Dr. Shortt on /A« Pteropus o/" /nrfiff. 141 



Osteological Gallery of the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes at 

 Paris; for the remains of the two Gare- Fowls killed on Eldey in 1844, 

 which were sent to Copenhagen, and are still preserved in the Phy- 

 siological Museum of the University there, have been dissected with 

 a view to show the different systems of organs ; they are therefore 

 even less available to determine the general osteology of the bird 

 than are the various loose bones which, through Stuvitz's labours, 

 exist in the Museums at Christiania and Co|)enhagen, that of our 

 Royal College of Surgeons, and in my own collection. 



Nov. _'l, lbG3.— John Gould, Esq., F.R.S., in the Chair. 



The SecreUry read the following letter from Dr. J. Shortt, F.Z.S., 

 relating to the fishing-propensities of the Pteropnt of India: — 



"Sir, — At about 6 p.m. on the .30th of .Vpril last, Mhen at Con- 

 leeveram, my attention was attracted to a tank next the Dispensary, 

 which, owing to a light shower of rain that had just fallen, literally 

 seemed alive with small fish gambolling and jumping about in the 

 water. There was nothing new in this ; but mv attention was drawn 

 to a number of large birds with a somewhat heavy flight, hovering 

 over the water and seizing with their feet the fish, with which they 

 then made off to some tamarind-trees on the bund of the tank, to 

 devour them at their leisure, I suppose. 



" On a closer examination, I discovered that uhat 1 huJ imagined 

 mere birds were none other than Flying Foxes, the Pteropus eduiis. 

 After watching them fishing for some time, I had to leave, owing to 

 the darkness of the evening. I returned to the tank the next evening 

 half an hour earlier, and again witnessed the same occurrence. 



" I then got my assistant, Mr. Watson, to bring his gun and shoot 

 some, so that I might satisfy myself as to the identity of these ani- 

 mals. Mr. Watson shot some two or three whilst in the act of 

 seizing their fishy prey, and on examination I fotind them to be 

 actually Flying Foxes. During a second visit, on the 5th and Gth 

 of Jnne, I observed the same thing occur again. 



" I am not aware of the fishing-propensities of this animal ever 

 having been noticed, for I find no account of them in any work on na- 

 tural history that I have had opportunities of consulting on the sub- 

 ject. This habit of the Flying Fox appearing new to me, I send 

 vou this communication, as there may be others who have witnessed 

 the same thing ; and if made known, this would, I am sure, prove of 

 interest to the naturalist. 



"Chingleput, June 12th, 1863." 



The Secretary also read the following extract from Dr. Bennett's 

 latest letter (dated Sydney, Sept. 19th), respecting the Kaguof New 

 Caledonia i^Rhinochetus jubatus) : — 



" My young friend Mr. Ferdinand Joubert thus writes to me from 

 • Kai,' in the interior of New Caledonia, .\ngust 2nd, 1863: — 

 " ' I see in the ' Sydney Herald ' your article on the Kagu. I will 



