Dr. Bancroft on some Animals of Jamaica. 81 



haps new, as I find no description in the books we have here that agrees 

 with its characters. I had drawn up an account of these to be read at 

 one of our meetings here ; but as I send you the original (in but sorry 

 preservation, yet as I received it) I do not presume to transmit my paper 

 to your Society, knowing how much better the subject will be treated and 

 illustrated by your home naturalists. 



2. It is accompanied in the box, by a specimen of Sojllarus occiden- 

 tulis. Fab., which here and elsewhere is accounted rare, and may not be 

 in your Society's collection. I am very sorry that this too is in an imper- 

 fect state. I originally rubbed it thoroughly with arsenical soap ; and 

 afterwards, in endeavouring to wash this off, and to diminish a part of 

 its dirty or muddy look {which however is its natural appearance) I 

 broke off one of its legs, and one of its aatennce. These I secured at 

 the time, and they are sent along with it in the box. But I find that an 

 ignorant careless servant has since broken off another leg (which is also 

 sent), and done some other slight damage. I can therefore only say that 

 I will endeavour to send you a more perfect specimen, both of this and of 

 the Procellaria. In regard to the latter, I may state that, although not rare, 

 it is with difficulty found, since it burrows only in crevices on the tops of 

 our highest mountains, scarcely accessible. The individual now sent 

 was hunted by a terrier dog from a hole on the summit of the Blue Moun- 

 tain Peak, on the 17th of March last, and, as I am told, uttered the 

 most piteous cries, like those of a child, while being dragged forth. 

 These birds are found in some number on that spot, and individuals have 

 sometimes gone thither to hunt them. They probably resort thither 

 chiefly in their breeding season, and are very seldom seen flying except 

 in the evening, when it is supposed that they proceed to sea. As they 

 frequent this island, and have not been observed elsewhere, the species, 

 if new, might be called Proc. Jamaicensis. 



3. A species of Lamarck's genus Loligo, which is doubtless the Sepia 

 mentioned with unpardonable looseness by Dr. Brown, in his Natural 

 History of Jamaica, p. 386, so as to forbid all subsequent notice of it by 

 naturalists. He says that it is " furnished with a great number of ten- 

 " tacula of different sizes and forms," and this he deemed sufficient ! It 

 differs in its form and in certain characters from all the species described 

 in Lamarck's Animaux sans vertebres, and other recent works, and seems 



Vol. V. F 



