142' Zoological Society : — 



send you some of the birds as soon as I can procure them, and also 

 some nests and eggs, if pipes and tobacco can induce the natives to 

 bring me some. The Kagus are rather plentiful here, on the side of 

 the " Boh " Mountains, and the natives catch them to eat. Their 

 way of doing this is by making a slipknot on a strong string ; and 

 having discovered a place frequented by these birds, they fasten the 

 string in such a way that the birds when running along pass their 

 heads or legs through the noose and are thereby captured. There 

 are two kinds of Kagus, one very different from the other. The 

 largest Kagu you last received from Dr. Segol is a female of the 

 " Bush-Kagu," and, as you have remarked, much handsomer than 

 its fierce friend the smaller Kagu, which is the one with the dark 

 stripes on the wings and tail (and generally of darker plumage). 

 This is the " Grass-Kagu." These two kinds of Kagu do not asso- 

 ciate together on good terms ; and during the time I had them they 

 were always fighting one with the other, the " Grass-Kagu " invari- 

 ably getting the worst of the battle. 



" * I will endeavour to procure a male and female of each species, 

 and send them to you as soon as I can.' 



" This fighting-propensity may in some degree account for the 

 death of the little pugnacious Grass-Kagu soon after its arrival. It 

 was found in a miserable half-starved condition when dissected; whilst 

 the larger, elegant, and more peaceful ' Bush-Kagu ' was in fine plu- 

 mage, plump, and altogether in a healthy state, which continues to 

 the present day. 



" I have since written to Mr. F. Joubert, requesting him to send 

 me as soon as possible a pair of skins of each species, male and female, 

 properly labelled, and living specimens in pairs, as soon after as they 

 can be procured, when I will transmit them to you immediately, so 

 as to decide this interesting doubt on the subject of the existence of 

 two species of this singular bird." 



Description of a New Species of Flexible Coral be- 

 longing TO THE Genus JUNCELLA, OBTAINED AT MaDEIRA. 



By James Yate Johnson, Corr. Mem. Z.S. 

 Fam. Gorgonid^. 

 Sect. Gorgonellace^, Val. 



JuNCELLA FLAGELLUM, Sp. nOV. 



Simple, elongated, slender, flexible, slightly twisted on its own 

 axis, and tapering upwards. Bark calcareous, white, smooth, and 

 impuncturate, enveloping a hard grey axis, which has a somewhat 

 polished surface marked with straight striae. This axis is so highly 

 charged with carbonate of Ume that it effervesces ill muriatic acid. 

 The coral is quadrangular in section, and has on each of the two 

 narrower sides two series of closely set papillae, having the eight 

 lobed orifices of polype-cells at their apices. These papillae are ob- 

 pyriform or ovate ; and in dried specimens they are turned upwards 



