552 



Ereatfurp of Natural $ 



mala is generally prominent, possessing eyes 

 and sensory tentacula ; and their internal 

 organization is of a very complex nature. 

 These animals abound in the seas of warm 

 climates ; to which, however, the species are 

 not restricted ; for some of them, as Clio 

 boreaZis, are so numerous in the Arctic Seas, 

 as at certain seasons to furnish whales with 

 their ordinary food. Mr. Arthur Adams 

 calls these little active and energetic mol- 

 luscs " the very butterflies of the deep ; " 

 " insatiate and greedy, they are ever on the 

 move, spinning, diving, and whirling in 

 every direction." They are stated to be all 

 hermaphrodites. 



PTEROPTOCHOS. [See BARKING BIRD 

 and CHEUCAN.] 



PTEROPTJS : PTEROPID.E. A genus 

 and family of Mammalia, belonging to the ; 

 Cheiroptera, and distinguished as Frugiver- i 

 ous Bats. The species are very numerous ; | 

 they produce early ; and the sexes are sepa- 

 rately gregarious. They are found in the : 

 south of Asia, the Indian Archipelago, ! 

 Japan, Madagascar, and Australia. The 

 KALONG, or Fox BAT. (Pte.rojmsJavanicus.') 

 This species, which is a native of Java, mea- 

 sures in the spread of the wings about five 

 feet. They congregate in companies, and, 

 selecting a large tree for their resort, suspend 

 themselves by the claws of their hind limbs 

 to the naked branches, affording to the 

 stranger a very singular spectacle : in short, 

 to a person unaccustomed to their habits, : 

 they might be readily mistaken for fruit of , 

 a large size suspended from the branches. ! 

 They thus pass the greater portion of the 

 day in sleep ; but soon after sunset they 

 gradually quit their hold, and pursue their 

 nocturnal flight in quest of food. They 

 direct their course, says Dr. Horsfleld, by an 

 unerring instinct, to the forests, villages, 

 and plantations, occasioning incalculable 

 mischief, attacking and devouring indiscri- 

 minately every kind of fruit, from the 

 abundant and useful cocoa-nut, which sur- 

 rounds the dwelling of the meanest pea- 

 santry, to the rare and most delicate pro- 

 ductions which are cultivated with care by 

 princes and chiefs of distinction. The flight 

 of the Kalong is slow and steady, pursued 

 in a straight line, and capable of long con- 

 tinuance. 



PTILINOPITS. A genus of beautiful 

 birds belonging to the Columbidce family, 

 some species of whicli are natives of Aus- 

 tralia, and others distributed over the Indian 

 and Polynesian islands. The one we are 

 about to describe has been named by Mr. 

 Gould, in compliment to Mr. Swainson, the 

 celebrated naturalist. 



PTiLmoptJS SWAINSOKII, or SWAINSON'S 

 FRUIT-PIGEOX. This bird has by many 

 authors been considered as identical with 

 or as a mere variety of the Columba purpu- 

 rata; but Mr. Gould was convinced, by com- 

 paring them, that they possessed characters 

 sufficiently different to constitute a distinct 

 genus. The forehead and crown deep crim- 

 son-red, surrounded except in front with a 

 ring of light yellow ; back of the neck 



grayish green ; all the upper surface bright 

 green tinged with yellow, the green becom- 

 ing deep blue towards the extremities of the 

 tertiaries, which are broadly margined with 

 yellow ; tail-feathers deep green, tipped 

 with rich yellow ; throat greenish gray ; 

 breast green, each feather forked at the end, 

 and with a triangular silvery-gray spot at 

 each point ; flanks and abdomen green, 

 with a large patch of orange-red in the 

 centre of the latter ; under tail-coverts 

 orange-yellow ; thighs green ; bill greenish 

 black ; feet olive brown. The sexes are so 

 nearly alike as to render them scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable. 



PTILOCERCUS. A genus of mammalia 

 allied to Tupaia, and remarkable for its tail 

 being fringed on each side, at the end, like a 

 quill. This remarkable genus was described 

 in February, 1848, by Mr. Gray, in a paper 

 read at the Zoological Society. The only 

 species, PTILOCERCUS Lown, was brought by 

 Mr. Low from Borneo. As that gentleman 

 has lately returned to Borneo, we may ex- 

 pect from him shortly, an account of the 

 habits of this very curious animal. 



PTILOGONYS. A genus of Passerine 

 birds, the best known species of which is 

 PTILOGONYS ARMILLATUS, found in Hayti, 

 Jamaica, &c., and there called the Solitaire j 

 remarkable for its singularly clear, slow, 

 and melodious notes. It is eight inches in 

 length, and its wings expanded rather less 

 : than a foot : the upper part of the plumage 

 , is blue-gray ; wing-quills black with gray 

 I edges, the bases of the interior primaries 

 white ; breast ashy-gray, paler beneath ; 

 tail black ; vent and under tail-coverts rusty 

 orange : bill black ; feet bright fulvous, 

 ! claws black. The following description, 

 which is taken from Mr. Gosse's charming 

 work, conveys a lively idea of this sweet 

 vocalist. " As soon as the first indications 

 | of day-light are perceived, even while the 

 j mists hang over the forests, these minstrels 

 j are heard pouring forth their wild notes in 

 ' a concert of many voices, sweet and length- 

 ! ened like those of the harmonica or musical 

 j glasses. It is the sweetest, the most solemn, 

 I and most unearthly of all the woodland 

 singing I have ever heard. The lofty lo- 

 cality, the cloud-capt heights, to which alone 

 the eagle soars in other countries, so dif- 

 ferent from ordinary singing-birds in gardens 

 and cultivated fields, combine with the 

 solemnity of the music to excite something 

 like devotional associations. The notes are 

 uttered slowly and distinctly, with a 

 strangely-measured exactness. Though it 

 is seldom that the bird is seen, it can scarcely 

 be said to be solitary, since it rarely sings 

 alone, but in harmony or concert with some 

 half-dozen others chanting in the same glen. 

 Occasionally it strikes out into such an ad- 

 ventitious combination of notes, as to form 

 a perfect tune. The time of enunciating a 

 single note, is that of the semi-breve. The 

 quaver is executed with the most perfect 

 trill. It regards the major and minor ca- 

 dences, and observes the harmony of counter- 

 point, with all the preciseness oi a perfect 

 musician. Its melodies, from the length 



