Zoological Society. 403 



ChiZjErhis leucogaster. Chi. pileo crista plicatilis, plumis 



apice truncatis, capite, gutture, collo, cervice, dorso et alis ccesio- 



umbrinis ; rectricibus medianis nigro -mar ginatis, remigibus dimidio 



basali albis, dimidio apicali umbrino-nigris ; caudd subrotundatd, 



supra et subtus nigrd, fascia albd latd transversa ; rectricibus 



duabus intermediis ccesio-umbrinis ; abdomine et tibiis albis; 



rostro et pedibus nigricantibus , iride umbrind. 



A peculiarity in this species consists in the truncated form of the 



feathers which constitute the crest. Both sexes agree in size and 



colouring. The dimensions are as follow : — 



in. lin. 



Total length 18 9 



Tail 9 9 



Beak 11| 



Height of beak 6£ 



Length of the wing to the end of the fifth wing-feather 7 9 



Tarsus 1 8 



Middle toe. including the nail 1 10 



January 25. — William Horton Lloyd, Esq., in the Chair. 

 Mr. W. D. Cooper communicated to the Meeting some notes, by 

 T. S. Thomson, Esq., relating to the habits of the Bassaris astuta 

 of Lichtenstein. These notes are confirmatory of the observations of 

 Mr. Charlesworth, made at a former meeting of the Society*. The 

 animal, Mr. Thomson has been informed, is found in most parts of 

 the republic of Mexico, but is not known beyond the habitations of 

 man. Besides fowls, butchers' meat, &c, it will eat bread, fruit, and 

 sugar ; it breeds principally in outhouses, and particularly in neglected 

 spots, producing three or four at a birth. Sometimes it is tamed, 

 and used like the domestic cat to destroy rats, mice, &c. 



Mr. Gould exhibited several Australian Mammals, from his own 

 collection, which he considered to be new to science. The first to 

 which he drew attention was a species of the genus Macropus, as 

 now restricted, which, from the sooty black colouring of the face, he 

 proposed to describe under the name 



Macropus melanops. Macr. vellere molli obscure griseo ; dorso, 

 collo, plagdque magnd ad basin femoris, fuliginoso-lavatis ; late- 

 ribus corporis indistinct e fulvo tinctis ; capite fuliginoso ; rhinario 

 nigro ; auribus intus pilis albis vestitis, extus pilis albis, nigro ir- 

 roratis, ad basin nigris ; guld pectoreque albescentibus ; tibiis tar- 

 sisque fusco -albis, digitis nigris ; caudd robustd, supra fuliginoso - 

 fused, subtus pallidiore, dimidid apicali nigrd. 



unc. lin. 

 Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caudae basin. ... 33 



cauda 20 6 



tarsi digitorumque 11 9 



ab apice rostri ad basin auris .... 5 9 



auris 3 9 



* Proceedings for July 13, 1841, p. CO. 

 2D 2 



