102 



August 27, 1833. 

 N. A, Vigors, Esq., in the Chair. 



A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary by the Rev. R. T. 

 Lowe, Corr. Memb. Z. S., and dated Madeira, June 25, 1833. It 

 accompanied an extensive series of the land and freshwater Shells 

 of that island, \vhich the vvriter presented to the Society's Museum, 

 and vvhich were exhibited. With one exception, they have been de- 

 scribed by Mr. Lo\ve in a paper published, with figures^ in the ' Trans- 

 actions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.' 



In another letter, of the samedate, Mr.Lowe8tates, "We have no 

 native Mammalia (except a fevv Seuls now and then on the coast,) 

 existing on the Island, at least in its present statė. The coramon 

 irotvn Rat and the Mouse abound, of course introduced ; and the 

 Ferret is said to have become wild in one part of the island, though 

 I have not myself seen it. The Rabbit ispretty common : it abounds 

 in the desertas. As we have neither Hares, Foxes, Shretvs, Moles, nor 

 JVeasels, so of the Birds vve have no Croivs nor Ronks, Daivs, Mag- 

 pies, Sparroxvs, {Tringilla Pelronia, Linn., takes the place of the 

 latter, at least in Porto Santo,) no Titmice, Yelloiu-hammers, &c." 



A letter was read, addressed to Mr. Vigors by James Prinsep, 

 Esq., and dated Calcutta, March 9, 1833. It accompanied a list of 

 numerous zoological specimens forvvarded to the Society by B. H. 

 Hodgson, Esq., Corr. Memb. Z. S., Resident in Nepiil ; and also 

 of a large collection of living Pheasants, Partridges, &c., obtained 

 by that gentleman at the reąuest of the Councii for transmission 

 to England. On this list Mr. Prinsep had noted the condition 

 of the various articles at the time of their arrival in Calcutta, by 

 which it appeared that many of the birds had died during their 

 journey from the interior. Of the Monul or Impeyan Pheasant, only 

 two remained alive from among seventeen sent; and of tbese two, 

 one was reported to be dying. 



The gizzard, liver, duodenum, and adjacent parts, and the cloaca, 

 were exhibited of the young concave Hornhill, Buceros cavatus, 

 Lath., which recentlydied at the Society's Gardens; and Mr. Owen 

 read his " Account of the Anatomy" of the bird. 



Its tongue is very short, of a triangular form, and smooth. The 

 air-cells are very large, and that in front of the neck contains the 

 cesophagus and the trachea. The cesophagus, as in the Toucan, is 

 very wide, and of nearly equal diameter as far as the gizzard. The 

 gizzard is thicker in its coats and of a more elongated form than 

 that of the Toucan : its cuticular lining is very tough, and dis- 

 posed in longitudinal ridges. After the duodenal fold, the remainder 



