Augusts 1831. 



Dr. Horsfield in the Chair. 



A letter from George Swinton, Esq., of Calcutta, Corr. Memb, 

 Z. S., addressed to the Secretary, was read, announcing the trans- 

 mission to England, as a present to the Society, of an entire Dugong, 

 preserved in spirit and brine, which he hoped would arrive in a suffi- 

 ciently perfect state to admit of its dissection. 



Specimens of two species of Bats, presented to the Society with 

 a numerous and valuable collection of birds formed at Madras by 

 Josiah Marshall Heath, Esq., F.L. & Z.S., were exhibited, and Dr. 

 Horsfield identified them as the Megaderma Lyra, Geoff., and a new 

 species of the genus Nycticejus, Rafin. He pointed out in the 

 former some discrepancies in the colouring from that described by 

 M. GeofFroy Saint-Hilaire, apparently from a specimen preserved in 

 spirit ; the individual before the Meeting agreeing much more nearly 

 with the colours as recently described by M. Isidore GeofFroy Saint- 

 Hilaire, from whose description it scarcely differed, except in the 

 less intensity of the rufous tinge of the tips of the hairs of the upper 

 surface. 



Of the Nycticejus two specimens were exhibited, on which Dr. 

 Horsfield pointed out the characters by which that group had been 

 generically distinguished from Vespertilio as circumscribed by modern 

 authors. He remarked on the geographical distribution of the genus, 

 which might be regarded altogether as an American form, were it not 

 for the existence of a species in Java described by him in his ' Zoo- 

 logical Researches' as the Vespertilio Temminckii, and of the present 

 species obtained on the Continent of India. As the second Indian 

 species of this group, he regarded the present acquisition as peculiarly 

 interesting. It is considerablylarger than the Javanese species, from 

 which it differs also remarkably in its colouring. 



Dr. Horsfield thus characterized and described the species : 

 Nycticejus Heathii. Nyct. capite cuneato supra lateribusque 

 planis, auriculis capite brevioribus oblongis'rotundatis margine ex- 

 teriore parum excisis trago elongate- falcato, vellere pilis sericatis 

 brevissimis, notceofusco, gastrceo fulvo. 

 Long, corporis (cauda inclusa), 6 unc. : expansio extremitatuni 

 anteriorum, 18 unc. 



The head is of moderate length, nearly even above and compressed 

 at the sides. The muzzle is broad and abruptly terminated. The 

 nose is slightly emarginate. The eyes . The mouth is propor- 

 tionally small. The lips are not rugose, and are nearly covered with 

 delicate hairs. The ears are shorter than the head ; the auricle ob- 

 long, erect, rounded, naked and slightly indented posteriorly, termi- 

 [No. X.] Zool. Soc. Proceedings of the Comm. of Science. 



