216 Transactions. — Zooloyi/. 



Neolithic or Brouze Ages in Britain. I have, however, seen 

 several four-horned skulls from refuse-heaps belonging to the 

 Middle Ages. There were two distinct breeds in Britain from 

 the Neolithic Age to the close of the Roman occupation — one 

 small and like the Hebridean sheep, and another much coarser 

 and thicker in the legs. Both these were two-horned. 



" I am. Sec, 



" W. Boyd Dawkixs." 



As animals in a state of nature are seldom or never 

 equipped with useless duplicate pairs of horns, the extra horns 

 on these animals are probably the result of variation under 

 domestication. 



The party of Algerian Arabs now on exhibition in London 

 in place of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, have brought with 

 them goats having four horns. These are the first of the kind 

 I have heard of; and, the sheep and goat being very closely 

 allied, such an incident is worthy of notice in this paper. 

 From the remains of four-horned sheep aj)pearing about the 

 time of the Middle Ages, perhaps they were brouglit to England 

 by the Saxon or Danish colonists. It would be interesting to 

 know if signs of such sheep are found in the Danish middens. 



A previous remark about the St. Kilda sheep eating sea- 

 weed is probably an error, for I fancy St. Kilda is difficult of 

 approach, having no beach. Likely this would be a habit of 

 the Hebridean sheep. A native of those parts once told me 

 that it is customary to feed horses on potatoes during the 

 severe winter season which is experienced in those exposed 

 islands. 



Akt. XXVI. — On the Birds of iJtc Kcrmadcc Islands. 



By T. F. Cheeseman, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Curator of the Auck- 

 land Museum. 



Read before the Auddand Institute, Mh August, 1S90.] 



At the close of a paper on the flora of the Kermadec Islands, 

 printed in vol. xx. of the " Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute," I have given a list of the birds observed during my 

 visit to the group in August, 1887. Since then, through the 

 kindness of Mr. Bell, the well-known resident on Sunday 

 Island, I have obtained much additional information and 

 many specimens. I am also much indebted to Captain Fair- 

 child for bringing me living birds from the group on the occa- 

 sion of his annual trips in the "Hinemoa," and for information 

 respecting them. I have also received similar assistance from 

 Mr. Alexander, Mr. Stratford, and Mr. Bethune. So much 



