Zoological Society, 59 



July 9, 1839.— The Rev. J. Barlow in the Chair. 



A letter addressed to Col. Sykes by Sir John McNeill was read. 

 It related to a Dog recently presented by that gentleman to the So- 

 ciety. This kind of dog, Sir John McNeill states, is used by the 

 wandering tribes in Persia to guard their flocks : it is a shaggy ani- 

 mal, nearly as large as a Newfoundland, and very fierce and power- 

 ful. The dam of the animal at the menagerie killed a full-grown 

 wolf without assistance. 



A letter from Augustus Eliott Fuller, Esq., was read. In this letter, 

 which is addressed to the Secretary, and is dated June 29, 1839, 

 Mr. Fuller encloses an account from his head keeper, Henry Cheal, 

 respecting two broods of Woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola), which were 

 bred in the woods of Mr. Fuller's estate at Rose Hill in Sussex. 



The two broods referred to consisted each of four birds, and when 

 first observed, about the second week in April, they could but just 

 run ; as they grew very fast, however, they were soon able to fly. 

 Mr. Fuller's keeper believes the young woodcock is able to run as 

 soon as hatched, and states that, according to his own observation 

 and the report of others, they always build in a small hole, which 

 they make on the plain ground : they select a dry situation for the 

 nest ; but this is placed near a moist soil, to which the old birds lead 

 their young to procure food. 



Mr. Waterhouse pointed out the distinguishing characters of a 

 new species of Toucan, which had been forwarded to the Society by 

 the President, the Earl of Derby, for exhibition and description. 



This species of Toucan approaches most nearly in size and colour- 

 ing to the Pteroglossus hypoglaucus of Mr. Gould's Monograph ; but 

 the beak, which is totally black, is much smaller, and less arched ; 

 the nostrils do not extend so far forwards, and are hidden by the 

 feathers of the head, and there is no longitudinal groove in front of 

 them, as in the species above named, and others of the genus ; the 

 blue of the under parts of the body is of a much paler and purer tint, 

 and the feathers on these parts are white at the base. It diff^ers, 

 moreover, in having the throat and cheeks white, and the upper 

 tail- coverts black. 



A totally black beak being an uncommon character in the species 

 belonging to the subgenus Pteroglossus, Mr. Waterhouse proposed 

 for this new species the name nigrirostris, and proceeded to charac- 

 terize it as follows : 



Pteroglossus nigrirostris. Pt. rostro, capite summo, nuchdque 

 nigris ; guld alba ; corpore supra olivaceo-fusco ; rectricibus se- 

 condariis olivaceo-viridibus ; uropygio pallide sulphureo : caudd, 



