11!) 



night. Tliis was the lašt time during the voyage tHe Glauci werc 

 captured. 



" From these animals devouring the Porpitee, wc had positive 

 evidence of their cainivorous habits, independent of the structure of 

 the jaws ; and the fentacula of the Porpitee were no protection against 

 their enemies; indeed, these appendages were first devoured and the 

 horny disc •vvas alone left, in many instances being quite picked 

 clean ; from this circumstance we may infer, that the horny discs of 

 the Porpitee and Velella, which previously, and for the lašt four days 

 were found in the net, were the remains of those which had been de- 

 voured by the Glauci or similar carnivorous moUusks, among Avhich 

 we may with safety include (from the structure of its ja\vs, and 

 from often capturing it attached to Velella,) the inhabitant of the 

 Janthina fragilis or violet shell. 



" The more \ve pursue the investigation of the actions of living 

 objects, the more we see of the unbounded resources of creative 

 power; and, after all our reasoning, mušt conclude that some ^vise 

 purpose, though dimly perceptible to our imperfect understandings, 

 is no doubt answered by this great law of organic formation, — the 

 law of variety." 



Mr. Ogilby called the attention of the Meeting to the various 

 preserved specimens of Antelopes then exhibited, and made the fol- 

 lowing observations on some holloiv-horned Ruminants. 



" In arranging the Society's collection subseąuent to the late re- 

 moval from Bruton Street, the following rare or undescribed species 

 of Ruminants were observed, which it is thought projier to bring 

 under the public notice of the Society. 



"1. Ixalus Probaton. A single skin of the very anomalous animal 

 to w'hich I propose assigning this name, was presented to the So- 

 ciety by Dr. Richardson, and has been considered as the female of 

 A. Furcifer, from -vv'hich, however, it diiFers in some of the most 

 important characters. Of its origin there can be no reasonable 

 doubt ; it was contained in the šame box ^ath the skins of A. Fur- 

 cifer, and other animals obtained by the celebrated zoologist just 

 mentioned, during Capt. Franklin's memorable expedition, and 

 the hay with which it ■was stuffed contained numerous smaU locks 

 of the very peculiar hair oi A. Furcifer. The specimen is amale 

 about the size of a f alioto Deer, the length from the nose to the 

 end of the tail being 4 feet 10 inches. ITie head is 9\ inches long, 

 the tail, 5^ inches; and the ear, 3į inches. Though the skin is 

 that of an adult individual, as is proved by the incisors, which are 

 all of the permanent class and considerably wom down, the head is 

 without horns, having only tw'o small, naked, flat scales, in the po- 

 sitions usually occupied by these organs ; yet the bones of the skuU 

 remain beneath, and the specimen is unąuestionably the spoil of a 

 malė animal. In form, as \vell as size, the animal resembles the f al- 

 low Deer (Cervus Dama). The colour is a uniform pale reddish 

 broAvn above and on the outsides of the members ; the breast, belly, 

 and inner face of the anus and thighs are greyish white ; the lower 



