388 Zoological Society :— 



vast number of curious phenomena, observed most carefully, and 

 furnishes a most lucid exposition of the homologies of the singular 

 flowers of which it treats. The illustrations also are excellent. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



May 13, 1862.— John Gould, Esq., F.R.S., in the Chair. 



Notice of a New Species of Dolphin (Delphinus Cata- 

 lania), discovered in North Australia by Mr. John 

 Macgillivray. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., etc. 



Mr. John Macgillivray has sent to Mr. Cuming, who has trans- 

 ferred them to the British Museum Collection, two skulls of a species 

 of Dolphin or Bottlenose, which he regards as probably new. 



These skulls were accompanied by the following notes : — 



" Delphinus, n. s. 



" The larger of the two skulls belonged to an individual killed oiF 

 Cape Melville (within the Great Barrier Reefs), north-east coast of 

 Australia, Sept. 5, 1860. It was ^ female y 7^ feet in length ; and 

 from it were taken two foetuses, each 10 inches in length. The adult 

 was of a very light lead-colour above and on the sides, gradually 

 passing into the dirty leaden white of the lower parts, which were 

 covered (as also the flippers) with longitudinally elongated blotches 

 of dark lead-colour. 



" The smaller of the two skulls represents another Porpoise of the 

 same species, harpooned off Cape Flattery, on the north-east coast 

 of Australia, Oct. 9, 1860. It was considerably smaller than the 

 first one, being only 6| feet in length. It was 2i female. The colour 

 was exactly lead-colour, fading into whitish on the lower parts be- 

 tween the anus and the snout. The sides were marked with small 

 oblong spots of the same colour as the back. Measurements when 

 recent : — 



" Total length, snout to centre of tail, 6 feet 9 inches. 



" Snout to base of dorsal, 3 feet ; length of anterior border of dorsal 

 13 inches ; height of dorsal 8 inches; width of dorsal 12 inches ; 

 from posterior border of dorsal to tip of tail, 2 feet 8 inches. 



"Swimming-paws (midway between snout and dorsal) 13 inches 

 long, and 5 1 inches broad ; from their base to end of snout, 13 inches. 



" Tail 22 inches across from tip to tip. 



** Anus 2 feet 2 inches in front of tail (centre of tip). 



" Eye fths of an inch in diameter, situated 1^ inch behind angle of 

 mouth, and 12 inches from tip of upper jaw. 



" Lower jaw projecting 1 inch beyond the upper. 



" This Porpoise was occasionally seen, in small droves of from three 

 to six, along the north-east coast of Australia, within the reefs. Two 

 other species also were seen, but we could not fasten." 



