67 



August 11, 1846. 



Williain Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary by Sir Robert Heron, 

 Bart., M.P., and containing the followmg observations in reference 

 to the Curassows in hls menagerie : — " It appears to me that the dif- 

 ferent species of the Crax are not well-defined. I had a malė black 

 and a female brown, which bred for three years, always produeing 

 two, which were always a black malė and a brown female. I have 

 now a pair black, with yellow bills, and from their eggs I have 

 a brown young one : there can be no doubt of the parentage, as I 

 have only one other Crax, vvhich is also black, -vvith a black bill." 



A letter from the Societj^'s Corresponding Member, Lieut. Fayrer, 

 R.N., dated Bermuda, July 1 1, 1846, was also read. It accompanied 

 some speciniens of the "Bische de Mer" or Trepang, which Lieut. 

 Fayrer statės is to be found on the reefs ronnd those islands in vast 

 quantities, and probably of various kinds. 



The next paper read contained descriptions of six new species of 

 birds, by John Gould, Esq. : — 



Tkogov assimilis, Mas. Trog. vertice, corpore superiore, et pec- 



tore aureo-viridibus ; loro, auribus, guldque nigris ; rectricibus 



intermediis duabus aureo-fuscis, viride tinctis; pogoniis lateralium 



duarum his proximarum utringue externis virido-fuscis aureo 



splendentibus, internis autem, apicibusgue, nigris; nigris quoque 



rectricibus externis, modo marginibus pogoniarum fasciis albis 



tenuihus transversim ornatis ; alis nigris, tectricibus et secondariis 



Uneis hete griseis transverse flexuosis delicatissime pictis. 



Mole. — Crown of the head, ali the upper surface and chest rich 



golden green ; lores, ear-coverts and throat black ; two middle tail- 



feathers golden greenish brown, tipped vv^ith black ; the two next on 



each side have the inner web and tip black, and the outer web golden 



greenish brown ; outer feathers black, crossed for a short space on 



either side the web by very fine irregular bars, and largely tipped 



with white ; vifings black, the coverts and secondaries finely penciled 



with irregular zigzag markings of light grey ; primaries margined 



externally -vvith light grey ; abdomen and under surface fine scarlet, 



separated from the green of the chest by a narrow crescent of white ; 



bill orange-yellow ; feet yellowish brown. 



Female. — Head, chest and upper surface bro\vn ; two middle tail- 

 feathers duU chestnut-brown, tipped with black ; the t\vo next on 

 No. CLXII. — Phoceedivgs op the Zoologicai, Socibty. 



