144 F. Finn — Prehension in Passerine Birds. [May, 



M. le Doctenr Palmyr Cordier, Medecin des Colonies, Laureat de 

 TAcademie de Medecine, Chandernagor, proposed by Dr. A. F. R. 

 Hoernle, seconded by Surgeon-Major A. Alcock. 



Surgeon -Major H. J. Dyson, I.M.S., proposed by the Hon. Mr. H. 

 H. Risley, seconded by Surgeon-Lieut.- Col. J. Scully. 



Donald Sunder, Esq., Provincial Civil Service, proposed by tbe 

 Hon. Mr. H. H. Risley, seconded by Surgeon-Major A. Alcock. 



The Secretary reported the death of the following members : — 

 Pandit Harimohan Vidyabhushan (Ordinary Member). 

 Sir Syed Ahmad, Bahadur, K.C.S.I. do. 



Dr. G. Biihler (Honorary Member). 



The President announced that the Council had sanctioned for 

 Journal, Part I, a special grant of Rs. 1,600 for printing text and plates 

 of Dr. Hoernle's paper on Assam Copper-plate Inscriptions, out of the 

 accumulations of Assam Government Grants for Ethnological Research. 



The President presented to Babu Sarasi Lai Sarkar the Elliott 

 Gold Medal for his Essay on an Investigation of the Properties of Num- 

 bers : and on some Propositions relating to the Theories of Congruences 

 and of Quadratic Residues. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. An Ejpigraphical Note on Palm-leaf, Paper and Birch-bark. — By 

 A. F. Rudolf Hoernle, CLE., Ph.D. 



The paper will be published in the Journal, Part I. 



2. On some imperfectly Jcnown points in the Habits and Economy of 

 Birds, No. II. On the Use of the Feet for Prehension by certain Passerine 

 Birds, especially Babblers. — By'F. Finn, B.A., F.Z.S., Deputy Superinten- 

 dent of the Indian Museum. 



Considering the perfect organization of the feet of Passerine birds 

 for grasping, it is somewhat astonishing that so many of them appear 

 to have no notion of using these members for holding their food, or for 

 transporting any object after the manner of Birds of Prey. 



It would appear, hovrever, that our common Crow {Corvus splendens) 

 does occasionally do the latter, for I have on two or three occasions 

 seen one flying with a stick or other nesting material in its foot, thus 

 imitating a Kite. 



