Mr. P. L. Sclater on a new species of Dendrocolaptes 233 



furnished with alternate lateral aciculse ; the spines of the beetles are 

 smooth, with sharp points. 



Explanatory drawings of the parts were exhibited. 



Dr. Crisp also showed two new species of worms which he had 

 recently obtained ; one from the lung of the Egyptian Cobra {Naja 

 Haje) which had been in the Society's collection. It is 3 inches 

 long, and its chief peculiarity consists in its annular protuberances, 

 twenty-eight in number. 



Dr. Baird has described this worm as a new species, in the British 

 Museum Catalogue, under the name of Pentastoma annulatum *. 



The other specimens were two nematoid worms, which Dr. Crisp 

 obtained from the knee-joint of the common Coot {Fulica atrd). 

 They are of a cylindrical form, highly elastic, and coiled in a spiral 

 manner round each other ; the larger of the two, when extended, is 

 about two inches in length, the smaller about an inch and a half; the 

 extremities are tapering ; the tail pointed ; the head more orbicular. 

 Under a power of 50 diameters, the alimentary canal can be distinctly 

 seen. 



Dr. Crisp believed that this worm had not been before described ; 

 it most resembled the Spii^optera Falconis of Rudolphi, or the Spi- 

 roptera serpentidus of Diesing. In the Museum of the London 

 College of Surgeons (prep. 170) there are two Filarice, one about 

 six inches long, from the knee-joint of the Kangaroo {Macropus 

 major): and Diesing, in his 'Systema Helminthum,' 1850, mentions 

 the Filaria suhspiralis, from the tendons of the foot of a Crane ; and 

 the Spiroptera serpentulus, from the leg and foot tendons of several 

 species of Falcon. 



On a new species of Dendrocolaptes. 

 By Philip Lutley Sclater. 



The fine species of Dendrocolaptes which I now bring before the 

 notice of the Society, was discovered by Mr. Wallace in the neighbour- 

 hood of Para. My specimen is from the Capin river, where it was 

 collected in June 1849. A second, in Mr. Wallace's own collection, 

 marked *Para,' is the only other I have seen. Had I not the 

 authority of Mr. Eyton and the Baron de la Fresnaye for considering 

 the present bird as hitherto undescribed, I should hardly have ven- 

 tured to characterize a species of this family, which is one of those 

 most perplexing to ornithologists, by reason of the great similarity of 

 colouring that pervades the group. The Baron de la Fresnaye, who 

 has lately written a most complete monograph of these birds in the 

 * Revue de Zoologie,' has mentioned this species in a recent number 

 of that periodical, under the MS. name I had proposed for it when 

 on a visit to him eighteen months ago. This makes it desirable, I 

 think, to give it specific characters at once, in order to avoid the 

 evils of leaving a published name without a published description 

 attached. 



* Described by Dr. Baird at p. 73 of the present volume of this Journal. 



