G. NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 305 



DEINOMYS, A NEW GENUS OP HYSTRICINE RODENTS. 



Dr. Peters has published the description of a remarkable 

 new genus of hystricine rodents, from the high mountains of 

 Peru, to which he has given the name Deinomys branchii. 

 The animal is of about the size and general appearance of the 

 well-known paca (Ccelogettys paca), but has only four toes, 

 short, rounded ears, a fissured upper lip, very broad incisor 

 teeth, and a bushy tail. It is closely allied to other South 

 American genera, but has characteristics entitling it to a dis- 

 tinct generic rank. Its resemblance to the paca is increased 

 by its black color, with a series of white spots arranged in 

 stripes on either side of the body. It occurs in the colony 

 of Amable Maria, on the Montana de Vitoc, Peru, where, how- 

 ever, it is rare. Monatsbericht der K. P. Akademie derWiss., 

 1873,552. 



DISCOVERY OF A NEW DEPOSIT OF MOA BONES IN NEW 



ZEALAND. 



The discovery of a large deposit of moa bones is announced 

 as having been made in a swamp at Hamilton, in Otago, in- 

 cluding, in addition to the bones of the dmornis, those of 

 aptornis, harpagornis, etc. The whole collection has been se- 

 cured by the curator of the Otago Museum. 



THE NEW FOSSIL BIRD OF THE SHEPPEY CLAY. 



Much interest was excited some time ago by the announce- 

 ment by Professor Owen of his discovery, in the London 

 Sheppey clay, of the skull of a bird provided with distinct 

 tooth processes along the edges of each jaw, and which was 

 named by him Odontopteryx toliapicus. In the November 

 number of the journal of the Zoological Society of London 

 Professor Owen's paper appears, with full illustrations, show- 

 ing the species to possess very remarkable characteristics. 

 The dentary projections, which are processes of the bone, are 

 from three to four lines in length, and the larger ones were 

 probably about ten or twelve in number on each side of each 

 jaw. 



Although in some respects this bird resembles the gannets 

 and the geese, it is altogether unique, and not to be referred 

 to any class. There is no doubt, however^ in Professor 



