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Proceedings of the Wernerian Natural History Society. 



1835, March 21. — Dr Charles Anderson, formerly, V. P. 

 in the chair : — 



A paper was read on the Geology of the Island of Skye, by 

 R. J. Hay Cunninghame, Esq. The author described first, the 

 stratified rocks in the ascending order, from the primary strata 

 to the oolitic deposits occurring in the island ; then the unstra- 

 tified or plutonic masses ; and concluded with an enumeration of 

 the relations of the two great series. Numerous sketches and 

 sections and specimens illustrating his remarks were exhibited. 



Sir Patrick Walker then laid before the meeting a series of 

 fine marbles, which he had brought from the quarries of Bag- 

 neres de Bigorre. 



Professor Jameson exhibited and described a series of bird 

 from the Himmalayan Mountains, considered as identical, or 

 nearly so, with the European: Strix passerina; Alcedo ispida; Pa- 

 rus major; Motacilla alba, boarula, Garrulus glandarius; Caryo- 

 catactes vulgaris ; Ardea nyticorax ; Numenius arquata, phceo- 

 pus ; Tringa squatarola, hypoleucos, pusilla, ochropus ; Gha- 

 radius pluvialis; Cursorius haemantopus; Podiceps minor; CEdic- 

 nemus crepitans ; Pterocles arenarius ; Anas clypeata, penelope, 

 querquedula, crecca. After exhibiting and comparing the tri- 

 vial characters of the above species with the European, it was 

 stated, that even if all the external characters were the same, but 

 if the shape of the head differed, we were entitled, from that 

 character alone, to make a new species ; and as illustrative of 

 this opinion, it was stated, on the authority of Brehm and others, 

 that, generally speaking, no two species with plumage, &c. the 

 same, but with different shapes of head, agreed in their habits 

 .and manners, nor were they ever found to breed with each other. 

 Professor Jameson also exhibited a specimen of the female of 

 the Cypselus longipennis, which lie had received from Northern 

 India, and stated that it only differed from the male figured by 

 Temminck and Swainson, in wanting the brownish-red patches 

 on the side of the neck ; in other characters it is identical. 



