402 Zoological Society : — 



always obliged to keep each in a separate vessel. If that precaution 

 were not taken, instead of peaceably constructing their houses, a fierce 

 warfare would be carried on between them, which would result in 

 the death of the weakest party. After one was killed, the survivor 

 would set about building its house. I generally kept about thirty 

 small white earthen jars at a time, each being filled with water, and 

 containing a single Caddis-worm, with the particular material of which 

 I wished its house to be constructed. 



" The Caddises are provided with two little hooks, situated one on 

 each side of the tergum. These little hooks are curved and sharply 

 pointed. With these they securely fasten themselves in their houses, 

 by which extra strength is given to resist their being torn from their 

 cases. At first, on account of these hooks, I experienced some diffi- 

 culty in turning them out of their habitations. Indeed, I was often 

 so unfortunate as to break and consequently spoil their cases ; or 

 sometimes, after catching the creature by its head and trying to pull 

 it forcibly out, I have known the creature to retain its hold so firmly 

 by means of its hooks, that its body has been pulled in two rather 

 than it would let go its hooks and suffer its house to be taken from 

 it. At last I found that when a pin was gently pushed into the end 

 of the case, the slight irritation would cause the Caddis to crawl 

 entirely out of its house, and thus I was enabled to preserve the case 

 without causing injury to the worm." 



On a New Bird from the Island of Madagascar. 

 By Alfred Newton, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. 



My brother, Mr. Edward Newton, Assistant Colonial Secretary at 

 Mauritius, and a Corresponding Member of this Society, having had 

 last autumn the good fortune to make a second visit to Madagascar, 

 has sent me a collection of birds from that island, containing many 

 objects of great interest, among which is one that I believe forms a 

 genus very distinct from any previously known. This I have now 

 the honour to exhibit and describe. 



Hypherpes*, genus novum Certhianum yel Sittinum. 



Char. Gen. — Rostrum breve, robustum, leviter emarginatum, ad 

 ajoicem aliquanto compressmn, rictu setose. Alee mediocres, 

 rotundatce, ad caudam medium attingentes, remige quarto, quinto 

 et sexto cequalibus ; tertio septimum, et octavo secundutn, super- 

 antibus; primo multo breviore. Cauda mediocris, prope cequalis, 

 rectricibus duodecim aliquanto rigentibus. Pedes validissimi, 

 tarsis quam digiti medii posticique longioribus, unguibus com- 

 pressis, subvalidis, 



Hypherpes corallirostris, sp.nov. 



Capite, gutture, pectore et abdomine schistaceo-brunneis, olivaceo 

 indutis ; collo, dorso, alis caudaque supra fusco-cceruleis, virente 

 tinctis : remigibus fuscis, extus pallide marginatis, intus cer- 



* vTrh, sub ; epTTijs ex epTrit), repo. 



