Zoological Society. 406 



nuatis, coccineis, hasibus albis informd stellcB ordinatis ; pectore, 



ahdomine medio, tectricibusque caudm inferioribus, albis ; later ibus 



cervino-albis. 



Upper surface green ; wings and tail greyish brown ; feathers of 



the throat elongated, narrow, and of a rich pinky scarlet, with white 



bases arranged in a starred form ; breast, centre of the abdomen and 



under tail-coverts white ; flanks bulFy white ; bill and feet blackish 



brown. 



Total length, 2|~ inches; bill, ^; wing, 1|; tail, 1. 

 This is a very diminutive species, much smaller than the C. cya* 

 nopogon, but of precisely the same form. 

 Hab. Mexico ; precise locality unknown. 



The Secretary, on the part of Dr. Falconer, exhibited the lower 

 end of the left tibia of a gigantic fossil Struthious Bird from the Se- 

 walik Hills. This interesting remain indicates a very close generic 

 representation of the existing African Struthio in the extinct fauna 

 of Asia. Although not altogether unexpected, this is a valuable addi- 

 tion to the facts previously demonstrated in relation to the genera 

 Camelopardalis, Camelus, Elephas, and Hippopotamus. 



March 9. — ^William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. 

 The following communications were read : — 



1. Note on the Red Corpuscles of the Blood of the Meminna 



Deer (Moschus Meminna,EYx\.). By George Gulliver, F.R.S. 



After I had made known the curious minuteness of the red cor- 

 puscles of the blood of that little ruminant the Napu Musk Deer, 

 it was to be expected that these corpuscles would present the same 

 character in the rest of the genus. Accordingly, I some time ago 

 found this to be the case in the Stanley Musk Deer ; and it appears, 

 from an examination which I have lately made of the blood-cor- 

 puscles of the Meminna Deer, that these are not distinguishable in 

 size from those of the Napu Musk Deer. 



The following measurements of the red corpuscles of the blood of 

 the Meminna Deer exactly agree with the measurements of the cor- 

 responding corpuscles of the Napu Musk Deer. They are, as usual, 

 given in vulgar fractions of an English inch : — 

 134001^ 



12000/ "^°^°"®^^^^* 

 16000 Small size. 

 9600 Large size. 

 12325 Average of all the above sizes. 



So minute are these corpuscles, that vast numbers of them measure 

 no more over the flat surface of the disc than the edge or thickness 

 of the red corpuscle of human blood, the average of which appears 

 from my measurements to be ^^^Qp th of an inch. 



The size of the blood- corpuscles in the ruminants affbrds a good 

 illustration of the law, which I have elsewhere deduced from very 

 numerous measurements, that in the smallest species of a natural order 

 or family of mammals the blood-discs are much more minute than in 



