323 



und Prof. J. W. Spengel in Gießen mit der Führung der vorberei- 

 tenden weiteren Geschäfte beauftragt. Sie sind zur Beantwortung 

 etwaisrer Anfragen sowie zur Annahme von Beitrittserklärungen bereit. 



2. Zoological Society of London. 



20th May, 1890. — Mr. Gambier Bolton, F.Z.S., exhibited a series 

 of photographs, principally of animals living in the Society's Gardens and 

 in Mr. Walter Rothschild's Menagerie. — Prof. Flower, C.B., exhibited 

 a photograph of a nest of a Hornbill [Toccus melanoleucos) , taken from a 

 specimen in the Albany Museum, Grahamstown, in which the female was 

 shown ,, walled in''. — A communication was read from Sir Edward N e w - 

 ton, K.C.M.G., relating to the reported discovery of Dodo's bones in Mau- 

 ritius in 1885, by the late Mr. Caldwell. It appeared that there had been 

 some error in the matter, and that the bones discovered were not those of 

 the Dodo. — Mr. S dater, F.R.S., pointed out the characters of a new 

 Toucan of the genus Pteroglossus from the Upper Amazons, proposed to be 

 called P. didymus. — Mr. R. Lydekker, F.Z.S., read a paper describing 

 some bird-remains from the cavern-deposits of Malta. These remains indicated 

 a Vulture larger than any existing species, which, from the characters of 

 the cervical vertebrae, he referred to the genus Gyps under the name of G. 

 melitensis. They also comprised some bones of a Crane, of the size of Grus 

 antigone, for which the name Grtis melitensis was proposed. — Dr. Hans 

 Gadow, F.Z.S,, gave an account of some cases of the modification of cer- 

 tain organs in Mammals and Birds which seemed to be illustrations of the 

 inheritance of acquired characters. — P. L. Sclater, Secretary. 



3rd June, 1890. — The Secretary read a report on the additions that 

 had been made to the Society's Menagerie during the month of May 1890, 

 and called special attention to a pair of Hartebeests [Alcelaphus caama) and 

 a pair of Swainson's Long-tailed Jays [Calocitta formosa), acquired by pur- 

 chase; and to a pair of Beatrix Antelopes [Oryx Beatrix), presented by Col. 

 E. C. Ross, C.S.I., H.B.M. Consul-General for the Persian Gulf. — Mr. 

 Sclater exhibited and made remarks on two young specimens of Darwin's 

 Rhea [Rhea Darwinii), obtained by Mr. A. A. Lane in the province of Tara- 

 paca, Northern Chili, and forwarded to Mr. H. H. James, F.Z.S. — Mr. 

 Sclater exhibited and made remarks on a flat skin of a Zebra, received 

 from Northern Somaliland, which appeared to be referable to Grévy's Zebra 

 [Equvs Grevyi) . — Mr. A. D. Michael read a paper on a collection of non- 

 parasitic Acarina lately made in Algeria, where he had found the Acarina 

 less abundant than in England, and, indeed, almost absent from the true 

 southern vegetation. The species met with were not of larger size than the 

 British. The collection consisted almost entirely of Oribatidae, and contained 

 examples of 46 species belonging to 15 genera. Amongst them were 8 spe- 

 cies new to science, 27 were British, and the rest South-European. Amongst 

 the new species were a remarkable new^ Caeculus, there being previously only 

 one known species of this curious genus, which forms a separate family. 

 There was also a new Notaspis, which had not been found in Europe, but 

 had been received from the shores of Lake Winnipeg, in Canada. There were 

 likewise some very singular new species of the genus Damaeus and a triple- 



