440 Zoological Society : — 



are mentioned in the one and not in the other ; and it is evident that 

 the table was prepared after the completion of the rest of the book, 

 and with little or no reference to it. Even in some of the articles 

 themselves we find evident traces of the same confusion of ideas, — a 

 glaring instance of which is exhibited by the notices on the Macro- 

 pidcB and Marsupialia : in the former the whole of the Marsupials are 

 referred to the family Macrojndce, and placed, in accordance with Dr. 

 Gray's views, amongst the Ferce (in the table) ; whilst in the latter 

 the Macrojridce constitute only one family of the Marsvpialia. 



We trust that should the work come to a second edition. Dr. Baird 

 will endeavour to remove the causes of these objections, and thus 

 furnish the public with what is much wanted, — a reliable work of 

 reference on general Natural History. The publisher has evidently 

 done his part well ; — for a cheap work, the volume is well printed ; 

 the illustrations are numerous, and many of them new ; and a useful 

 map of the geographical distribution of some of the principal forms 

 of animals is attached to it. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



January 26, 1858. — P. L. Sclater, Esq., F.L.S., in the Chair. 



Notice of a New Genus of Uropeltid.e from Ceylon, in 

 THE Collection of the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. 

 Gray, F.R.S., Y.P.Z. and Ent. Soc. etc. 



In examining the reptiles recently acquired in the British INIuseum, 

 Mr. Edward Gerrard observed a Saurian from Ceylon, which he be- 

 lieved to be new. I have great pleasure in sending a description of 

 it to the Society, and in naming it after Mr. Gerrard, the preparer 

 of the osteological specimens and of the animals in spirits in the 

 British Museum, who has a most extraordinary empirical knowledge 

 of the osteology of the diiferent vertebrated animals aud of the 

 species of reptiles and fish. 



MiTYLIA, n. g. 



Head tapering in front, acute ; rostral scale produced, compressed, 

 acute, bluntly keeled above and below. Tail very short, subcorneal, 

 rounded, covered with very close-set rough scales, each marked with 

 two slight ridges of small asperities, with a central terminal rough 

 oblong plate furnished with a perpendicular blunt keel ; subcaudal 

 shields in five rows, central series rather wider, six-sided ; vent with 

 two shields in front, and one in front of them between their bases. 



MiTYLIA GeRRARDI. 



Black ; sides with a series of short white perpendicular bands ; 

 underside white, with a black spot in the middle of each scale, a 



