Natural History , 8fc. 429 



named Tragopan HastingsiL There is also a species of true Phea- 

 sant (Phasianus albo Cristatus), whicli seems to have been indicated 

 by former writers from incomplete descriptions or drawings, but 

 never to have been accurately characterized. A third species is like- 

 wise added from the collection to the group of Enicurus of M. Tem- 

 minck, which has hitherto been considered limited in range to the 

 Indian Archipelago (Enicurus Maculatus).* 



The same collection also contains several species of humming 

 birds ; one of which, previously undescribed, has been called 2Vo- 

 chilus Loddigesii ; it approaches most nearly to the Tro. Lalandii, 

 VieilLt 



Dr. Andrew Smith, of Cape Town, has informed the Zoological 

 Society that he has discovered another species of the Macroscelides, 

 as well as a new one of Erinaceus, and three species of the genus 

 Otis, together with one of Brachypteryx, the descriptions of which he 

 purposes to transmit very shortly. 



20. ICHTHYOLOGY. 



Dr. Smith has transmitted to the Zoological Society a present of 

 sixteen specimens of fishes, obtained in the neighbourhood of the 

 Cape of Good Hope ; amongst which are an undetermined species 

 of Dentex ; a fish allied to Oblada, Cuv., and apparently the type of 

 a new genus ; a new species of Scomber, Cuv. ; an undescribed 

 species ofBagrus, Cuv. ; a species of Scyllium, Cuv., probably new 

 to science; and a second species of the genus Rhina, Schn., which 

 deviates from the type, by a slight production of the front of the 

 head, and thus makes an approach to Rhine-bates, Schn. J 



21. INFLUENCE OF THE AURORA BOREALIS ON THE MAGNETIC 

 NEEDLE. (A. T. Kupffer, of St. Petersburgh.) 



1 During the night of the 5th of May, 1830,' says M. Kupffer, 

 4 whilst I was engaged in observing the hourly variations of the 

 magnetic deviation, I was surprised to see the needle oscillate 

 greatly, and at the same time deviate considerably to the east. I 

 immediately suspected that there was an aurora borealis, and was 

 particularly gratified on finding my supposition confirmed ; the phe- 

 nomenon lasted till about two o'clock, when no visible trace of it 

 was left. During the whole time, I carefully observed the needle, 

 particularly as I knew that it would be also observed by my corre- 

 spondents at Nicolajew, Kasan, Berlin, and Freiberg, the 5th of 

 May being one of the days on which we had agreed to observe 

 the hourly variations of the needle. The following table contains 

 the observations at St. Petersburg, Nicolajew, and Kasan ; those 



* Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond., p. 7. t Ibid., p. 12. 



J Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. pll. 

 VOL. I. FKB. 1831. 2 F 



