792 Birds. 



reason whatever ; and because I have no doubt that a partridge's egg would be more 

 manageable than a fowl's egg; and that if the hen partridge should by chance be 

 near, and endeavour to defend her nest, she would be herself demolished by the 

 plunderer, as easily as a ringdove or a young turkey. — /. C. Atkinson ; Hutton, Ber- 

 ivick-on-Tweed, October 26, 1844. 



Proceedings of the British Association for the advancement of Science. York, Septem- 

 ber 25, 1844. From the " Athenceum" of September 28. 



The Secretary, Dr. Lankester, commenced proceedings by reading a paper " On 

 the Periodical Birds observed in the years 1843 and 1844, near Llanrwst, Denbigh- 

 shire, North Wales," by John Blackwall, Esq., F.L.S. — This was a continuation of 

 the author's former observations on the same subject, which were commenced at the 

 suggestion of the British Association, in order that extensive tables of the period of 

 the arrival and disappearance of animals, and other periodic phenomena in the organic 

 kingdom, might be obtained. 



Mr Arthur Strickland, of Burlington, observed that a single paper could not afford 

 matter for inference. The period of appearance and disappearance of birds is very 

 uncertain. 



A paper was read by Mr. J. Hogg, on the Ornithology of a portion of the North of 

 England, entitled " A Catalogue of the Birds observed in South-East Durham and 

 North- West Cleveland." — The author entered into an extended view of the habits of 

 many of the species, and made remarks upon the nomenclature of some of our British 

 authors. He also proposed some modification in the classification of birds, adopting 

 some of the families of Cuvier as additional tribes, incorporating at the same time 

 with them the greater part of the families adopted by our English ornithologists. 

 The number of species contained in the catalogue amounted to 210. 



The President, the Very Rev. the Dean of Manchester, observed, that as the 

 author had referred to some remarks of his on the Willow-wrens, he could state that 

 he believed that there were four British species, two of which were well known, and 

 two more obscure. There was first the Sylvia Trochilus, which breeds on the ground, 

 and builds its nest on heaths, and even in strawberry beds ; secondly, wood-wrens, 

 which were found in woods ; thirdly, the Sylvia rufa, which occurred in his own parish, 

 in Yorkshire ; fourthly, a bird called the chiffchaff, but confounded with the last, but 

 which he called the Sylvia loquax. This is very common in Yorkshire. Why they 

 are not distinguished is, that the young birds have a brighter plumage than the old 

 ones. Another bird mentioned by Mr. Hogg, the whinchat, was frequently called 

 grasschat in Yorkshire, and followed the mowers during haymaking. The godwit had 

 been mentioned : it had a long bill, and it was generally supposed that birds with 

 long bills lived by suction ; but this was not the case with the godwit, as it fed vora- 

 ciously and flourished upon barley. It could not drink in deep water, but was always 

 obliged to have recourse to the edge of a stream to drink. 



Abstract of a paper " On the Flight of Birds," by T. Allis. — Birds require the cen- 

 tre of gravity to be placed immediately over the axis of motion for walking, and beneath 

 it when flying ; when suspended in the air, their bodies naturally fall into that posi- 

 tion which throws the centre of gravity beneath the wings. The axis of motion being 

 situated in a different place in the line of the body when walking, from that which is 



