the author said, for his late friend, Mr James Brown, a young chemist, who, by his labours and discoveries in the science to which he had devoted himself, gave promise of an active and useful life, which was, however, cut short by an attack of cholera, that in a few hours proved fatal. His retiring manners and devotion to his work made him unknown, save to a few friends, who were thus unexpectedly called to mourn the loss of one who seemed destined by his labours to command the respect of the scientific world; and the collection was some months ago placed in the hands of the writer by his father. It consists of nearly 1000 different specimens, with accompanying manuscripts, drawings, and sections, most elaborately executed. Valuable memoirs had been published by Mr Bain on the geology of South Africa; but he did not seem to have visited Du Toit, the locality where the fossils on the Society's table had been gathered, as it was not mentioned by him. Du Toit is about thirty-five miles north-west from Swellendam. It is situated on the further side of the Lange Bergen Mountains, on the oldest beds of what, from palæontographical evidence, seems to be the Old Red Sandstone. The fossiliferous beds are composed of coarse sandstones and shales. The fossils are chiefly brachiopod mollusca, and include Spirifer antarcticus, and Orbignii, Terebratula Bainii, Orbicula Bainii, &c., Solinella antiqua, and other bivalves. Besides these there were only some Encrinite stems, and the cast of a Trilobite, neither of which could be more specifically described, owing to their bad preservation. Mr Carruthers noticed the remarkable condition in which the clay slates of the metamorphic series exist in the vicinity of Swellendam, where they have little more consistency than dried alluvial brick clays, so soft as to have permitted Mr Bain to drive a tunnel of 400 feet through them by the aid of the pickaxe and spade alone. The induration increases, however, until in other localities the rocks become, as Mr Douglas says, " exceedingly hard, siliceous, and splintery, so as to cut the hand when incautiously griped."

VII. Ornithological Notes. (Specimens were exhibited)

(1.) The Gadwall, Anas strepera, Linn. By P. A. Dassauville, Esq.

This species being of rare occurrence in Scotland, Mr Dassauville thought it might be of interest to show the two specimens now before the Society. They were shot on the Tay, near Newburgh, in the beginning of April, and are a male and female, as was proved by dissection, the ova of the female being numerous, but not far advanced. Mr Dassauville was aware of the danger that specimens obtained, as these were, in the poulterers' shops, might not be actually procured in this country, since importing wild fowl from the continent wast so general; but the specimens under notice were evidently so recently shot-the feet and webs being quite soft and flexible that he had no hesitation in believing they were killed in this country, without other evidence; however, he had been obliged with a sight of the invoice which accompanied them, dated from Perth, and felt satisfied there was no room to doubt that they were procured from the locality mentioned. One or two sessions ago Dr J. A. Smith exhibited to the Society specimens of the gadwall, and these were the only others he had seen that were killed in Scotland.

(2.) The Shoveller, Anas clypeata, Linn.; the Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor, Linn.; the Shore Lark, Alauda alpestris, Linn. By JOHN ALEXander Smith, M.D.

Dr Smith said, he was disappointed in not being able to exhibit a very fine pair of Shovellers (Anas clypeata), male and female, which he had examined; they were shot near Kincardine, on the Forth, about the 1st of April. The birds were now the property of Robert Chambers, jun., Esq., and as they were rare in this neighbourhood, their capture was worth putting on record. He exhibited an adult male Cinerious Shrike, Lanius excubitor, which was one of our occasional visitors, and far from common; it was noticed to occur generally in the beginning of winter. This bird was got on the 30th of March at Tulliallan, near Kincardine, on the Forth. Mr James Miller, the gamekeeper who shot it, had

never seen a specimen of the bird before, although he had lived for many years in the district.

The last bird Dr Smith had to notice was the Shore Lark, Alauda alpestris, Linn. It is a bird of very rare occurrence, being apparently only an accidental straggler in this country; in the north of Asia, Europe, and especially America, it abounds, and migrates southwards in the autumn to more temperate regions. The first specimen noticed in England was in 1830, and only one or two have been observed since. He had not been able to find any recorded as taken in Scotland. This bird was killed by Mr Evans, Tynefield, about the 10th of January last, near the mouth of the Tyne, and its plumage was unfortunately much destroyed by the shot. It is a fine old male, having the back brown; tinted on the head, neck, and shoulders, of a rich vinaceous colour; the streak over the eye, the forehead, and the ear-coverts, yellow; and with the lore and a gorget of black; under parts dull white, and flanks pale reddish brown; axillaries white. It is the property of Dr C. Nelson, Pitcox, near Dunbar, to whom it was presented.

VIII. Notes on the Crania of the Urus (Bos primigenius) in the
Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
ALEXANDER SMITH, M.D.

By JOHN

Some years ago, when gathering up various details in reference to the ancient small short-horned cattle of this country, my attention was also directed to the large cattle (Bos primigenius), and to the specimens of crania in the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries. I took various measurements of these crania, and searched the early records of the Society for such information in regard to the places where they were found, and any other details that might be of interest; and as Mr Turner has favoured us this session with some details of the specimens of this great ox in the Anatomical Museum of the University, I have thought it might interest the members if I produced my old notes on the subject.

There are three specimens of these crania of the Bos primigenius in the Museum of the Society, marked Nos. 2, 4, and 5 of the "Fossil Skulls," &c., in the printed Catalogue of the Museum, and the following table gives some of their measure

ments:

The cranium No. 4 was the one first presented to the Museum of the Society, by the Rev. Thomas Robertson, minister of Selkirk, in 1781. The donation was made through a Mr Cairncross, and the following letter accompanying it is preserved in the library of the Society:

To Mr George Cairncross, Writer, Parliament Close,
Edinburgh (with an ox's skull and flints).

SELKIRK, July 14th, 1781.

"DEAR SIR-Among other curiosities dug out of a marle moss at Whitmuirhall in this parish, the skull and flints of an ox which I have sent you attracted my attention. You, I know, are fond of anything that tends to throw light upon the ancient state of this country, and therefore I used the freedom to transmit this, not merely on account of its uncommon size, but as a proof of the large breed of cattle with which this country abounded in the last century. I found five skulls, evidently larger, but not so entire. I found also several small axes, resembling those used by coppersmiths, but did not

think it worth while to trouble you with them. If anything deserving the attention of your Society occurs in this part of the country, I shall assuredly transmit it to you. Mrs Robertson joins me in best compliments to Mrs Cairncross and the family-with, dear Sir, your humble servant,— THOMAS ROBERTSON.-First Letter-book of Soc. Ant. Scot., p. 628.

The skull was presented to the Society at its meeting on the 17th July 1781; and the following reference to it is recorded in the Minute-book, vol. i., p. 72::

"Mr George Cairncross presented, from the Rev. Thomas Robertson of Selkirk, the bones of the head and flints of the horns of a large animal dug out of a marle-pit near Selkirk, at a place called Whitmuirhall. The circumference of each flint at the base is 14 inches; the length of that on the right 27 inches, of the other 28 inches; the distance between the sockets of the eyes 11 inches; the breadth of the front, which is quite flat, from the sides immediately over the sockets of the eyes, 12 inches; the depth from the top of the front to the top of the sockets of the eyes, 10 inches; and from the top of the front to the upper part of the insertion of the cartilage of the nose 13 inches. This appears to be the animal described by Julius Cæsar in his "Commentaries," Book vi. c. 5, by the name of Urus." And the Secretary, Mr James Cumming, in a letter dated 25th July, informs the Rev. Mr Robertson that the skull was presented to the Society, and "in the opinion of some able naturalists among us, it is believed to belong to that species of animal described by Julius Cæsar in his Commentaries,' Lib. vi. c. 5, by the name of Urus."

The cranium No. 2 is tolerably entire, but, like all the others, the lower jaw is awanting. It was dug out of a moss in the county of Galloway, and was presented to the Museum of the Society by the Rev. David M'Robert, in the year 1782. In this cranium two of the molars remain in the alveolar sockets. It is referred to in the Minute-book, p. 205, July 12, 1782, as follows:

"There was presented, from the Rev. David M'Robert, the

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