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1. STEGOSTOMA CARINATUM, n.s a. Portion of upper lateral ridge, nat: sire.

b. Ditto, magnified. 2. SCYLLIUM OCELLATUM, (Gmelin).

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PL.XXV.

which by the way would be volatilised in the heat required to smelt iron, but the sulphuret of iron which it contains, and the only chance of producing passable iron from the ore would be (perhaps) careful roasting of it; an expense which it would not support; I say, perhaps, not having seen the ore, for pounding and washing might with some earthy iron ores answer and leave the pyrites behind. And from some of the more compact and metallic kinds roasting would not separate the sulphur. Col. Ouseley has forwarded us a brick and a fragment from the Ramgurh temple of Sirgoojah but I have no farther notice of it than the name.

Zoological Department.-Mr. Blyth's Report.

The following are the donations which I have now the pleasure to acknowledge

-

1. From G. T. Lushington, Esq. of Almorah. A fine male of the Tibetan (slightly aberrant) Gazelle recently described by Mr. Hodgson by the name Antilope (Procapra) picticaudata, in XV, 334. I have had it mounted, and now exhibit it together with its female, presented on a former occasion by Dr. Campbell. On looking over the large collection of original drawings of animals, and of tracings of such, which I brought from England, I have been gratified to find a tracing of Pallas's figure of his Ant. gutturosa; from which I now feel satisfied that it is a distinct species from the Gazella picticaudata, however close the affinity in various respects: but I must be permitted to retain my expressed opinion that, until now, I could not have felt justified in considering them as distinct. N. B. The same bare places on the site of the sub-orbital sinuses are visible in the male specimen as in the female; as if a rudiment of such an organ had existed in the recent subject.

2. From Major Jenkins, Pol. Agent at Gowhatti-The skeleton of a Leopard, and skins of the Bhaloo-soor and of Sciurus bicolor; also the imperfect skin of a Pangolin.

3. From Capt. Rollo, 50th Madras N. I.-Specimens of the Schizodactylus monstrosus, and of its larva, preserved in spirit, from Vizagapatam.

4. From Major Ouseley, of Chota Nagpur-A skin and two perfect skeletons of male Gaours (Bos gaurus).

5. From Mr. Warden, of the Pilot service-A fine specimen of a Shark, being a second and new species of the genus Stegostoma, hitherto only represented by the 'Zebra Shark' of authors, No. XVIII of Russell's Fishes of the Coromandel coast.' It may be described as

St. carinatum, nobis, (Pl. XXV, fig. 1). Structure typical. Remarkable for a series of ridges studded with enlarged scales (vide fig. 1, a), the most prominent of which commences abruptly on the vertex towards the occiput, and is conti

nued over the spine and along the upper margin of the first dorsal fin, upon which it gradually diminishes till it disappears at the extremity of the fin; a similar ridge commences gradually behind the first dorsal, and in like manner ascends and gradually disappears towards the tip of the second dorsal fin a strongly marked lateral ridge commences gradually, near and a little posterior to the abrupt commencement of the medial dorsal ridge, diverging from that slightly till it reaches as far as the posterior base of the first dorsal fin, then continuing parallel to the back, and expanding at the tail so as to merge and disappear among the scales of that organ, which are similarly enlarged: a second and less prominent lateral ridge appears about half-way down the side, scarcely traceable for some distance above and posterior to the pectoral fins; this continues parallel to the upper lateral ridge, and in like manner becomes diffused over and disappears upon the tail: lastly, another ridge appears a little behind the pectorals and is continued along the anterior margin of the ventrals; another again is continued along the anal fin; and there is a lateral ventral ridge, commencing gradually from near the posterior base of each ventral fin. All the scales are conspicuously carinated. The general colour is brown, spotted all over on the upper surface with moderately large but unequally-sized black spots, placed nearly in rows both longitudinally and transversely: these spots are smaller on the head, and disappear anteriorly to the eyes, being also comparatively indistinct on the two dorsal and the anal fins: the lower parts are spotless throughout. The spots and the ridges are exhibited in the accompanying plate, and also a portion of the upper lateral ridge (fig. 1, a), parallel to the commencement of the anterior dorsal fin, natural size, and the same magnified (b). Length of the specimen nearly 4 feet. The second figure in the plate represents an Australian species of true Scyllium, the Squalus ocellatus of Gmelin.

6. From our Librarian, Baboo Rajendralál Mittra,―The fresh laid egg of a Cassoway (Cassuarius emeu.)

7. From E. Lindstedt, Esq.-Some fine fresh specimens of sundry Snakes. 8. By R. W. G. Frith, Esq., I have been kindly permitted to select such specimens as were required for the museum of an extensive collection of mammalia and birds, chiefly procured in the vicinity of Malacca. The only species quite new to the museum are two birds-an Accipiter, which seems to be undescribed, and Brachyurus cæruleus, (Raffles, v. Pitta gigas, Tem.), -and one fish-Osphronemus olfax, Cuv. and Val., Hist. Poiss. VII, 282 : but various other highly interesting specimens have also been selected, tending to complete our series of Hylobates lar, Presbytis obscurus and Pr. albocinereus, (Desm.), Galeopithecus Temminckii, Paradoxurus leucomystax (apud Cantor),* Lutra (Aonyx) barang, and Rhizomys sumatrensis, among mammalia :

I differ from Dr. C. in considering this species to be P. leucomystax of Gray, from recollection of the original specimen in the Zoological Society's Garden, upon which the name was founded,

and in the class of birds-Picus (Campephilus) validus, mas, Batrachostomus auritus, jun., Eupetes macrocercus, Tem., and various others of commoner occurrence, among which may be mentioned the common Indian Corvus culminatus, which, though abundant at Penang, I had never before seen from so far south as Malacca, but in previous collections from that locality only the C. macrorhynchos, Vieillot, a very distinct species of black Crow. Upon the whole, this collection has added some valuable specimens to the Museum.

The Hawk can be satisfactorily identified with neither of the two described species inhabiting the Malay countries, viz. Accipiter solöensis, (Horsf., v. cuculoides, Tem.), and Acc. virgatus, (Tem.), to which Mr. G. R. Gray refers the Acc. besra, Elliot, of India.* I shall designate it

Acc. nisoides. Presumed female in mature plumage differing only from that of Acc. nisus (common to Europe and India), in its much inferior size, being smaller than the male of Acc. nisus; and in having the throat streakless white, excepting a narrow median dark line; the usual lateral lines occur, but not conspicuously, bordering the ear-coverts beneath, which are observable in various other species of Hawks, Eagle-Hawks, &c. Length of wing 74 inches, of tail 5; tarse 12 inch; middle toe and claw 11⁄2 in.

June 2d, 1847.

E. BLYTH.

The usual display of stuffed animals that had been set up during the past month was exhibited; and after commenting briefly on these, Mr. Blyth proceeded to call attention to the rich collection of Quadrumana now in the Museum, amounting to above 100 specimens, either set up on wire, or to be thus mounted as soon as the Society's taxidermists could be employed on them. This series of Quadrumana was, for the occasion, ranged round the meeting room, and the Curator proposed to exhibit, in like manner, the series of other orders of mammalia and birds at future meetings of the Society; remarking that, from the greatly over-crowded state of the glass-cases, visitors to the Museum could at present but very inadequately appreciate the wealth of the Society's collections in these two classes more particularly, a considerable proportion of the specimens being, of necessity, concealed from view when piled one upon another in the glazed cabinets.

The following additional Report refers to the Society's present collection of Quadrumana.

Mr. Jerdon, in opposing this identification, regards my Acc. nisoides as the true Acc. virgatus; and certainly the besra does not accord with the descriptions of virgatus. The adult female besra is exceedingly like that of Astur trivirgatus in its colouring and mark'ngs; but the male is much more slaty above, and has much more rufous on the underparts, than I have seen in adult males of A. trivirgatus. I am far from being satisfied that Acc. besra and Acc. virgatus are identical.

Supplementary Report of the Curator of the Zoological Department.

I beg to present the following memorandum on the species of Quadrumana at present in the Society's Museum.

The species of Primates, Lin., divide into what may be termed the Cheiropoda and Cheiroptera, the former of which comprehends the subjects of this Report. The group first subdivides into what may be designated the Anthropida and the Lemuria.

The Anthropida falls into two primary divisions, respectively peculiar to the Old World and to the New World. These are the Catarhini and Platyrhini of M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire. The former, among other characteristic distinctions, have constantly but two false molars on each side of both jaws : the latter have, as invariably, three.

The Catarhini next fall in to three well marked sub-groups.-1. That comprising the Human genus and the three genera of Apes, which have sundry anatomical peculiarities in common.-2. That composed of the Baboons and ordinary Monkeys of the Old World, with a simple stomach, and which are furnished with cheek-pouches.-3. That consisting of those numerous long-tailed Monkeys of the Old World which have a sacculated stomach, and no cheek-pouches.

The general appellation of Quadrumana applies to all of the Cheiropoda excepting Man. Our collection contains the following specimens, commencing with the Apes.

Troglodytes niger, Geoffroy. Of the Chimpanzee, we have a stuffed young male, standing 224 inches high, forwarded by Mr. A. Bartlett, of London.*

Pithecus, Geoffroy. The Orang-utans. Five stuffed specimens, besides skeletons, of all ages, from very young to full grown. Firstly, we have the mounted skin (deprived of one hand and one foot, which are preserved in spirit in the museum of the Linnæan Society of London), of the celebrated large adult (but not old) male procured in Sumatra by Capt. Cornfoot, who presented it to the Society, and which is described by Dr. Clark Abel in the 15th Volume of the Asiatic Researches,' and further noticed by myself in Vol. X, p. 837, of the Society's Journal. Secondly, the mounted skin and skeleton of a female (of the race termed P. morio by Prof. Owen), which lived 12 years in Calcutta in the possession of J. Apcar, Esq., who presented it when dead to the Society, and was informed that the animal was six months old at the time it fell into his possession. In this specimen the dentition had

The supposed Troglodytes niger of Capt. Begbie's 'Observations of the Natural History of the Malayan Peninsula,' reprinted by Mr. H. E. Strickland in Ann. Mag. N. H. 1846, p. 395, refers to Hylobates lar: Capt. B.'s Pithecus lar being, apparently, H. agilis.

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