62 

 li. Mittheilungen aus Museen, Instituten etc. 



1. Zoological Society of London. 



14th January, 1896. — The Secretary read a report on the additions 

 that had been made to the Society's Menagerie during the month of December 

 1895, and called attention to two specimens of Forsten's Lorikeet [Tricho- 

 glossus Forsteni)^ obtained by purchase. Of this scarce species no examples 

 had been previously received by the Society. — Mr. Tegetmeier exhibited 

 some drawings of the two young King Penguins in down plumage living in 

 the Society's Gardens. — A communication was read from the Rev. W. J. 

 Holland, F.Z.S., containing a preliminary revision and synonymic cata- 

 logue of the Butterflies of the family Hesperiidae of Africa and the adjacent 

 Islands, with descriptions of some apparently new species. The total number 

 of species of African Hesperiidae catalogued by Mr. Holland was 349, of 

 which 21 were new to science. Fourteen new genera were characterized. — 

 A communication was read from Dr. Arthur G. Butler, F.Z.S., which gave 

 an account of a collection of Butterflies obtained by Mr. R. Craw shay in 

 Nyasa-land between the months of January and April 1895. Many of the 

 species in this consignment had been obtained at considerable altitudes. It 

 was therefore surprising that comparatively few of them proved to be unde- 

 scribed, though some of the new forms were of exceptional interest. Nine 

 species altogether were characterized as new. — Mr. P. Chalmers Mitchell, 

 M.A., F.Z.S., read a paper on the intestinal tract of birds. He showed that the 

 simplest type of the avian intestine consisted of three parts, each supplied by 

 a main branch of the portal vessel : — (1) aduodenal portion ; (2) a circular mid- 

 gut, in the middle of which occurs the remains of the vitelline duct, and 

 which is separated from the posterior portion by the attachment of the caeca; 

 and (3) the rectum or posterior portion. He described the divergences from 

 the primitive type to be found in the main groups of birds. The duodenum was 

 rarely modified; the rectum less rarely; the increase in length occured almost 

 entirely in the circular mid-gut loop. Mr. Mitchell attempted to lay stress 

 on this branch of avian anatomy as an indication of the degree of deviation 

 from the typical structure that has occurred in the difi"erent groups. — Mr. 

 F. G.Parsons read a paper on the Myology of Rodents, in continuation of 

 a former paper read before the Society in 1894. Mr. Parsons gave an 

 account of the myology of the Myomorpha, together with a comparison of 

 the muscles of the various suborders of Rodents. The generalizations poin- 

 ted to the following conclusions: — (1) That the Myomorpha and Sciuro- 

 morpha approach one another in their myology. (2) That the Hystrico- 

 morpha similarly approach the Lagomorpha. (3) That the Bathyerginae in 

 many respects resemble the Hystricomorpha. (4) That Rhizomtjs more closely 

 resembles the Muridae than the Bathyerginae. (5) That the Dipodidae are 

 more nearly allied te the Myomorpha than to the Hystricomorpha. (6) That 

 in Rodents certain muscles are valuable for classificatory purposes, and, if 

 several are taken, are not likely to mislead. (7) That the muscles of the 

 trunk, neck, and shouldergirdle are the most reliable for classificatory pur- 

 poses. — Mr. F. E. Beddard, F.R.S., gave an account of some Earthworms 

 from the Sandwich Islands collected by Mr. R. L. Perkins, and appended 

 descriptions of some new species of Perichaeta. Of the nine species of Earth- 

 worms of the Sandwich Islands Mr. Beddard was unable to say that any 



