54 JOURNAL OF THE TRINIDAD 



his carefully prepared specimens made the paper most valuable. 

 On its conclusion the Chairman made some remarks as to the 

 importance of the members of the Club studying the life 

 history of our fauna. A beautiful Papilio from the woods 

 of Oropouche was shown by Mr Guppy, jr. — The Hon. 

 Secretary drew attention to the second instalment of Trinidad 

 Mammals received from the Taxidermist ; they were : 1 Collared 

 Peccary {Dicotyles tajacu, Linn) 1 Ocelot (Felis partialis) 1 Man- 

 grove dog, (Procyon cancrivorus, Cuv) 1 Ant-eater (Tama/ndua 

 tetradactyla) 1 Little Ant-eater {Cyclothurus didactylus) 

 1 Squirrel, (Sciurus aestivalis) 2 Piloree rats (Echini)/* trinitatis 

 All and Chpm) 1 Spiny rat, (Lcmcheres guianae, Thos) and 1 

 Manicou Gros Yeux {Didelphys trinitatis Thos n. sp.) The 

 Secretary pointed out thai the last named mammal was a co-type 

 of a new species recently described by Mr. Oldfield Thomas of 

 the British Museum. Mr. Chapman's remarks about the tendency 

 of the Pilorees to lose their tails were read from his report on 

 Trinidad Mammals and gave rise to an interesting discussion as 

 to this peculiarity. — Mr. A. B. Carr exhibited a skin of Vampyrus 

 spectrum which, when killed, measured 2 feet 7f inches 

 across the wings and said that the specimen was taken on his 

 estate at Caparo. The stomach, said Mr. Carr, contained vegeta- 

 ble matter although the animal boasted such an array of formidable 

 looking teeth. Mr. Broadway showed a case of some rare 

 Trinidad butterflies amongst which was conspicuous a specimen 

 of Siderone marthesia, Cram., of which the British Museum 

 authorities are so anxious to acquire specimens. Other interesting 

 species were Gatonephele numilia, Cram., Telegonus midas, Cram., 

 Phyciodes ianthe, Fab., Sysnmachia menetas, Drury. — The Secre- 

 tary on behalf of the President, laid on the table an interesting 

 wasps' nest from Venezuela. Mr. Henry Tate invited notice to two 

 very fine Hesperida taken at Maraval, which none of the mem- 

 bers present had seen before. — Mr. Murray produced a double 

 tailed banana flower from Siparia which he said w T as the first he 

 had ever seen and which he could only regard as an extra- 

 ordinary freak of nature. — The Secretary, on behalf of Mr. 

 R. R. Mole, invited the members to inspect an interesting 

 family, consisting of a snake (Epicrates cenchris) and her eighteen 

 young ones which were born on the 1st July. He further said 

 that the mother had been five months in captivity and had 

 refused all food during that period. He pointed out the wonder- 

 ful difference in the markings of the old and young snakes. 

 These creatures, he added, belonged to the constrictors and were 

 perfectly harmless, while they waged unceasing war upon the 

 enemies of the cocoa planter, viz the rats and squirrels and the 

 birth of such a litter upon any cocoa estate in the island would 



