deep blue colouring \vas stated to have been estremely beautiful; 

 but this had alreadj^ disappeared considerably, although the specimen 

 had been but t\velve days in spirit. Still enough remained to show 

 how defective in this particular is the figure in Bloch's Ichthyology 

 [No. 294.], which appears to have been taken fiom a dried speci- 

 men, and exhibits scarcely a trace of the rich colouring of the 

 recent fish. 



The Chairman brought to the recollection of the Committee the 

 recent addition to the British Fauna of a species of IVarbler (the 

 Sylvia Tithys, Scop.) nearly allied to the Redstart, St/lvia phcenicu- 

 rus. L., but distinguished from that bird by its daik slate-coloured 

 breast, and by the dusky-black colour of its t\vo middle tail-fea- 

 thers. The first occurrence of this bird in England \vas recorded 

 in the 5th volume of the " Zoological Journal," page 102, by Mr. 

 John Gould, ■vvho has since ascertained that two other individuals 

 have been met \vith ; one in the neighbourhood of Bristol, the 

 other at Brighton. Both these specimens -vvere obtained during the 

 lašt summer. The Chairman added, as a peculiarity of this bird, 

 that its egg, as described and figured by Continental \vriters, is 

 'vvhite ; while the eggs of all the nearly allied species are pale blue. 



A communication by J. C. Cox, Esq., F. L. S., &c., \vas read, on 

 the subject of preserving a proper temperature for exotic animals. 

 Mr. Cox commences by remarking on the capability of animals for 

 enduring great extremes of temperature, and instances the experi- 

 ments of Sir Joseph Banks and Sir C. Blagdon, in which a heat of 

 at least 230° was borne without great inconvenience ; \vhile, on the 

 other hand, Captain Parry and bis men \vere exposed to a tempera- 

 ture of — 40° and even lower : thus sho\ving that the human frame 

 is susceptible of a range of temperature of probaoly 200°, -vvithout 

 injury to life. Such extremes can, however, be submitted to but 

 for a short period. To kee)) animals, natives of tropical climates, 

 in good health, they should be preserved from too great extremes; 

 and as it is important to imitate as mucli as possible the character 

 of the climate from \vhich they are brought, the hj'gromelric statė 

 of the atmosphere should be attended to almost eąually -u'ith the 

 temperature. The hot winds of the Desert (Mr. Cox remarka), to- 

 gether with the absorbent nature of the sandy soil, render the 

 general statė of the atmosphere in the centrai parts of Africa 

 that of extreme dryness ; but this is an exception to intertropical 

 regions in general. In Guiana and La Plata, for instance, and in 

 Ceylon, the thick woods exhale a considerable degree of moisture, 

 far exceeding that of our own country ; the mean dew point of the 

 atmosphere of London being 44°'5, \\\\\\e that of intertropical regions 

 is from 70° to 75°. Animals from such climates, it is suggested, 

 reąuire a moist atmosphere, and this may readily be produced by 

 watering the flues used for heating the houses in which they are 

 kept. Analogous to this is the advantage obtained in the cultiva- 

 tion of stove plants by keeping the houses well-\vatered. The 



