Zoological Society. 275 



recommendation should be attended to. The plan proposed is nearly 

 that acted upon by the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, which has 

 now continued for several years, holding five meetings annually, 

 examining the adjacent country during the days of assembling, and 

 bringing together after a frugal but always well-relished dinner the 

 results of the different excursions. There is no subscription, and a 

 few shillings from each member suffices to defray the expense of 

 printing the Transactions and annual address, which already hold 

 an important place in the literature of our natural history. Mr. 

 Denny remarks, " I feel confident, that if such an association were 

 formed for the West Riding, (than which no district of equal extent 

 in the kingdom is richer for varieties of soil, suitable localities, di- 

 versity and abundance of its productions,) a large mass of highly 

 valuable materials might be collected, our knowledge of the organised 

 beings surrounding us increased, and much friendly and scientific 

 intercourse carried on, to the mutual benefit of all parties." It will 

 give us satisfaction to learn that Mr. Denny's project has been realised. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



August 14, 1838.— William Yarrell, Esq., in the Chair. 



A series of skins, belonging to species of the genus Sciurus, in- 

 cluding, with one or two exceptions, all which are known to in- 

 habit North America, were upon the table; and the Rev. Dr. Bach- 

 man, of S. Carolina, brought them severally before the notice of the 

 Members. Six of the species exhibited were new, and for these he 

 proposed the specific names of Texianus, lanuginosus, fuliginosus, 

 suhauratus, Auduboni, and Richardsoni. Dr. Bachman's manuscript 

 notes upon the habits and characters of the North American Squir- 

 rels, with descriptions of the newly characterized species, were also 

 laid before the Meeting. 



The first species noticed by Dr. Bachman is the Sciurus capi- 

 stratus of Bosc, or Fox Squirrel ; vulpinus of Gmel.; niger, Catesby; 

 variegatus, Desm. ; the Black Squirrel of Bartram. Its essential 

 characters consist in its large size, in having the tail longer than 

 the body, the hair coarse, and the ears and nose white. The dental 

 formula is inc. \, can. J^^, mol. ^. 



Sciurus Texianus. Texian Squirrel. This name is proposed by 

 Dr. Bachman for an apparently undescribed species which he saw in 

 the Museum at Paris. It was said to have been received from 

 Mexico. In the Museums of Berlin and Zurich, he also found what 

 he conceives to be the same species ; and in the British Museum 



