Natural History of the Herring. 



Wednesday , 2±th April 1861. — Alexander Bryson, Esq., President, in 



the Chair. 



The following gentlemen were balloted for, and elected non-resident 

 members of the Society : — 



The Rev. George Gordon, LL.D., Manse of Birnie, Elgin ; Lieutenant- 

 Colonel George Logan Home, K.L.H. and K.R.G., of Broom House and 

 Edrom, Dunse. 



The usual Committees were appointed for special investigations during 

 the summer. 



Memorial against Salmon Fisheries Act.— -Mr George Logan, Con- 

 vener of the Committee on Marine Zoology, read a memorial to the Lord 

 Advocate, which had been prepared, praying for various alterations on 

 his proposed Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1861, which, unless the 

 prayer of the memorial was granted, would put a stop to a considerable 

 part of the means used by the Committee in investigating marine zoology. 

 The memorial was approved of, and powers were granted to the Com- 

 mittee to use its best endeavours to get the prayer of the memorial 

 carried into effect. 



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

 thanks voted to the donors : — 



1. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Vol. X., 1859-60, 

 and Part I. of Vol. XI. — Prom the Society. 2. Proceedings of the Aca- 

 demy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 1860. 3. A Notice of the 

 Origin, Progress, and Present Condition of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences at Philadelphia. By W. S. W. Ruschenberger, M.D. 1860. 

 — From the Society. 4. The Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. 

 No. 64, November 1860, Vol. XVI., Part IV., and No. 65, February 

 1861, Vol. XVII., Part I.— From the Society. 



The following Communications were read : — 



I. Some Statements in Cuvier's "Natural History of Fishes," as to the 

 Herring, shown to be erroneous. By J. M. Mitchell, Esq. 



Mr J. M.Mitchell stated that he had observed several errors 

 in some of the principal works on natural history as to the 

 herring, which he might afterwards more fully discuss ; but 

 in the meantime he would point out some erroneous state- 

 ments in Baron Cuvier's " Histoire Naturelle des Poissons," 

 edited by Professor Valenciennes. In the twentieth volume 

 of the quarto edition, page 35, it is said, " that in the northern 

 seas, as far as the White Sea, all the individuals have an 



