144 Zoological Society : — 



I take this opportunity of bringing before the Society a short re- 

 sume of the present state of our knowledge of the species of Struthio- 



Fig. 3. 

 nidce, which appear to be more numerous than was formerly sup- 



I. Struthio. 



The ^Ethiopian type of the Struthionidce (the most perfect of the 

 kind, as is its type of the Anthropoid Apes) requires our first atten- 

 tion. I have long suspected that the Ostrich of Southern Africa, 

 when closely compared with the bird of the Sahara, will turn out to 

 be a different species ; and I know that many other naturalists share 

 my views. The eggs, as Mr. Bartlett has shown in exhibiting his 

 fine series of the eggs of StruthionideB this evening, seem to present 

 well-marked differences. That attributed to the Southern bird is 

 smaller and very much smoother and less deeply pitted, the granula- 

 tions in some specimens being nearly evanescent. But I have reason 

 to believe that the Southern bird is the larger in size. Through the 

 unfortunate loss of both the young Ostriches presented to the So- 

 ciety by Sir George Grey last summer, we have missed the opportu- 

 nity which we should otherwise have had of. comparing them with 

 the noble examples of the Northern bird which grace our Mena- 

 gerie. But as Sir George Grey, who is now returning to the Cape 

 Colony, has promised to obtain for us other adult examples, there 

 is every reason to believe that we shall ere long be able to make the 

 desired comparisons*. 



The Ostrich of the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, mentioned by 

 Col. Chesney (Journ. Euphr. Exp. i. p. 588), Dr. Layard (Nineveh, 



* Prince Bonaparte speaks of a Struthio epoasticus, Compt. Rend, xliii. p. 785 ; 

 but I cannot make out that he refers to either the southern or northern species. 



