21 2 Miscellaneous. 



that I find that nearly all these specimens contain the oper- 

 cular valves, but nearly all of them are more or less distorted 

 by the action of some acid having dissolved the surface, and 

 also that the sand has become imbedded in the valves : where 

 these animals die from natural causes, and remain within the 

 action of the waves, the opercular valves are almost invariably 

 washed out. Although I have used the word '' sudden," I 

 would not insist upon this ; for the movement might have 

 been gradual, at the same time rapid enough for these animals 

 to have been lifted up beyond the reach of the waves before 

 thev died. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Note on Testudo Phayrei. 



To Br. W. Francis, Editor of the Annals and Magazine of 

 JVatia-al History. 



Deae Sir, — About twelve days ago, Dr. J. Anderson, the Curator 

 of the Indian Museum, asked me to compare the skull of Testudo 

 Phayrei, Blyth, with Dr. J. E. Gray's figure of Scapia Falconeri. I 

 did this, and I can assure Dr. Gray that there is no generic or spe- 

 cific difi'erence traceable between bis figure of S. Falconeri and the 

 skull which Dr. Anderson had extracted from the smaller type 

 specimen of Blyth's Testudo Phayrei. I do not think that the identity 

 of the two {Scapia Falconeri, Gray, and Testudo Phayrei, Blyth) can 

 be questioned for one moment. 



It is strange to observe that Dr. Gray should have felt inclined to 

 enter upon such speculations as he expressed in his letter on the 

 subject in the June Number of the ' Annals,' which has just come to 

 hand. Keeping to facts would have been more convincing, and less 

 irritating. However, as Dr. Anderson is now preparing a drawing 

 of the skull of T. Phayrei, and has, I believe, the intention of for- 

 warding the same with his notes to the Zoological Society of London, 

 I need not enter upon that subject any further. 



Yours faithfully, 

 Asiatic Society's Rooms, Calcutta. Feed. Stoliczka. 



July 15, 1871. 



On a new gigantic Salamander (Sieboldia Davidiana, Blanch.) from 

 Western China. By E. Blanchaed. 



In 1829, F. von Siebold made a discoveiy which excited a lively 

 interest. The celebrated explorer of Japan found an animal of the 

 salamander-type, the enormous size of which contrasts singularly 

 with that of the other representatives of the group. The Japanese 

 salamander, which attains a length of from a metre to a metre and 

 a half, called for comparison with the famous fossil salamander of 



