Zoological Society. 401 



*' The large rivers were peopled with crocodiles ; turtles and por- 

 poises floated upon thera ; and these tenants of the water, strange 

 and varied as they were, and unlike the present inhabitants of the 

 district, were not without resemblance to many species still met with 

 on the earth. 



" The interior of the land, of which the surrounding waters were 

 thus peopled, was no less remarkable, and exhibited appearances no 

 less instructive. Troops of monkeys might be seen skipping lightly 

 from branch to branch in the various trees, or heard mowing and 

 chattering and howling in the deep recesses of the forest. Of the 

 birds, some, clothed in plumage of almost tropical brilliancy, were 

 busy in the forests, while others, such as the vulture, hovered over 

 the spots where death had been busy. Gigantic serpents might have 

 been seen insidiously vv^atching their prey. Other serpents in gaudy 

 dress were darting upon the smaller quadrupeds and birds, and in- 

 sects glittered brightly in the sun. All these indications of life and 

 activity existed, and that, too, not far distant from the spots on 

 which are placed the two most important cities in the world. But 

 this happened not only before our island was visited by its earliest 

 human discoverer, but long before man had been introduced on the 

 earth." 



The illustrations of the work (which is gorgeously •' got up ") 

 deserve much praise ; the absence of complicated detail renders their 

 comprehension more easy by general readers. 



Altogether this is a welcome addition to a class of books which 

 we hope to see increase, namely popular scientific works written by 

 scientific men. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 

 Feb. 23, 1847.— William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. 

 Drafts for an arrangement of the Trochilidje, with descrip- 

 tions OF SOME NEW SPECIES. By JoHN GoULD, F.R.S. 



Genus Petasophora, G. R. Gray {Heliothryx, Boie ; Ramphodon, 

 Less.; Colibri, Spix). 

 This is one of the best-defined groups of the family, and is distin- 

 guished by several peculiarities, the principal of which are the greatly 

 developed ear-coverts and their blue colour, and the similarity in the 

 colouring of the sexes, the females possessing all the brilliancy of 

 the males and only distinguishable from them by their smaller size 

 and more delicate contour : the young too assume the plumage of the 

 adult. 



The oldest known species of this form constitutes the type ; it is 

 the 



Sp. 1. Petasophora serrirostris. 



Trochilus serrirostris, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. torn. vii. p. 359 ; 

 Ency. Mah. part 2. p. 561 ; Ois. Dor. torn. iii. pi. 1. 

 ined. 



