Zoological Club of the Linnean Society/. 605 



having been dug from the bottom of the hole which it liad formed 

 for itself to the depth of 18 inches. 



JprlLlA. — Mr. Bell exhibited a specimen of a Viper, which iu 

 the act of swallowing a Mouse had ruptured the oesophagus and its 

 coverings. Portions of the fur of the Mouse were seen protruding 

 through the openings in the neck of the skin of the Viper in 

 three places. 



At the request of the Chairman, Mr. Gray exhibited a sketch 

 of the foot of the Dodo, Didus inepius, L., preserved in the Bri- 

 tish Museum, and another sketch of that contained in the Ash- 

 molean Museum at Oxford, and also of the head remaining in the 

 latter collection. He remarked that the feet agreed so perfectly 

 in characters as to leave no doubt of their having belonged to the 

 same species, but that although they were of opposite sides, the 

 one being left and the other right, they must have been obtained 

 from different individuals, the Oxford specimen being one inch 

 shorter than that of the British Museum. 



Mr. Yarrell exhibited, at the request and from the collection 

 of Dr. Thackeray, F.L.S. Provost of King's College, Cambridge, 

 a specimen of a small Gallinule, which corresponded precisely 

 with the description of the female of the Poule d^eau Poussin of 

 M. Temminck's Manuel, the Gallinula pusilla, Bechst., and the 

 Zapornia pusilla, Leach. This bird, also a female, was caught 

 alive in March last at Barnwell, near Cambridge. At a meeting 

 of the Club in April, 1825, Dr. Thackeray had exhibited a spe- 

 cimen of the Gallinula Baillonii, caught alive at Melbourne, near 

 Cambridge. Other examples of both these species were furnished 

 by members of the Club for comparison, forming an interesting 

 group of these very rare British Gallinules. 



A portion of An attempt at the Revision of the Genera of 

 Saurian Reptiles ; by J. E. Gray, Esq., F.G.S., was read. 



A Paper was also read, entitled. General Observations on Bri- 

 tish Birds of Prey ; by W. Yarrell, Esq. F.L.S. The authour 

 subsequently illustrated its subject by reference to numerous 

 pre^iarations which he exhibited to the meeting. 



Mai/ 22. — Mr. Audubon exhibited numerous highly finished 

 drawings, prepared by him for his forthcoming work on the Orni- 



