1864. | The Zoological Society. 307 
the hands of Professor Owen, from whom an account of the bird’s 
osteology was anticipated. 
Mr. A. R. Wallace has contributed a very interesting paper on the 
birds inhabiting the islands of Timor, Flores, and Lombock, with de- 
scriptions of new species. The chain of islands of which Timor is 
the last, extends along the east of Java, and forms a natural subdivi- 
sion of the Malayan Archipelago. The soil of these islands is very 
dry ; active volcanoes are still at work in them, and their origin is 
probably volcanic. The vegetation consists of spiny and prickly 
shrubs, the dense forests and luxuriant growths of most equatorial 
regions being quite unknown. During five months, Mr. Wallace ob- 
tained 112 species of birds from Timor—the number of species known 
altogether being 118; from Flores he obtained 86 species ; from Lom- 
bock, 63 species; from Sumbawa no collection was made; and the 
island of Bali belongs to the Indian region, and is therefore not con- 
sidered in connection with the Malayan groups. The total number of 
species of birds known to inhabit the Timorean sub-group is 186, 
and Mi. Wallace makes some interesting comparisons, from the data 
he has obtained, with the avifauna of the neighbouring islands, which 
he has so successfully investigated. The presence in the Timorese 
avifauna of a large number of Australian representative species, and 
the fact that the species peculiar to Timor approach the Australian 
types, though at the same time the Javan forms are very abundant and 
there are few birds of the Javan type which are not identical with 
species of that island, leads Mr. Wallace to infer that the island was 
more anciently populated from Australia, while the Javian forms have 
appeared later, and partially extinguished the Australian types. Timor 
is now nearly 20 miles by sea from Java, while 300 miles separate it 
from Australia. A large sandbank however extends from the north 
coast of that continent to within 20 miles of Timor, and Mr. Wallace 
believes it probable that this sandbank is owing to the submergence of 
the land not very long since. It is not likely that an absolute con- 
nection by land existed between Timor and Australia, since but one 
Marsupial, and that of a Moluccan type, is found in the island. Yet 
we must assume a much closer approximation to the continent, in order 
to enable us to understand how it happens that though the birds of 
these islands are, on the whole, almost as much Indian as Australian, 
yet the apparently endemic species have such a preponderating Austra- 
lian character. 
A list of birds from Damara land, collected by Mr. Anderson, has 
been communicated by Mr. T. H. Gurney. The same gentleman com- 
municated a list of a small collection of birds from Huaheima, one of 
the Society Islands. The birds were obtained for Mr. Gurney by Mr. 
T. H. Wodehouse, H.B.M. consul at Raiatea. 
Among the new species of Mammalia described before the Society 
during the past quarter, is a new squirrel from Natal, which Dr. Gray 
proposes to call Sciwrus ornatus ; also a new species of seal from the 
west coast of North America, which Dr. Gray has named Halocyon 
Richardii. 
