Mr. G. R. Gray on a new Species of Diver. 331 



the former was taken in Behring's Straits, they can scarcely be iden- 

 tical. The Ascaris halichoris, though named long ago, has never 

 been fully described ; I now propose to fill up this blank. 



ASCARIS HALICHORIS, Owen. 



Caput nudum, epidermide stride adnata ; os labiis rotundatis, 

 porrectis ; corpus, in utroque sexu, extremitatibus magis at- 

 tenuatis ; extremitate caudali brevi, subulata, nuda. 



Long, feminse, 3^ unc. ; maris, 2\ unc. 



The body is of a whitish colour, thickest in the centre, gradually 

 tapering to each extremity, and is strongly striated across ; in the 

 female, apparently all its length ; in the male, till nearly about 

 half an inch from its posterior extremity. This latter portion is 

 smooth or slightly striated lengthways. In the female, the vagina is 

 situated at about two-thirds of its length from the anterior ex- 

 tremity. The spicula of the male appear very short. The intes- 

 tine, as described by Professor Owen, has a caecum developed from 

 it at the distance of about half an inch from the mouth, and is con- 

 tinued upwards, lying by its side, and terminating in a blind extre- 

 mity near the mouth. The specimens, now in the British Museum, 

 are shorter than those noticed by Ruppell. 



May 10, 1859. John Gould, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF DIVER (COLYMBUS). 

 BY GEORGE ROBERT GRAY, ESQ., F.L.A, ETC. 



COL.YMBUS ADAMSII, G. R. Gr. 



Closely allied to C. glacialis ; but the head and collar round the 

 neck shining bluish-black, except on the top of the head and neck, 

 which have a slight green reflexion ; the rows of spots of the tertials 

 and secondaries very much larger and more like those of C. arcticus, 

 while the spots on the sides of the abdomen and upper tail-coverts 

 are smaller than those of C. glacialis. This bird is easily distin- 

 guished from either of those species by its larger bill, by having the 

 gonys more strongly developed, and by its bill being of a yellowish- 

 white colour. 



Length 31" ; bill from gape 5", from the base of culmen 3" 9'" ; 

 wings 15". 



Hab. Russian America. 



This fine species is named after the late Mr. Adams, Surgeon of 

 H.M.S. Enterprise, commanded by Capt. Collinson, in the voyage 

 made by him through Behring's Straits. Mr. Adams employed his 

 pencil in producing beautiful drawings of the remarkable birds ob- 

 tained during the voyage ; but after his return to this country, he 

 undertook the appointment of surgeon to one of H. M. S. on the 

 West African Station, where he soon fell a victim to the unhealthy 

 climate. 



22* 



