135 



Deccmber 12, 1837. 

 Thomas Bell, Esq., in the Cliair. 



Mr. Gray read a paper, consisting of a revision of Ihe genera and 

 species of venonious, prchensile-tailecl and wator snakes, \vith the de- 

 scriptions of some now species contained in the British Museum col- 

 Icction, and that of the Zoological Society. Mr. Gray stated that 

 the family of CrotalidcB in this catalogue includes t\v'elve genera 

 and t\venty-five species ; of which six genera and ten species are 

 confined to America, three genera and tvelve species to Asia and 

 its islands, uhile one genus and two species are peculiar to Africa. 

 Schlegel in his rccently published work,describes seventeen species, 

 and there are nineteen species in the National collection. 



The family of Viperidcc contains eight genera and ten species, 

 of which t\v^o genera and three species are from Asia, four genera 

 and nine species from Africa ; t\vo genera and four species occur in 

 Europe ; and one genus, including but one species, inhabits Australia. 

 Ali the genera are confined to a single ąuarter of the globė but 

 Echis, which has one species from Africa and the other from India. 

 Schlegel described ten species, but then he has referred some of the 

 species Avhich have not conie under his exaniination, witIiout suffi- 

 cient consideration, to the more common sjiecies. Specimens of all 

 the species but one noticed in the lašt family, are in the collection 

 at the British !Museum. \ 



The family of BoidcB contains seventeen genera and twenty-sevėn 

 species ; of these seven genera and nine species are confined to tropical 

 America, three genera and four species are found in Africa, six 

 genera and eight species in Asia, three genera and four species are 

 found in New Holland, and one species in Europe. The species of 

 tlie genus Pi/thon are found in Africa, Asia, and Ne\v Holland : but 

 eacli species has its peculiar country, and one species of Eryx is 

 common to South Europe and North Africa. 



The family oi Hi/dridcc consists of twenty-three genera and forty- 

 cight species, of \vhich twenty are found in the Indian Ocean, and 

 sixtcen in the salt-water ditches of India and the neighbourijig 

 islands, and six are found in similar situations in tropical America, 

 Schlegel described only t\venty-seven species, and thirty of the spe- 

 cies described in the present Catalogue are in the British Museum. 



Mr. Yarrell, on the part of Mr. John Leadbeater, exhibited to the 

 Meeting a malė Hybrid, the produce of a Pheasant and a Black 

 Grouse. INIr. Yarrell observed that this was the third specimen 

 uhich had been sent to the Society for exhibition -svithin a compa- 

 ratively short space of time. The first bird, from Cornwall, vas 

 more of a Grouse in appearance than a Pheasant : the second, from 

 Shropshire, was more pheasant-like ; but the present bird was deci- 



No. LX. Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



