101 



The coUection of the British Museum contains a specimen, mucli 

 discoloured, of ■vvhat appears to be a second species of this genus. 

 Another species is contalned in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle at 

 Paris. 



A living specimen was exhibited of the Red Viper of the Somer- 

 setshire Downs. It had heen sent from Taunton to Mr. Gray, who 

 States that he has compared it very attentively mth the black and 

 \vith the comnion Viper of England, and that he cannot discover the 

 slightest difference between them except in the shade of the colour. 

 They all agree in having the upper lip shield white, with brown or 

 black edges, and in having a senes more or less distinct of lozenge- 

 shaped spots. He conseąuently refers them all to Vipera Bėrus, 

 Daud. 



Mr. Gray also statės that he believes the Lacerta adura, described 

 by the Rev. R. Sheppard in the seventh volume of the ' Linnean 

 Transactions', to be the malė, observed during the summer, of the 

 common Lacerta vivipara, the Lacerta agilis of British authors ; the 

 Severai characters which were pointed out by Mr. Gray at the 

 Meeting on May 22, 1832, (Proceedings of the Committee of 

 Science, Part ii. p. 112,) being at that season so fully developed as 

 to produce the appearances noticed by Mr. Sheppard in his account 

 of his presumed species. 



The following notes -vvere read of the dissection of a specimen of 

 Azara's Opossum, Didelphis Azarte, Temm., which recently died 

 at the Society's Gardens. The general dissection was performed by 

 Mr. Martin; that of the organs of generation by Mr. RjTner Jonės. 



" The animal "vvas an adult malė, measuring, exclusive of the tail, 

 1 foot 5 inches, the tail being 1 foot 4 inches in length. 



" On opening the body the situation of the viscera was as usual. 

 Their examination afForded the foUowing details. 



" The liver "u-as found to consist of three lobes ; one on the left, 

 of a pyramidal figure, a large centrai lobe, and one on the right, 

 small, irregular in shape, with a bifid margin. On the convex or 

 extemal aspect of the middle lobe, the gaU-bladder showed itself, 

 filling up a circular aperture so regiJarly defined as to appear arti- 

 ficial ; and on tuming back the liver, the gaU-bladder was seen to 

 occupy a deep sulcus, incomplete or unclosed (as it \vere) in its 

 centre. The gaU-bladder was of a globular form, its diameter being 

 about į- of an inch ; its duct ran in a furroTv, Tvhich took its course 

 midway across the lobe on its under surface. At 2 inches from the 

 neck of the gall-bladder, this cystic duct was joined at an acute 

 angle by the hepatic ducts, the number of which corresponded with 

 that of the lobes. The duetus choledochus communis thus formed 

 continued its course for nearly 2 inches, and entered the duodenutn 

 about the šame distance below the pyJorus, the aperture being very 

 small and vah-ular. With the biliary duct, the pancreatic also en- 



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