140 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



Lin.) got in this neighbourhood. One was killed as early as the 27th of 

 October, but the other not till the beginning of January. They were 

 both nearly pure white, with the point of the tail black ; showing the 

 severity of the season. 



A male and female ruff (Tringa pugnax), shot in the neighbourhood of 

 Carnwath in the beginning of September, were exhibited ; and a young 

 male shoveller (Anas clypeata), shot near Aberdour in the end of December ; 

 the keeper who killed it had never seen the bird before. Macgillivray, in 

 his " British Birds," mentions that " in Scotland no authentic instance of 

 its occurrence, at any season, has come to my knowledge." It has, how- 

 ever, been observed once or twice since his time. T)r Smith also exhibited 

 two large ducks, one killed in November last, on the coast of Mull, the 

 other near Prestonpans, some weeks ago. Their unusual appearance had 

 attracted attention, and gave rise to some correspondence in "The Field,' 1 

 one of the London sporting newspapers, as to the species to which they 

 belonged. The birds, Dr Smith said, were undoubtedly young females of 

 the black scoter (Oidemia nigra, Flem.), the least common of our two 

 scoters ; and, in this immature plumage, rather puzzling birds to a young 

 naturalist. Their general plumage was of a dusky brown ; the top of the 

 head, from base of bill and along back of neck, brownish black ; sides of 

 head below eye, of throat, and neck, grayish white ; the abdomen of a dull 

 grayish brown, the brown feathers being edged with white ; under tail 

 coverts dark brown, no enlargement on bill, which, as well as the feet, was 

 of a dusky brown colour. In one of the birds the bill was of a lighter colour 

 at the nostrils. One of these birds was sent by Mr Sanderson, birdstuffer, 

 and the other by Mr Small, birdstuffer, George Street. Through the 

 kindness of Professor Allman, he was able to exhibit another immature 

 specimen of this bird from the valuable collection in the Museum of the 

 University. The occasional appearance of Oidemia nigra in this im- 

 mature plumage has led, it is believed by naturalists, to the introduction, 

 by mistake, of the Oidemia leucocephala (Steph.) among the list of 

 British birds. Jenyns says, there is no good authority for considering the 

 O. leucocephala as British. It is a bird of eastern Europe. 



Wednesday, February 22, 1860. — T. Strethill Wright, M.D., 

 President, in the chair. 



M. Edouard Claparede of Geneva was elected a foreign member of the 

 Society. 



The following donations to the library were laid on the table, and 

 thanks were voted to the donors: — 



Large Map of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. — From Lieutenant-Colonel J. 

 D. Graham, U.S. Topographical Engineers. Transactions of the Zoolo- 

 gical Society of London, Vol. IV., Part VI., 1859. Proceedings of the 

 Zoological Society of London, Parts XXV. (1857), XXVI. (1858), and 

 Parts I. and II., L859.— From the Society. The Quarterly Journal of 

 the Geological Society of London, Vol. XV. Part III. No. 69, August 

 1859. — From the Society. The Journal of the Royal Dublin Society, 

 No. XV., October 1859. — From the Society. Journal of Geological 

 Society of Dublin, Vol. VIII. Part II., 1859.— From the Society. 



