140 Zoological Society : — 



posterior extremity. The anterior extremity is rather narrower than 

 the posterior ; the sinus or notch is rather deep, the beaks are sharp- 

 pointed and thickened along the margins. The surface is marked 

 with numerous minute punctations, and is of a deep-yellow or saf- 

 fron colour. 



Length 3 lines; breadth 2 lines. 



Hab. Madras, in 8 fathoms. Mus. Brit. 



In the ■ Memoires des Savans Etrangers/ vol. iii. p. 269, there 

 is an exceedingly interesting communication from M. le Comman- 

 deur Godeheu de Riville on the luminosity of the sea. In that 

 paper he describes and figures a little creature which he found was 

 the cause of this luminous appearance. The body of the animal, he 

 says, was contained in a small, transparent shell, resembling in form 

 that of an almond cleft down the side, and which was notched at its 

 upper part. This shell, though roughly figured, pretty accurately 

 represents this species of Cypridina, and I have little doubt our 

 species is the same that Riville there describes and figures. The part 

 of the ocean where he met with it was off the coast of Malabar. 



3. Cypridina ovum, Baird. 



Carapace- valves of a perfect ovoid shape, and very ventricose. 

 Anterior extremity slightly narrower than posterior. The surface of 

 the valves is marked with exceedingly minute punctations, with nu- 

 merous round, quite smooth spots of a brownish-yellow colour dis- 

 tributed over it, appearing as if they were excavated out of the sur- 

 face of the shell. The notch at the anterior extremity is rather 

 deep ; the beaks are somewhat pointed, slightly incurved and thick- 

 ened along the margins; and the posterior extremity is rounded 

 without any appearance of gibbosity. 



Length Inline; breadth Inline. 



Hab. Chinese Seas. Mus. Brit. 



4. Cypridina albo-mactjlata, Baird. 



Carapace-valves of an ovate-ventricose form, rounded on the dorsal 

 and ventral margins, and slightly, but distinctly, produced into a 

 point in the centre of the inferior extremity. The surface is marked 

 with numerous small, distinct punctations, and conspicuously blotched 

 with several large, bright white patches, which are slightly raised 

 and strongly punctured. There are only two large ones on the right 

 valve, and three on the left. The notch at the anterior extremity is 

 rather deep, and the edges of the beak are incurved, pointed, and 

 thickened along the margins. The anterior extremity is rather nar- 

 rower than the posterior. 



Length 4 lines ; breadth 3 lines. 



Hab. Swan River. Mus. Brit. 



April 24, I860.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. 



Mr. Gould exhibited specimens of the Chough of the Himalayas, 

 which he proposed to call Fregilus himalayanus, and pointed out the 

 characters which distinguish it from the European bird (F. graculus) 



