Ill 
Ordinary Meeting, April 15th, 1873. 
It. Angus Smith, Ph.D., F.R.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 
Mr. William Thomson was elected an Ordinary Member 
of the Society. 
Mr. Fkancis Nicholson, F.Z.S., exhibited two fine eggs 
of the golden eagle (Falco chrysaetos) taken the previous 
week from a nest in the north of Scotland. Fortunately 
some of the large landed proprietors both in Scotland and 
Ireland are now preserving this noble bird from persecution 
during the breeding time, so that it is not likely to be tho- 
roughly exterminated at present, but British taken eggs are 
difficult to obtain and are rare in collections. 
The following letter from Mr. William Boyd Dawkins, 
FR.S., was read : 
As Secretary of the Committee of the British Association 
for carrying on the exploration of the Victoria Cave, I am 
obliged to notice the “ Notes on Victoria Cave/’ by Mr. W. 
Brockbank, published in the Proceedings, March 10th, 1873, 
pp. 95 et seq. The notes in question are based partly on 
Mr. Brockbank’s examination of the cave during two visits 
with an interval of two years between them, partly on the 
facts recorded by Mr. Tiddeman and myself, and partly on a 
ground plan constructed by our superintendent Mr. J ackson, 
for the Exploration Committee, that is not yet published. 
I submit that until the work of the Committee to which 
the cave has been handed over by the kindness of the owner 
be finished, and the observations, to which Mr. Brockbank 
has had no access, be recorded, his notes must of neces- 
sity be imperfect and liable to error. How much he is in 
error as to matters of fact may be estimated by the exami- 
nation of the statement, p. 97 — “ the day before my visit a 
mass of at least 100 tons had fallen from above the face of 
the Victoria Cave.” Mr. Jackson writes me that not even a 
mass weighing one ton, although two blocks possibly of 
Proceedings— Ltt. & Phil, Society.— Vol. XII,— No. 11— Session 1872-3. 
