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popular error respecting the ferocious and untameable disposition of the common Hyena, Hyena vulgaris, Cuv. His opinions were founded partly on observation of a cub which he had domesticated, and partly on facts communicated by his friends. He went on to state as follows:

"Two years have elapsed since I placed in the Gardens of the Society the abovementioned cub (a female), which has now attained its full growth, and I am happy to be enabled to confirm the opinions I formerly advanced. In India it was allowed to run about my house, and on board ship it was released from its cage two or three times a day, to play with the sailors and gambol with the dogs. It early rocognised my person and voice, and would obey when called; and in general was as playful and good-humoured as a puppy. My visits to it in the Gardens have been rare, and at long intervals, nor have I ever carried it food; anticipated, therefore, that it would outgrow its early associations, and that I should be to it as any other stranger; but it has always greeted me not only as an acquaintance, but as an old friend; and if I am to judge from its agitation and peculiar cries, the animal's recognition is that of affection.

"On Sunday last it was asleep in its cage when I approached. On calling to it by its name it looked up, distinguished me in the crowd, started on its legs, and on my applying my hand to its mouth to smell to, it threw itself down against the bars, rubbed its head, neck, and back against my hand, and then started on its legs and bounded about its cage, uttering short cries. On ceasing to speak to it, and moving away, it stopped, and looked wistfully after me, nor resumed its motions until I addressed it again. Its manifestations of joy were so unequivocal, as to excite the surprise of a great number of bystanders. As these pleasing traits in the disposition of a calumniated animal appeared so new to those who surrounded me on that occasion, they may possibly be deemed of sufficient interest to be worthy of extended promulgation by record in our Proceedings.

“I take occasion to repeat my conviction, that association with man, constant kindness, and abundance of food, will suffice not only to modify, and indeed eradicate, the worst traits in the disposition of any animal of the higher classes, but give birth to others of which their natures were not deemed susceptible."

September 10, 1833.

A letter was read, addressed to Mr. VIGORS by B. H. HODGSON, Esq., Corr. Memb. Z. S., and dated Nepâl Residency, February 23, 1833. It referred to the zoological specimens which the writer had forwarded to Calcutta, to be thence transmitted to England, some account of which, as contained in a letter from Mr. PRINSEP, was read at the last Meeting.

[The account given of the Mammalia of Nepal in this day's proceedings has already appeared in the Journal for 1832. A letter from Mr. BENNETT, Sec. Zool. Soc. gives a sad account of the result of Mr. HODGSON'S Consignment of animals: of the few which remained alive to be shipped by the Susan, in April, 1833, none reached England! One of the deer leaped overboard, the other knocked itself to death against the bars of its cage. The pheasants and pigeons lived until the vessel got into the colder latitudes, when they died one after the other! a most unfortunate termination of an attempt from which much had been hoped, and on which no trouble or expense had been spared by our zealous naturalist.]

A Description of Perdix Lerwa," by B. H. HODGSON, Esq., Corr. Memb. Z. S., was read. It was accompanied by a coloured drawing of the bird, which inhabits the northern region of Nepâl, and forms, by its half-plumed tarsi, a sort of link between the Partridges and the Grouse. Its habits assimilate with those

of the latter genus.

It is found close to the permanent snows, among rocks and low brushwood, and sustains itself upon aromatic buds, leaves, and small insects. It is characterized as follows:

PERDIX LERWA. Perd. nigra, albo castaneoque transversim lineata; pectore brunneo; tarsis ultra calcar plumosis, remige 2dá longiore.

The great comparative expanse of the wing; the diminution of its rounded form by the second quill feather being the longest; the increased length and strength of the tail; and the extent of the feathering of the tarsi, are very remarkable characters, which give to this species a peculiar interest. Its dimensions, as compared with several allied birds, are given by Mr. HODGSON in the following table:

Perd.

Perd. |

Lerwa.

Chukar.

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1 lb. 2 oz. 1 lb. 2 oz. September 24, 1833.

1 lb. 2 oz. 1 lb.

A collection of skins of Birds, sixty-four in number, formed in the Himalayan Mountains, and presented to the Society by Lady WILLIAM BENTINCK, was exhibited. It included several species apparently new to science, and was particularly rich in the interesting Pheasants of the Himalaya. The collection was remarka ble on account of the fine condition of the specimens, which generally surpassed in beauty those previously contained in the Society's Museum.

A series of eighty skins of Birds, selected from a collection formed in India by H. B. HILLIER, Esq., and presented by that gentleman to the Society, was exhibited. It comprised specimens of many species in fine or interesting plumage.

[This day's proceedings also contains a note of Mr. HODGSON's papers on the Chira antelope and the wild dog of Nepâl, published in the Gleanings and Asiatic Researches.]

October 8, 1833.

A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary by W. A. WOOLER, Esq., and give ing an account of a wild Dog from the Mahabaleshwar Hills, now known as Malcolm's Pate, in the Presidency of Bombay: its local name is Dhale. The ha bits of this Dog, in a state of nature, are described by Mr. WOOLER: they accord with those of the Búánsú of Nepâl, as detailed by Mr. HODGSON in a paper read at the previous Meeting of the Society.

Miscellaneous.

1.-On Spherical Mirrors.

It would appear from the undermentioned paragraphs, which have been extracted from HUTTON's Mathematical Recreations, vol. ii. p. 201, that opticians have not yet determined the reason why objects on being reflected from convex and concave mirrors appear of less magnitude in the former, and of greater in the latter; than they really are. Now, nothing appears to me to be more easy of demonstration, for let us suppose à cylinder having its outer surface so polished as to reflect distinctly

all objects surrounding it. In the next place, let us imagine another cylinder, a hollow one, to be placed concentric with the former, but at such a distance on the outside of it, that any object situated on the inner surface of the outer cylinder, may be distinctly reflected upon the outer surface of the inner one.

Now as every particle in the outer cylinder is reflected from that part of the inner one which is situated immediately and perpendicularly opposite to it, it is evident that the whole of the outer cylinder is represented on the polished surface of the inner one, but the latter being on account of its interior situation the smaller of the two, it follows that every object that is situated on the inner surface of the outer or larger cylinder, must be represented on a smaller scale (as far as its lateral measurement is concerned) upon the polished surface of the inner and smaller one, than it really is in the other, which contains the real size or dimensions of the object.

It may be easily seen then, that if a polished globe or a polished segment of a circle similar to a convex mirror be substituted for the inner cylinder, the same reasoning must hold good, for each dimension of the image, in which case the reflected objects must become diminished both in height and diagonal measurement, as well as breadth, merely because the surface upon which they are represented is less than that of the objects themselves.

So much for the reduction of the spectrum or image of objects in convex mirrors, and as to the increase of it in concave ones, the reasoning must be exactly the same, as for the above, excepting that the object must then be considered as situated on the outer surface of the inner cylinder, which should be unpolished, and be reflected from the inner polished surface of the outer one, in a magnitude of course greater than the object itself, in proportion to the increased radius of the outer mirror.

I cannot but express a difference with the common opinion, that the place of the spectrum in the convex mirrors is at H., see the accompanying figure numbered in HUTTON, fig. 30, plate 9; it may surely with fairness be considered to be at M., that is exactly at the same distance within the mirror measured on the prolongation of the line of reflection, as the object is distant from the point of incidence, in the same manner as in a plane mirror; for although the object or rather its image arrive at the eye in a reduced size when reflected from the convex mirror, yet by the above reasoning, with the two cylinders, it is easily explained, for the image of the object, having fallen from without upon the convex surface of the mirror which is situated within and which in this case corresponds as it were with the inner cylinder above noticed, has become itself reduced in size, and being so reflected, proceeds towards the point of sight in that diminished state, and therefore it necessarily appears to the eye when reflected from the convex mirror less in size than it really is, and by a parity of reasoning, greater in size when reflected from

a concave one.

In my opinion, the image (with the exception above noted of its being reduced in size, by its actual contact with the speculum without the eye having any thing to do with that reduction) is not only situated at the same distance above described within the mirror, as the object is distant from the point of incidence, but it becomes reflected from a convex mirror in exactly the same manner that it would be from the polished surface of a plain one, such as F. G. where the angles B. E. F. A. E. G. formed by the lines of incidence and reflection, B. E. E. A., with the speculum are always equal to one another.

Extracts for Hutton's Mathematical Recreations, vol. ii. p. 201. "A more philosophical principle advanced by Dr. BARROW is, that the eye perceives the image of the object in that point where the rays forming the small divergent bundle, which enters the pupil of the eye, meet together. It is indeed natural to think that the divergency as it is greater when the object is near, and less when it is distant, ought to enable the eye to judge of the distance."

"By this principle, also, we are enabled to assign a pretty plausible reason for tae diminution of objects in convex, and their enlargement in concave mirrors; for the convexity of the former renders the rays which compose each bundle that enters the eye more divergent than if they fell on a plane mirror, consequently the point where they meet in the central ray produced is much nearer. It may even be demonstrated that in convex mirrors it is much nearer, and in concave, much farther, distant than the point H., considered by the ancients, and the greater part of the moderns, as the place of the image. In short, it is concluded that in convex mirrors, this image will be still more contracted, and in concave ones, more extended than the ancients supposed; which will account for the apparent enlargement of objects in the latter, and their diminution in the former."

"We must allow that even this principle is attended with difficulties, which Dr. BARROW, the author of it, does not conceal, and to which he confesses he never saw a satisfactory answer.'

SIR,

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2.-Replies to Lieut. Burt's Questions, by Lieut. W. S. Jacob, Engineers.

Having just seen in your No. for December last, several questions proposed by Lieut. BURT, Engs. I take the liberty of sending you the following answers to them, for insertion in your Journal, should none more satisfactory have been received in the mean time.

Reply to Q. 1st. The longest known period of any comet that has appeared twice is about 575 years, but it was calculated that of 1811 would return in not less than 3000 years; then by KEPLER'S rule, the major axis of its orbit 2d X (3000)=2dx 208 nearly, (d being the mean distance of and :) now it is very certain, that no star has an annual parallax of 2′′ (nor probably 1"), consequently the nearest star will be distant more than 2d x 100,000, or nearly 500 times as far as the furthest known comet. There may, however, be others more distant, which have never appeared to us; but as the period of one, which should extend from our system to another star, would be at least 11,000,000 years, it is not easy to see, what connection this could form between the two systems.

Q. 2nd. Supposing the moon to have an atmosphere like our own, this would be insufficient to render visible the whole of her dark disc, for we find that, on the earth, the sun's light is extended by refraction to barely 18° beyond the limit of direct vision, instead of 90°, as it appears to be in the moon. The phenomenon alluded to is much more simply accounted for by the light reflected from the earth, which will be nearly 14 times greater than what we receive from the moon. The limit of light and darkness on the moon's disc is more clearly defined than it could be, if she were surrounded by an atmosphere like ours.

With regard to the law of attraction of fluids, I conclude it to be the same with that of all other bodies, viz. that they are attracted in proportion to their mass, or in equal bulks, directly as their specific gravities; as far as I know there is neither fact nor analogy to support the idea that the attraction is either directly or inversely as the cube root of the specific gravity.

With regard to the tides, Lieut. BURT appears to have rather overestimated them, for the height of the mean lunar tide wave is about five feet, and of the solar, two feet, so that the total spring-tide, unaffected by local causes, will be seven feet, instead of 12. Also the mean depth of the sea is usually estimated at much more than or even than 1 mile, but it is difficult to perceive any connection between this depth and the height of the tide; for were the whole earth a globe of water, it would, I conclude, assume the same figure, when acted on by the same forces, as in its present state; supposing, of course, gravitation to remain unaltered. But if the height of the tide be TX the depth of the fluid, it is evident that Lieut. BURT has made an error in his calculation; for in that case, the mercury in the barometer will be raised to TX its own height, or 30 inches; now, or more than 1, instead of inch. This mistake has arisen apparently from the indirect mode of calculation which he has used, thus unnecessarily increasing the number of figures, and of course the liability to error; in the quotient of 5138, the decimal point is wrongly placed.

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It is certain, however, that the tide does not raise the mercury 0.2 inch, but if the barometer be carefully observed at the times of high and low water, it is possible that a very small difference may be perceived; which, however, will be accounted for by the fact that at these times the height of the observer above the sea is actually changed, or in other words, the atmosphere is raised and lowered by the tide of water, so that strata of different densities are brought in contact with the mercury.

I cannot conceive how the moon's attraction, by opposing gravitation, could increase the weight of the air or any other body; it would produce a contrary effect, and cause the mercury to fall, were it not that its weight also is diminished in the same proportion with that of the air, so that the one will continue to counterpoise the other, as if acted on by gravity alone. It is evident, then, that the barometer is utterly incapable of indicating either the amount or existence of a tide in the atmosphere.

As Lieut. BURT does not know the temperature of red-hot iron, it may be well to bear in mind that the zero of Wedgewood's pyrometer is fixed at the lowest red heat visible in day-light. [This instrument has been proved greatly incorrect.] Soolkee, Feb. 10th, 1834. I remain, &c.

The Burmese philosopher prince seems to have excited the talent of many champions of science. A writer in the Madras Literary Gazette has taken up a new ground in his reply, and insists that a comet is as cool and habitable when shining on the solar disc as when wandering in its aphelion darkness. We shall venture no remark ourselves, as we think the prince has now had enough of a discussion which any of our standard elementary works would fully explain to him.-ED. Asiatic Society of Paris, 2nd Sept. 1833.

A letter was read from Mr. LEWIS DACOSTA, presenting a prospectus and specimen of a work on Universal History, translated by him into Persian. The author at the same time presents a copy of NARES' Elements of Natural History, ancient and modern, translated into Hindustani, by Mr. DACOSTA. Both works were referred to the Journal Committee.

Mr. MOHL, in the name of the Committee, appointed last Meeting, proposed to admit as Honorary Members of the Society, Messrs. PRINSEP and HARKNESS, Secretaries, one of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, the other of the Asiatic Society of Bengal-(read London; a curious mistake to occur in an Oriental Journal). This proposition was carried.

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