40 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES, 
museum, having been sent out to that island for the express purpose of collecting 
birds, and having come home, after making remarkable exertions, with not less 
than 150 different species, being fifty more than had been at present described as 
existing in that island. 
Col. Sykes read a paper, on Canisjubatus of Azara, and exhibited the skin 
of this animal with that of a European Leopard. The author thought this 
Canisjubatus was not rightly classified and named. It differed from the Dog 
family in its nocturnal and solitary habits ; its tail also was thicker, more bushy, 
head flatter, eyes smaller, nose sharper, and the whole animal more bulky. If it 
* differed from the Dog, it differed more from the Fox and Wolf; and he proposed 
to refer it to the genus Hysena; or, if this could not be admitted, he would make 
it a distinct genus, which would then be the representative of the Hysena tribe in 
America, which we must suppose possessed some analogue of that tribe in the 
old world. 
The next paper was “ On Vegetable Monstrosities,” from his collection, by the 
Rev. W. Hinges. The author made some introductory remarks on the importance 
of the study of monstrosities, and concluded by a distribution of them into five 
classes :—1. Cases of coherence and adherence of parts not usually united, or of 
separation of those'which are ordinarily connected; 2. Anomalies depending on 
the comparative development of parts of one circle; 3. Anomalous transforma¬ 
tions of organs; 4. Monstrous exuberances of growth, by which the number of 
parts is altered, independently of transformation, the number of circles of parts is 
increased, or the axis irregularly extended; 5. Anomalous abortions or suppres¬ 
sions of parts usually present in the species.* 
[We have drawn up the fore-going report with the kind assistance of the gen¬ 
tleman who rendered our readers the same service last year. The concluding 
portion of the proceedings will appear in our next number.— Ed.[] 
PROCEEDINGS OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
May 9. —Rev. W. Whewell, Pres., in the chair.—Two communications were 
read :— 
1st, “ An Account of the Fossil stem of a Tree lately discovered in the Coal 
* We confine ourselves to this brief notice of Mr. Hincks’s communication, because we have rea¬ 
son to believe that the author will favour us with the entire paper for publication.—E d. 
