Proceedings of the Wernerian Natural History Society.

1331, Jan. 22.-DR ROBERT KAYE GREVILLE, V. P. in the chair.-Mr John James Audubon (who has spent the winter in Edinburgh) read an account of the White-headed Eagle of America, Aquila leucocephala, and exhibited a splendid engraving of the bird, prepared for his great work, entitled, The Birds of America. The Rev. Dr David Scot then read an essay on the Selavim or Quails of the Bible. After which there was read a letter from an intelligent settler at Swan River, in New Holland, giving a description of the soil and general aspect of the country, which appear nowise so inviting to emigrants as had at first been represented.

Feb. 5.-HENRY WITHAM, Esq. lately V. P. in the chair. The Secretary read an account, communicated by the Rev. Lansdown Guilding of St Vincents, of a new and beautiful species of West Indian Moth, called by him Atticus Wilsonii, (in honour of Mr James Wilson, Librarian of the Society, and a distinguished entomologist). A fine coloured drawing of the perfect insect of both sexes, with the larva and cocoon, was exhibited to the meeting. Professor Jameson then made a communication regarding the Flints found in Banffshire by Mr James Christie, Secretary of the Banff Institution. Nodules were exhibited imbedded in a kind of felspar-clay. The flint has not yet been detected in situ; but Professor Jameson thought it not improbable that a portion of the chalk formation may be observed in some of the hollows in that district of country. [See the present Volume of this Journal, p. 163, &c.] The Professor next read a learned essay, by a Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh, on the form of the Ark of Noah, as described in the Pentateuch; shewing that the word tzohar, rendered window in our translation, rather means tapering upwards; and that, with this modification, the form of the Ark was not only admirably adapted for floating, but also for withstanding the shock of waves, although this last quality has been generally denied to it by unscientific commentators. [This paper is printed in the present Number of this Journal, supra p. 310, &c.]. At the same meeting, the Rev. D. Scot read a paper on the Alabaster of the ancients:

JANUARY-MARCH 1831.

B b

Feb. 19.-ROBERT JAMESON, Esq. P. in the chair. There was read an essay on the Beacon lights of remote antiquity communicated by Mr Robert Stevenson, civil engineer. Likewise a paper on the influence of rocks on the nature of the vegetation which covers them, communicated by Dr Alexander Murray of Aberdeenshire.

At the same meeting, Mr John James Audubon communicated an interesting and graphic description of a flood of the Mississippi, which he had witnessed during his residence in the western parts of America.

March 5.-ROBERT JAMESON, Esq., P., in the chair. The first paper read was Dr Turnbull Christie's account of the occurrence of hailstorms within the torrid zone, in the peninsula of India. The Rev. Dr David Scot read a learned essay on the Zebi of the Bible, which he proved to be the Mountain Gazelle, and not the Roe, as in our authorised translation.

Dr GREVILLE, V. P., having taken the chair, Professor Jameson stated the general results of accurately kept meteorological tables, shewing the nature of the weather in the Isle of Man from 1824 to 1830. He also communicated a copy of the meteorological register for 1830, kept at Kinfauns Castle, under the direction of Lord Gray; and a similar register, kept at Aberdeen by Mr George Innes. The Professor then laid on the table a copy of a return to an address of the House of Commons relating to sums of money granted for mineralogical purposes in Scotland; from which it appeared, that no part of the money had been granted to this Society, nor to the Edinburgh Museum,—although the printed Parliamentary votes had mentioned the Mineralogical Society of Scotland, and the newspapers had stated, that part of the money was for the Edinburgh Museum; but that the whole sum, amounting to upwards of L. 7000, had been paid to Dr John MacCulloch of Woolwich, for a Mineralogical Survey of Scotland, never until now heard of by men of science in Scotland. It was remarked, that it would be desirable in Government to cause to be published forthwith the results of this expensive and it seems only partial survey of Scotland.

At the same meeting, Professor Jameson communicated a notice in regard to the structure of certain fossil woods from Van Dieman's Land, shewing, that the ancient vegetation had, resembled that of the old world, or differed greatly from the

present; and read an interesting letter from Mr William Nicol, lecturer on natural philosophy, on the subject of illustrating the structure of woods, fossil and recent, by means of extremely thin slices placed upon glass, and magnified. (See the present Number, p. 361.)

SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

METEOROLOGY.

1. Meteorological Table.-Extracted from the Register kept at Kinfauns Castle, N. Britain, Lat. 56° 23′ 30′′-Above the level of the sea 150 feet.

Inches.

Inches.

Inches.

36.903

2.00

12

19

January,

February,

March,

April,

May,.

June,..

July,..
August,..

2.00

11

17

29.921 36.742 29.894 35.710 29.597 37.286|| 29.587 36.607 37.679 29.698 45.710 29.687 43.582 45.355 29.451 48.400 || 29.442 | 45.733 || 46.800 29.663 53.839 29.655 50.258 51.645 29.603 56.767 29.626 52.933 54.400 29.670 61.226|| 29.671 57.903 || 59.581 29.595 55.903 29.61852.839 54.839 29.435 53.833 29.475 51.867 53.667 September, October,.... 29.926 49.581 29.942 48.323 50.129 November,.... 29.465 43.667 29.483 42.367 43.867 December,. 29.468 36.419 29.468 35.903 36.645 4.00 17 14

1. Centre of Kinfauns Garden, about 20 feet above the level of the sea, 36.85 2. Square Tower, Kinfauns Castle, 180 feet,.......

.36.85

a

2. Thunder-Storms in France.-The Count de Triston has made observations on the direction of the thunder-storms which have devastated the department of the Lorich for the last sixteen years. The following general inferences have been made by him, respecting the progress and intensity of thunder-storms in plain countries, intersected by shallow valleys. Thunder storms are attracted by forests. When one arrives at a forest, if it be obliquely, it glides along it; if directly, or if the forest be narrow, it is turned from its direction; if the forest be broad, the tempest may be totally arrested. Whenever a forest, being in the path of a thunder-storm, tends to turn it aside, the velocity of the storm seems retarded, and its intensity is augmented. A thunder cloud, which is arrested by a forest, exhausts itself along it, or, if it pass over, is greatly weakened. When a large river or valley is nearly parallel to the course of a thunder storm, the latter follows its direction; but the approach of a wood, or the somewhat abrupt turn of the river or valley, makes it pass off. A thunder cloud attracts another which is at no great distance, and causes it to deviate from its course. There is reason to believe, that the action is reciprocal. A cloud attracted by a larger, accelerates its motion, as it approaches the principal cloud. When there is an affluent cloud, which was committing ravages, it sometimes suspends them on approaching the principal mass, which is perhaps a consequence of the acceleration of its course; but after the union the evil generally increases. Twenty-one thunder-storms, whose course has been distinctly traced, have extended from N.NW. to S.S.W. No destructive thunder-storm has come from any other points of the horizon. Lastly, the position and form of the forest of Orleans, Blois, &c., satisfactorily accounts for the frequency of hail-storms in certain communes, and their rare occurrence in others.