222 Zoological Society : — 



every point, as far as the great majority of the species is concerned, 

 with those now hving in our waters, and forming deposits which will 

 become rock at some future time. 



It was supposed that most of the species in the much more recent 

 Bergmehl were no longer to be found living ; but most of them 

 have been since found. I myself have lately found two species of the 

 Lapland Bergmehl to be still in existence, namely Eunotia octodon 

 and Sijnedra hemicyclus ; and Eunotia incisa, which occurs both in 

 the Lapland and the Mull earths, has been found recent by me in a 

 dozen British gatherings. Yet all these forms were supposed, not 

 long since, to be exclusively fossil. We cannot say that there are 

 no species exclusively fossil, but so many that have been thought so 

 are daily found living, that it is probable the rest may be so found 

 too, and at all events, a very large proportion of the forms in the 

 oldest fossil deposits are absolutely identical with the forms of the 

 present day. 



I have only further to mention, that although so many species are 

 universal in their habitat, some appear to be local. Thus, Teiy since 

 musica does not occur in Europe, nor has it yet been found except in 

 America, and, I think, in Australia. 



Some species are decidedly Alpine ; for example, Orthosira spinosa, 

 which Professor Smith found on the Mont d'Or in Auvergne, and 

 Professor Balfour on the Grampians. It occurs also in nearly every 

 soil from the Andes. 



3. "On the Effects of the Severe Frost of last winter on Plants 

 in the neighbourhood of Sligo." By the Bight Hon. John Wynne, 

 of Haslewood. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



April 11, 1854. — Dr. Gray, Vice-President, in the Chair, 



Descriptions of two New Species of Pucrasia. 

 By John Gould, F.R.S. etc. 



Mr. Gould having recently found in the rich stores of the East 

 India Company, at their house in Leadenhall Street, a new species 

 of Pheasant, of the same form but remarkably different from the 

 Pucras Pheasant, took the earliest opportunity, with Dr. Horsfield's 

 permission, of bringing it under the notice of the Society, This fine 

 bird, of which two specimens have been sent to the East India Com- 

 pany from Kafiristan by Dr. William Griftith, may be at once recog- 

 nized by the uniform chestnut colouring of its mantle, breast and 

 flanks, which has suggested the specific name of 



Pucrasia castanea. 



Forehead, cheeks, chin and lengthened portion of the crest dark 

 shining green ; hinder part of the head and the shorter portion of the 

 crest dull sandy-buff, the two colours blending on the occiput ; on 

 each side of the neck an oval patch of white ; lanceolate feathers of 

 the neck, both above and below, breast and flanks, deep chestnut ; 



