30 



male Hapalemur griseus, from Madagascar, which had lived 

 for exactly one year in the Society^s Gardens. A few 

 notes upon the anatomy of this interesting and little-known 

 Lemur have been published by the Prosector in the ' Pro- 

 ceedings.' The late keeper Lecomte was sent by the 

 Society to Patagonia in the year 1868 to capture specimens 

 of the Patagonian Sea-Lion [Otaria jubata). The speci- 

 men brought home on this occasion died in March last, 

 having, therefore, lived for 16 years in the Gardens. It 

 proved, on dissection, to be a female, and probably died of 

 old age, as there was no ascertainable cause of death. As 

 is generally the case with these animals, the stomach con- 

 tained an immense number of small stones, weighing 

 altogether 28 lbs. A female of the Cape Sea-Lion {Otaria 

 piisilla), presented to the Society in 1871, was found, on 

 post-mortem examination, to be gravid. The large size of 

 the embryo calf was possibly the cause of its death. The 

 animal was sent after death to Mr. J. W. Clark, of Cam- 

 bridge, who has promised a communication on the subject 

 to the Society. A male Babirussa only survived for 9 

 months ; the skin was sent to Mr. Collett for the Chris- 

 tiania Museum. A striking instance of the longevity of 

 Parrots is afforded by one of the Society's specimens of 

 the Greater Vasa Parrot [Coracopsisvasa), which had lived 

 for 54 years in the Gardens ; the death of this specimen 

 (a female) seems to have been simply due to old age. k.n 

 American Tapir [Tapirns terrestris) and an Echidna con- 

 clude the list of the more important deaths of the year 

 18.84. 



The additional rooms built on to the Prosector's depart- 

 ment have been utilized by several gentlemen for the pur- 

 poses of research. Mr. Frederick Treves, F.Z.S., has been 

 engaged in investigating the mesentery and visceral blood- 

 supply of mammals ; some of his results have been embodied 

 in a course of lectures on the intestine delivered before the 

 College of Surgeons. Materials from these Gardens have 

 been supplied to Dr. Hoggan,Dr. Cuningham,Prof Turner, 

 and Prof. Wiedersheim, and specimens have been sent to 

 the following Museums : — British Museum ; Oxford Uni- 

 versity Museum ; Queen's College, Galway ; University 

 College, Dundee, besides those already mentioned. The 

 pathological material has been handed over to Mr. J. B. 

 Sutton, F.Z.S., and papers on his results have been pub- 

 lished in the ' Proceedings' and elsewhere. 



