Societies and Academies

Abstract

LONDONZoological Society, Nov. 1.—Prof. Newton, F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. The Secretary read a Report on the additions that had been made to the Society's Menagerie during the months of June, July, August, and September. Amongst the more valuable acquisitions, particular attention was called to a collection of animals from Chili, purchased in the month of July last. Of twenty-two species obtained in this collection, no less than twelve were new to the Society's series, and some of these, such as Burmeister's Cariama {Chunga burmeisteri) and the small Coscoroba Swan {Cygnus coscoroba) were of special interest. Another valuable addition was a male of the Ethiopian Ant-bear {Orycteropus Ethiopiczis) from Upper Nubia, purchased July 29. This animal had been placed in company with the Cape Ant-bear {Orycteropus capensis) acquired in June 1869, and afforded an opportunity for the comparison of the two species together.—A communication was read from Prof. W. Peters, containing an elaborate memoir on the structure of Pectinator spekei a peculiar Rodent of Eastern Africa. The specimens on which Dr. Peter's memoir was based, had been obtained by Mr. William Jesse, during his travels as Zoologist in company with the Abyssinian Expedition.—A seventh letter on the Ornithology of Buenos Ayres, addressed to the Society by Mr. W. H. Hudson, was read.—Prof. Newton exhibited a chick of Anarhynchus frontalis, a rare wader from New Zealand, remarkable for possessing an asymmetrical bill—Mr. C Darwin, F.R.S., communicated a note on the habits of the Pampas Woodpecker {Chrysopiilus cam-pestris), in reply to some observations on this subject made by Mr. W. H. Hudson, in one of his previous letters.—Six communications were read from Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., on various points connected with the Natural History of the Testu-dinata. The first of these contained notes on three Tortoises living in the Society's Gardens, one of which was believed to be new to science, and was proposed to be called Testudo chilensis. The second contained descriptions of two new species of Indian Tortoises in the collection of Mr. T. C. Jerdon. The third related to the family Dermatemydae, and embraced the description of a species of this group living in the Society's Gardens. The fourth contained notes on a West African River-Tortoise {Cyclanosteus senegalensis), also living in the Society's Gardens. The fifth contained notes on Bartlettia, a proposed new genus of freshwater Tortoises, belonging to the family PeltocephalidcE, and the sixth notes on the species of Rhinoclemmys, in the British Museum. A communication was read from Mr. W. Theobald, containing critical observations on a paper by Dr. J. E. Gray, on the families and genera of Tortoises, which had been recently published in the Society's “Proceedings.“Amongst other remarks, Mr. Theobald stated the skull upon which Dr. Gray had established his Testudo (Scapia) falconeri, appeared to have originally formed part of one of the typical specimens of Testudo phayrei, in the Indian Museum, Calcutta.—A paper was read by Mr. A. G. Butler, containing a list of Diurnal Lepidoptera, collected by Mr. Spaight in Northern India.—A communication was read from the Pvev. O. P. Cambridge, containing descriptions of some new genera and species of Araneidea.mdash;A communication was read from Mr. W. Vincent Legge, containing notes on a species of Prinia from Ceylon. A communication was read from Surgeon Francis Day, containing a memoir on the Fishes of the Andaman Islands. Mr. Day's list embraced no less than 255 species, chiefly marine, which had been collected during the short space of a three weeks' visit to those Islands.