378 Proceedings of tJte Wernerian Society. 
that of the male. And Professor Jameson read some Observa- 
tions on the Moulting of Birds, and explained particularly the 
change of colour, which takes place in some species on the ap- 
proach of winter, and from which it appeared not only that the 
old feathers become white, but that an additional quantity of new 
ones are at the same time produced. At this meeting, Professor 
Jameson exhibited a specimen of the water-rail, prepared some 
years ago by Dr Willis, in order to shew the spine on the wing-- 
lets of the water-rail, and the Professor at the same time pointed 
out spines of the same description he had detected in the com- 
mon water-hen, and in several foreign species of the same genuSo- 
Jan. 29 .-— Professor Jameson, at this meeting,, read a Series 
of observations on the phenomena presented at the line (f junc- 
tion of quartz-roch and limestone, from which it appears that 
they are of the same description as those observed at the junc^- 
tion of trap and. limestone. He also pointed out several phe- 
nomena of a similar nature, which he had noticed at the meet- 
ing of hmestones having different textures. 
Feb. 12. — Dr Yule laid before the Society a communication- 
regarding a Collection of 7 ' are plants in a living state, received 
from Dr Wallich of the Calcutta Garden, and conveyed to this 
country with great care by Colonel Udny Yule, with remarks' 
on the most effectual means of transporting plants and seeds- 
safely from distant tropical countries. At the same meeting. 
Professor J ameson read a paper on Thermal Rocks,^ &c. whiclr 
is printed in this number of our Journal, p. 307. 
Art. XXXIV.^SeiENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 
I. NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 
ASTRONOMY. 
r. Obliquity of the EcTiptic.-—J\. has generally been suppos- 
'©d by astronomers, that the observations of the winter solstice 
give a less obliquity of the ecliptic than those of the summer 
solstice, M. Bessel- has recently called this opinion in question,^ 
and shews that Bradley’s observations give the same result both 
in summer and ^\dnter. His own observatioi-is also give a simi- 
lar result. Dr Brinkley thinks that the difference arises fronr 
