124 Zoological Society. 



were found in the net, were the remains of those which had been de- 

 voured by the Glauci or similar carnivorous mollusks, among which 

 we may with safety include (from the structure of its jaws, and 

 from often capturing it attached to Velella,) the inhabitant of the 

 Janthina fragilis or violet shell. 



" The more we pursue the investigation of the actions of living 

 objects, the more we see of the unbounded resources of creative 

 power ; and, after all our reasoning, must conclude that some wise 

 purpose, though dimly perceptible to our imperfect understandings, 

 is no doubt answered by this great law of organic formation, — the 

 law of variety." 



Mr. Ogilby called the attention of the Meeting to the various 

 preserved specimens of Antelopes then exhibited, and made the fol- 

 lowing observations on some hollow-horned Ruminants. 



" In arranging the Society's collection subsequent to the late re- 

 moval from Bruton Street, the following rare or undescribed species 

 of Ruminants were observed, which it is thought proper to bring 

 under the public notice of the Society. 



" 1. Ixalus Probaton. A single skin of the very anomalous animal 

 to which I propose assigning this name, was presented to the So- 

 ciety by Dr. Richardson, and has been considered as the female of 

 A. Furcifer, from which, however, it differs in some of the most 

 important characters. Of its origin there can be no reasonable 

 doubt ; it was contained in the same box with the skins of A. Fur- 

 cifer, and other animals obtained by the celebrated zoologist just 

 mentioned, during Capt. Franklin's memorable expedition, and 

 the hay with which it was stuffed contained numerous small locks 

 of the very peculiar hair of A. Furcifer. The specimen is a male 

 about the size of a fallow Deer, the length from the nose to the 

 end of the tail being 4 feet 10 inches. The head is 9^ inches long, 

 the tail, 5£ inches; and the ear, 3| inches. Though the skin is 

 that of an adult individual, as is proved by the incisors, which are 

 all of the permanent class and considerably worn down, the head is 

 without horns, having only two small, naked, flat scales, in the po- 

 sitions usually occupied by these organs ; yet the bones of the skull 

 remain beneath, and the specimen is unquestionably the spoil of a 

 male animal. In form, as well as size, the animal resembles the fal- 

 low Deer (Cervus Dama). The colour is a uniform pale reddish 

 brown above and on the outsides of the members ; the breast, belly, 

 and inner face of the anus and thighs are grayish white ; the lower 

 part of the cheeks, the lips and beneath the chin are of the same 

 colour, but the whole throat or under surface of the neck is pale 

 reddish brown, like the back and sides. The tail is covered above 

 with short reddish hair like that of the body, but it is perfectly naked 

 beneath, and in form and length resembles the tail of some species 

 of Deer (Cervus). The nose is hairy like that of a Goat: the animal 

 is furnished with lachrymal sinuses of considerable size, opening by 

 very obvious apertures of a circular form ; it has inguinal pores and 

 two teats, as in the common Antelope (A. Cervicapra); large spurious 

 hoofs, and no appearance of scopee or knee-brushes either on the 



