31 

 II. Mittheilungen aus Museen, Instituten etc. 



1. Zoological Society of London. 



17th December 1895. — Dr/ Donaldson Smith offered some remarks 

 on some of the animals observed by him during his recent journey to Lakes 

 Rudolph and Stephanie , and alluded especially to the species of Zebras and 

 Antelopes encountered during his journey. — Mr. S dater exhibited and 

 made remarks on the head of an Antelope obtained in Kavirondo , British 

 East Africa , by Mr. E. Gedge. This Antelope had been hitherto usually 

 identified with the »Kob« of Western Africa , but appeared to belong to a 

 distinct species , to which the name Cobus Thomasi had been given by Herr 

 Neumann. — Mr. G. F. Hampson read a paper on the classification of 

 two subfamilies of the Moths of the family Pyralidae , the Schoenobiinae and 

 Crambinae : in the former subfamily 25 genera were classified, in the latter 30. 

 Both subfamilies were stated to be parallel developments with the Hydro- 

 eampinae from the primitive stock of the Pyralidae , represented most nearly 

 among living forms by the more generalized Pyraustinae and the Scopariinae. 

 The Schoenobiinae were traced from Acentropus, which was taken as the most 

 ancient form, through Cirrochrista, Scirpophaga , &c. to Ramila, Brihaspa, 

 and their allies, and, on the other hand, through Obtusipalpis , allied to 

 Cirrhochi-ista, through Cacographis to Gonothyris and along other branches 

 to Banepa, Acropentias, and Niphopyralis. The Crambinae were traced from 

 the New Zealand Gadira , regarded as the most generalized form , in two 

 main divisions: the first with vein 6 of the hind wing arising separately 

 from 7 , of which Prionopteryx and Talis and Aticylolomia were represen- 

 tatives of the two branches: the second with vein 6 arising from the same 

 point with 7, which was traced as one branch to Eschata, Chalcoëla^ &., and 

 as another branch through Chilo and Platytes to Crambus and the forms 

 derived from it. — A communication was read from Mr. Oldfield Thomas, 

 F.Z.S., on CaenolesteSj a still-existing survivor of the Epanorthidae of Ame- 

 ghino , and the representative of a new family of recent Marsupials. The 

 specimen upon which the new genus and species [Caenolestes obscurus) was 

 based had been received from Bogota. The mammal described by Tomes in 

 1860 &?, Hyracodon fuliginosiis from Ecuador was a second species of the 

 same genus, but the name Hyracodon had been preoccupied, so that Caeno- 

 lestes was proposed in its place. — Mr. Walter E. Collinge, F.Z.S,, 

 read a paper on the sensory and ampuUary canals of Chimaera , and the 

 innervation of the same. After describing the Elasmobranch character of 

 the sensory canals, the author pointed out that, in addition to the ampullary 

 canals described by Leydig, there were two other forms which were now 

 described for the first time. The sensory ca.nals were purely dermal, their 

 only protection being a series of split cartilaginous hoops. The canals, both 

 sensory and ampullary, were mainly innervated by the trigeminal group of 

 nerves. As in the Dipnoi, there was a commissure between the vagus and 

 facial (possibly trigeminal) which joins the vagus lateralis posterior to the 

 vagus-ganglion, as in Ceratodus. Other Dipnoid characters were referred to. 

 The glossopharyngeal nerve was found to pass from the skull by a separate 

 foramen, quite distinct from the vagus, and not as has been described by 

 Gegenbaur. — Mr. F. A. Bather read a paper on the fossil crinoid Uinla- 

 crinus. The paper attempted a complete morphological description of Uin- 



