﻿xii Proceedings. {November 15th, 1904.. 



Ordinary Meeting, November 15th, 1904. 



Professor W. Boyd Dawkins, D.Sc, F.R.S., President, 

 in the Chair. 



The thanks of the members were voted to the donors of the 

 books upon the table. 



Mr. Francis Nicholson, F.Z.S., presented to the Society 

 a framed portrait of Dr. John Ferriar, engraved by Bartolozzi, 

 from an original drawing by Stothard. John Ferriar, M.D. was 

 born in Roxburghshire on November 21st, 1761. He came to 

 Manchester in 1785, where he remained for the rest of his life, 

 and was a prominent member of the scientific and literary circles 

 of this city. Dr. Ferriar, who was elected a member of this 

 Society on April 12th, 1786, held the office of Secretary from 

 1787 — 1791, and that of Vice-President from 1792 — 1797. The 

 following are some of the papers which he contributed to the 

 Society's " Memoirs " : — " Of popular illusions, and particularly 

 of Medical Demonology " ; " On the dramatic writings of 

 Massinger " ; " On observations concerning the vital principle " ; 

 the first two of these being published in 1786, and the last in 

 1787. 



A member, who wished to remain anonymous, presented to 

 the Society an oil painting representing Sir Isaac Newton as a 

 young man investigating his first spectrum, by Mr. Lavender, of 

 Southport. 



Mr. Francis Nicholson also communicated a note on 

 " The mistaken idea that birds are seed-carriers," in which he 

 said that his own observations, extending over many years, 

 afforded no evidence that entire seed can pass through a healthy 

 bird, a conclusion supported by the consideration of the 

 powerful digestive organs of birds and the grinding action of 

 their gizzard. In confirmation of this view, Mr. Nicholson 

 quoted passages from Macgillivray's "A History of British 

 Birds,"* where the author says that of many hundreds of birds 

 * Vol. 2, p. 104, Ring Ouzel ; pp. 124, 5, Missel Thrush. 



