3340 Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. 



a most anomalous appearance when viewed as a perfect plant, — while the idea of its 

 being- a sporangium could scarcely be maintained, when precisely similar individuals 

 were formed by a species of reproduction. He believed no iustance was known of a 

 seed producing a seed. 



Dr. Carpenter replied that certainly in the mosses an increase in the seeds was 

 produced by gemmation, — and this might be looked on as a somewhat similar case. 

 —J. W. 



Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh. 



The usual monthly meeting of this Society was held at 6, York Place, on the even- 

 ing of Wednesday, December 3, Dr. Coldstream in the chair, when there was a full 

 attendance of members and visitors. The following gentlemen were unanimously 

 elected office-bearers for the current session : — 



Presidents. — John Goodsir, Esq., Professor of Anatomy, University, Edinburgh ; 

 John Coldstream, Esq., M.D., F.R.C.P.; and Hugh Miller, Esq. 



Council. — Hamlin W. Lee, Esq. ; Rev. John Fleming, D.D. ; James Cunning- 

 ham, Esq., W.S. ; Robert K. Greville, LL.D. ; Robert Chambers, Esq. ; and William 

 H. Lowe, Esq., M.D. 



Treasurer. — William Oliphant, Esq. 



Secretary. — Wyville T. C. Thomson, Esq. 



Assistant Secretary. — George Lawson, Esq. 



Honorary Librarian. — Robert F. Logan, Esq. 



It was remitted to the Council to forward to H. R. H. Prince Albert, a congratu- 

 latory Address upon the success of his labour in connexion with the Great Exhibition ; 

 and also to memorialize the Treasury upon the importance of forming in Edinburgh 

 a Museum of the Geology and Natural History of Scotland. 



The following communications were then brought forward : — 



1. Dr. J. A. Smith read a notice of the occurrence of the black tern near Cold- 

 stream, and exhibited a specimen of this bird shot in the beginning of July last. It 

 was killed when flying in company with several others, apparently of the same species, 

 in pursuit of its insect prey, on the banks of the Tweed. Dr. Smith believed the spe- 

 cimen before the Society to be an adult bird, though from the dulness of its colouring, 

 when compared with others which he had examined from the South of England, he 

 was led to the conclusion that it had only lately assumed its adult plumage. Like the 

 other terns, Sterna nigra is a summer British visitor, but, unlike them, it frequents 

 rivers, ponds and marshes, in preference to the sea-coast, breeding amongst the grass 

 and rushes of their borders. This bird is mentioned by Yarrell, Jardine, and M'Gil- 

 livray, as not having been met with in Scotland ; and as this individual had pursued 

 its prey to the northern bank of our boundary river, Dr. Smith considered it the first 

 Scotch specimen. Mr. Archibald Hepburn, however, who was present, stated that 

 some years ago an individual had been shot in East Lothian. 



2. Mr. Evans exhibited to the Society a beautiful specimen of the Bohemian wax- 

 wing, lately captured by him in the Experimental Gardens ; and a specimen of the 

 night-jar, shot in Hbpetoun woods. 



