PROCEEDINGS OP THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES OF LONDON. 447 



April lltky 1865. 



Professor Huxley read a notice of tlie singular form of the 

 stomacli in the Bats of the genus Besmodus, in which the cardiac end 

 of this organ assumes the form of a greatly elongated coecum, reilexed 

 upon itself. This and the peculiarities of the dentition seemed to 

 Professor Huxley to indicate the probable necessity of constituting 

 the genus Desmodusy and its allied form JDiphylla, a separate section 

 of the order Chiroptera, under the name Hsematophilina. — Dr. Crisp 

 read a paper on the form, weight, and structure of the eye, including 

 the colour of the iris in vertebrate animals. Dr. Crisp also exhibited 

 a drawing of the Aard Vark {Orycteropus capensis), and a figure of 

 the Placenta of the Giraffe. — Dr. Murie communicated some remarks 

 on cases of deformity in the lower jaw of the Sperm Whale {Fhyseter 

 macrocephalus), which he had found occurring in several specimens 

 in the Museums of this country and America. — Mr. Sclater ga\e a 

 description of new species of Indian Porcupine, proposed to be 

 called Systrix malabarica, distinguished from the ordinary Indian 

 species H. leiicura, by its orange-coloured spines. Pour living 

 examples of this new species had lately been presented to the Society 

 by His Excellency Sir "William Denison, K.G., Governor of Madras. 

 — Dr. J. E. Gray communicated some notes from Mr. E. L. Layard, 

 of Cape To-^Ti, Corr. Memb., on the specimens of Whales contained 

 in the South African Museum, Cape Town. This was accompanied 

 by characters of two new species of the group, founded upon exam- 

 ples in the South African Museum, which Dr. Gray proposed to call 

 ZipJiius layardii and Hyperoodon capensis. — Dr. Gray also commu- 

 nicated a revision of the genera and species of Entomophagous 

 Edentata, founded on an examination of specimens of this group 

 contained in the British Museum. Amongst these were the charac- 

 ters of three species believed to be new to science, and proposed to be 

 called I'holidotzi'S africanus, Dasypits veUerosus, and Cyclothurus dor- 

 salis. 



April lUh, 1865. 



A letter was read from Professor William Nation of Lima, Peru, 

 in reference to certain specimens of Eeptiles intended to be trans- 

 mitted to the Society's Menagerie. — Mr. Sclater made some remarks 

 on a collection of Birds-skins, made in the vicinity of Yera Cruz, 

 Mexico, by the Society's Corresponding Member, Monsieur A. Bou- 



