448 Zoological Society. 



species of the genus Nycticejus, Rafin. He pointed out in the 

 former some discrepancies in the colouring from that described by 

 M. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, apparently from a specimen preserved in 

 spirit; the individual before the Meeting agreeing much more nearly 

 with the colours as recently described by M. Isidore Geoflroy Saint- 

 Hilaire, from whose description it scarcely differed, except in the 

 less intensity of the rufous tinge of the tips of the hairs of the upper 

 surface. 



Of the Nijcticejus two specimens were exhibited, on wliich Dr, 

 Horsfield pointed out the characters by which that group had been 

 generically distinguished from Vespertilio as circumscribed by modern 

 authors. He remarked on the geographical distribution of the genus, 

 which might be regarded altogether as an American form, were it not 

 for the existence of a species in Java described by him in his ' Zoo- 

 logical Researches' as the Vespertilio Temminckii, and of the present 

 species obtained on the Continent of India. As the second Indian 

 species of this group, he regarded the present acquisition as peculiarly 

 interesting. It is considerablylarger than the Javanese species, from 

 which it differs also remarkably in its colouring. 



Dr. Horsfield thus characterized and described the species : 

 Nycticejus Heathii. Ni/ct. capite cuneato supra lateribunque 

 planis, auricuUs capite brevioribus oblongis rotundatis rnargine ex- 

 teriore parum excisis trago eiongaio falcato, vellere pilis sericatis 

 brevissimis, notceofusco, gastrceo fulvo. 

 Long, corporis (cauda inclusa), 6 unc. : expansio extremitalum 

 anteriorum, 18 unc. 



The head is of moderate length, nearly even above and compressed 

 at the sides. The muzzle is broad and abruptly terminated. The 

 nose is slightly emarginate. The eyes . The mouth is propor- 

 tionally small. The lips are not rugose, and are nearly covered with 

 delicate hairs. The ears are shorter than the head ; the auricle ob- 

 long, erect, rounded, naked and slightly indented posteriorly, termi- 

 nating below in a small lobule ; the tragus linear, erect, falciform, 

 and shorter than the auricle. 



The animal is uniformly and thickly covered by a short, very soft, 

 delicate silky hair, closely applied to the skin : this hair is about a 

 line in length on the back, but shorter and more delicate on the head ; 

 on the breast it is somewhat longer and downy. The colour of the 

 body and hair above is brown with a tawny hue ; underneath fulvous 

 with a slight tendency to gray ; the tint being uniformly distributed 

 over the throat, breast, abdomen and sides. The transparent mem- 

 brane is uniformly brown. 



The collection of Birds formed by Major James Franklin, F.R.S. 

 &c., on the banks of the Ganges and in the mountain chain of Upper 

 Hindoostan, and presented to the Society by the Physical Committee 

 of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, (which had been laid on the table 

 on the 23rd November last,) was again exhibited. The exhibition 

 had been conmienced at the previous Meeting of the Committee, 

 when the Raptorial and Insessorial Birds were brought under the 

 notice of the Members present ; and it was now concluded by the 



Rasorial, 



