an opinion advocated by L. Bonaparte, can only be maintained by those 

 who have not had an opportunity of comparing the two species, being very apt 

 to be misled, by the meagre description of the former by Temminck ; one cha- 

 racter alone, distinguishes the two species, viz. the Pallas Dipper is more than 

 a third larger than the American ; moreover, the latter never assumes the co- 

 lour of the former, at least Mr Jameson was unable to detect, in a series of speci- 

 mens of the Cinclus Americanus, in the Museum of the Universisy of Edin- 

 burgh, the slightest approach to the tinge of colour assumed by the Pallas Dip- 

 per. A specimen of Wryneck (Yunx torquilla) was exhibited, which was kil- 

 led in February last in Fifeshire The Society adjourned till November — Ed. 



Phil Journ; No. 41. July 1836. 



provincial. 

 Shropshire and North Wales Natural History and Antiquarian So- 

 ciety,— instituted in November 1835, and opened with an address by the Ven. 

 Archdeacon Butler, the first President. The terms are one guinea yearly, or 

 ten guineas as a payment in composition. The branches of science to be pro- 

 moted are subdivided, and curators appointed to superintend each department. 

 Antiquities, T. F. Dukes, Esq., and Mr Henry Pidgeon. 

 Botany, Rev. S. M. Wakefield, and T. W. Wilson, M. D. 

 Entomology, Rev. F. W. Hope, and W. W. Watkins, Esq. 

 Geology, Thos. Du Guord, M. D., and John Wayfield, Esq. 

 Mineralogy, Rev. J. M. Wakefield, and Mr S. Whitny. 

 Ornithology, T. C. Eyton, Esq., and Thomas Sutton, Esq. 

 The first general meeting was held in January 1836. 



OBITUARY. 



We regret to learn that the reports of the fate of Mr Richard Cunningham 

 have proved too true. The following letter, which we copy from Loudon's 

 Gardener's Magazine, will give the truest account of the melancholy occur- 

 rence, which took place after his separation from the expedition with which he 

 was connected " The last arrival of mails from Sydney has put the govern- 

 ment in possession of the report of the officer of police (Lieut. Zouch, 4th re- 

 giment,) who had been sent in command of a party of mounted police, to the 



