chicks (barley or oatmeal) is merely mixed up with urine, in place of water: and this prescription is very generally attended with the best effects.
At the meeting of this society on the 12th of November, the Rev. Andrew Jameson, minister of St. Mungo, Dumfriesshire, read observations on meteorological tables, with a description of a new anemometer. The anemometer which he described, will, by a very simple and ingenious arrangement of parts, enable the most common observer to ascertain the velocity of the wind with perfect accuracy.
At the same meeting, the Rev. John Fleming, F.R.S. Ed. minister of Bressay in Shetland, communicated an interesting account of the geognostic relations of the rocks in the islands of Unst and Papa Stour. As Mr. Fleming announced his intention of again examining the whole of the Shetland Islands, and of constructing mineralogical maps of them, in which the rocks should be laid down according to their relative antiquity and extent, much valuable information may be expected.
At the meeting of the society on the 19th of November, Mr. Mackenzie, jun. of Applecross, read a short account of the coal-formation in the vicinity of Durham.
At the same meeting, Dr. Ogilby of Dublin, read the continuation of his mineralogical description of East Lothian, describing the different veins which he observed in that tract of country.
At this meeting, also, Mr. P. Neill read an account of a great sea snake, lately cast ashore in Orkney. This curious animal it appears, was stranded in Rothesholm bay, in the island of Stronsa: the body was unluckily knocked to pieces by a tempest, but the fragments have been collected by Mr. Laing, and are to be transmitted to the museum at Edinburgh. Mr. Neill concluded with remarking, that no doubt could be entertained, that this was the kind ofanimal described by Ramus, Egede, and Pontoppidan, but which scientific and systematic naturalists have hitherto rejected as spurious and ideal.
DUBLIN SOCIETY.
A letter, dated Manchester, and signed John Bradbury, was laid before the society at their late meeting, stating, that the proprietors of the Liverpool botanic garden had resolved on forming an establishment at New Orleans, America, with a view to collect the plants of Kentucky and Louisiana, and to transmit to England living duplicates of the plants which should be so collected and multiplied on such establishment; and desiring to be informed if the Dublin Society would, in consideration of green specimens of the same, contribute to the expence, their quota not to exceed 100l. per annum.
The secretary laid before the society a list of several valuable West Indian plants, presented to the society by Captain Burgh.
LECTURES.
Royal Institution.The following arrangement is made for the lectures of the ensuing season; they commenced on Saturday the 17th of December, with an introductory lecture by Mr. Davy.
