Royal Society of Edinburgh. 379 



of the Hornbill as deducible from its anatomy. Its nearest approach 

 is to the Toucan. The Toucan, however, in the want of a gall-bladder 

 agrees with the Parrots -, the presence of that organ in the Horn- 

 bill, places the bird in more immediate relation with the Crows. The 

 disposition of the intestines in long and narrow loops also agrees 

 with the Raven. The tongue, so remarkably varied in form and use 

 among the Scansores, resembles, in the Hornbill, that of the carnivo- 

 rous Birds. The individual examined was observed to be more at- 

 tached to animal than to vegetable food, and would quit any other 

 substance if a dead mouse were offered to it. This it would swallow 

 entire, after squeezing it twice or thrice with the bill : and no cast- 

 ings were noticed. Petiver, however, has borne testimony to its re- 

 gurgitating habits. 



The communication was accompanied by drawings of the organs 

 of nutrition ; of the cloaca ; and of the bill and its muscles. 



A " Description of Alepisaurus, a new genus of Fishes" by the 

 Rev. R. T. Lowe, A.M., Corr. Memb. Z.S., was read. It was con- 

 tained in a letter addressed to the Secretary, and was accompanied 

 by a coloured drawing of the Fish, which was exhibited, as was also 

 a specimen, preserved in spirit, which had been presented to the 

 Society by Mr. Lowe in the summer of 1832. 



Mr. Lowe refers the genus in question to that family of the Acan- 

 thopterygii to which Cuvier has given the name of Tcenioides. Its 

 generic characters may be thus expressed. 



Alepisaurus. Caput compressum, antice productum ; rictu 

 magno, pone oculos longe diducto ; dentibus uniseriatis, validis, 

 retrorsum spectantibus, quibusdam praelongis. 



Corpus elongatum, attenuatum, cum capite omnino nudum. 



Pinna: dorsales duae ; prima alta, a nucha longe per dorsum pro- 

 ducta ; secunda parva, trigona, adiposa : centrales mediocres, abdo- 

 minales : analis mediocris, antice elevata : caudalis magna, furcata. 



Membrana branchiostega 6-7 radiata. 



Alepisaurus ferox. Hab. in Mari Atlantico Maderam allu- 

 ente, rarissimus. 



In its habit, shape of body, smoothness of skin, compressed head, 

 wide gape, and long formidable teeth, Alepisaurus agrees with Trim 

 chiurus and Lepidopus ; but in the former of these genera the ven- 

 tral fins are wanting, and in the latter they are rudimentary only 

 and pectoral: Trichiurus is also destitute of a caudal fin. In both 

 of them, moreover, the anal fin is anormal and the dorsal is single. 

 The two dorsal fins of Alepisaurus are remarkable among the Fishes 

 with which it is most nearly related ; and the small adipose second 

 dorsal evidently indicates a curious relation of analogy to the Sal- 

 monidce among the Malacopterygii. 



ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



April 1st.— A paper on " The Employment of Coordinates traced 

 upon the surface of the Sphere, in the determination of Spherical 

 Loci," by T. S. Davies, Esq., F.R.S., L. & E., was read. 



This was intended as the completion of a paper already printed 



3 (J 2 



