'Several dozens of strong lively fish, four inches in length, were transferred with great care from the nets into large vessels (some of the vessels, to vary the experiment, being of earthenware, and others of wood and metal) filled with water taken from the Thames at the time of catching the fish. At the expiration of twenty minutes nearly the whole of them were dead, none survived longer than half an hour, and all fell to the bottom of the water. On examination, the air-bladders were found to be empty and collapsed. There was no cause of death apparent. About four dozen specimens were then placed in a coffin-shaped box, pierced with holes, which was towed slowly up the river after the fishing boat. This attempt also failed: all the fish were dead when the vessel had reached Greenwich. Mr. Yarrell was told by two white bait fishermen, that they had several times placed these fishes in the wells of their boat, but they invariably died when brought up the river. The fishermen believe a portion of sea-water to be absolutely necessary to the existence of the species, and all the circumstances attending this particular fishery appear to prove their opinion to be correct*. 18. TO RESTORE THE ELASTICITY OF A DAMAGED FEATHEr. A feather when damaged by crumpling may be perfectly restored by the simple expedient of immersing it in hot water. The feather will thus completely recover its former elasticity, and look as well as it ever did. This fact was accidentally discovered by an amateur ornithologist of Manchester. Receiving, on one occasion, a case of South American birds, he found that the rarest specimen it contained was spoilt, from having had its tail rumpled in the packing. Whilst lamenting over this mishap, he let the bird fall from his hands into his coffee-cup; he now deemed it completely lost, but, to his agreeable surprise, he found, that after he had laid it by the fire to dry, the plumage of the tail became straight and unruffled, and a valuable specimen was added to his collection. 19. ORNITHOLOGY. At a late meeting of the committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London, Mr. Vigors, the secretary, called the attention of the committee to a gallinaceous group of America, which supplied in that continent the place of Quails in the Old World. Of this group, or the genus Ortyr of modern authors, which a few years back was known to ornithologists by two wellascertained species only, he exhibited specimens of six species-viz., Ort. Virginianus and Californicus, which had been the earliest described, the former by Linnæus, the latter by Dr. Latham; Ort. Capistratus, a species lately figured, named in Sir W. Jardine's and * Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. p. 14. Mr. Selby's Illustrations of Ornithology,' and Ort. Douglasii, Montezuma and Squamatus, which had been described by himself in the Zoological Journal. In addition to these, he exhibited plates of three others, of which no specimens were to be obtained in Londonviz., Ort. Macrourus, figured by Sir W. Jardine and Mr. Selby; Ort. Sonninii, figured by M. Temminck, in the Planches Coloriées (No. 75); and the Ort. Cristatus, figured in the Planches Enluminées (No. 126) of M. Buffon. To these nine described species he added two others, apparently new to science, and which he characterized under the name of Ort. Neoxenus and Affinis, stating, at the same time, his doubts whether both might not be females or young males, of the imperfectly known species of Ort. Sonninii or Cristatus. Individuals of the four above-mentioned species, viz., Ort. Virginianus, Californicus, Neoxenus, and Montezuma, had been exhibited in a living state in the garden of the Society, where specimens of the former three were still alive, having braved the severity of the last winter without artificial warmth. The Ort. Virginianus has bred in this country, and has even become naturalized in Suffolk*. Indian Birds.-Mr. John Gould, A.L.S., has recently received from India a large collection of birds, of which he intends shortly to publish coloured illustrations. Among these are several species, apparently undescribed, from the Himalayan mountains. The forms of a large proportion of these birds are capable of being identified with those of Northern Europe, at the same time that many of the forms peculiar to Southern Asia and the Indian Archipelago, are found intermingled with those of the northern regions. Among the forms similar to the European are three species of Jays, which have been named Garrulus Lanceolatus, Garr. Bispeculatus, and Garr. Striatus. The two first of these exhibit a striking affinity to our well known British bird. The latter species deviates in general colour and markings from the European species. Although according in form, and in the former characters, they exhibit a manifest approach to the Nutcrackers, or genus Nucifraga of Buffon. A new species of this latter form, Nucifraga Hemispila, is also amongst this collection, thus adding a second species to a group hitherto supposed to be limited to one. The collection also contains two species of Woodpecker, which have been called Picus Occipitalis and P. Squamatus, and approach in size and colouring most closely to the European Green Woodpecker. There is also a species of Hawfinch (Coccothraustes Icteroides), according accurately with the characters of the northern species; and also a small owl (Noctua Cuculoides), nearly allied to the Noctua Passerina and Tengmalini of Europe. Among the forms in this collection, which are peculiar to India, is a second species of the singular group, which contains the Horned Pheasant, or the Meleagris Satyra of Linnæus, and which has lately been separated by M. Cuvier, under the name Tragopan: it has been Proceedings of the Zoological Soc. Lond., p. 2. named Tragopan Hastings. There is also a species of true Pheasant (Phasianus albo Cristatus), which seems to have been indicated by former writers from incomplete descriptions or drawings, but never to have been accurately characterized. A third species is likewise added from the collection to the group of Enicurus of M. Temminck, which has hitherto been considered limited in range to the Indian Archipelago (Enicurus Maculatus).* The same collection also contains several species of humming birds; one of which, previously undescribed, has been called Trochilus Loddigesii; it approaches most nearly to the Tro. Lalandii, Vieill.† Dr. Andrew Smith, of Cape Town, has informed the Zoological Society that he has discovered another species of the Macroscelides, as well as a new one of Erinaceus, and three species of the genus Otis, together with one of Brachypteryx, the descriptions of which he purposes to transmit very shortly. 20. ICHTHYOLOGY. Dr. Smith has transmitted to the Zoological Society a present of sixteen specimens of fishes, obtained in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope; amongst which are an undetermined species of Dentex; a fish allied to Oblada, Cuv., and apparently the type of a new genus; a new species of Scomber, Cuv.; an undescribed species of Bagrus, Cuv.; a species of Scyllium, Cuv., probably new to science; and a second species of the genus Rhina, Schn., which deviates from the type, by a slight production of the front of the head, and thus makes an approach to Rhinobates, Schn.‡ 21. INFLUENCE OF THE AURORA BOREALIS ON THE MAGNETIC NEEDLE. (A. T. Kupffer, of St. Petersburgh.) During the night of the 5th of May, 1830,' says M. Kupffer, whilst I was engaged in observing the hourly variations of the magnetic deviation, I was surprised to see the needle oscillate greatly, and at the same time deviate considerably to the east. I immediately suspected that there was an aurora borealis, and was particularly gratified on finding my supposition confirmed; the phenomenon lasted till about two o'clock, when no visible trace of it was left. During the whole time, I carefully observed the needle, particularly as I knew that it would be also observed by my correspondents at Nicolajew, Kasan, Berlin, and Freiberg, the 5th of May being one of the days on which we had agreed to observe the hourly variations of the needle. The following table contains the observations at St. Petersburg, Nicolajew, and Kasan; those VOL. I. *Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond., p. 7. + Ibid., p. 12. 2 F made at Berlin and Freiberg are not yet come to, but shall be given as soon as possible. The numbers of this table give only the variations of the deviation, and are in no definite ratio to the absolute deviation. In the observations of St. Petersburgh and Nicolajew, an increase in the minutes and millimetres signifies a western deviation, and vice versâ in Kasan; 1 millimetre is equal to 14'3". It will appear from these combined observations, that the magnetic needle, in all three places, had a very irregular course at the same time; for, as in St. Petersburgh and Nicolajew, the oscillations began at about 9 o'clock, and in Kasan at 20 min. past 10, these times will be found nearly to agree; as, owing to the different longitude, 9 at St. Petersburgh corresponds with 9 and 7 minutes in Nicolajew, and with 10 and 16 minutes at Kasan. The order of the variation will be seen in a more striking manner in the following table, in which the observations, which were made at the same moment (or nearly so), are placed in the same line, and the millimetre of the observations at Nicolajew and Kasan are reduced to arcs; besides, I have taken 42′ 00′′ as the ordinary deviation at the three places, which may be done, as the observation refers only to the relative, and not to the absolute deviation. An increase in the numbers signifies an increase of the western deviation. From this table it will appear that the course of the needle was very similar at the three places, but that the variations were far more considerable at St. Petersburgh than at Nicolajew and Kasan. The declination will be found to have been― and, as at St. Petersburgh, on the same day, between 7h. 40 m. A.M. and 2 h. 40 m. P.M., the declination amounted to 17' towards the west, and at Nicolajew to 41', the above variation being nearly in the ratio of two to one, the extent of the irregularity will accordingly result. A needle, which at St. Petersburgh performs 300 oscillations in 1108", makes at Nicolajew the same number within 964"; the ratio of the squares is 1.32, and consequently much less than that of the variation observed on the 5th of May; the cause of the irregularity has accordingly acted more powerfully at St. Petersburgh than at Nicolajew. The remark of M. von Humboldt, that irregularities of the above kind sometimes observe a sort of periodicity, being either followed or preceded by irregular oscillations at the same hour for some days, will be found confirmed by the following table of the progress of the needle at the three places of observation on the 4th of May. |