154 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



The Chirp of the Ckioket. — The rate of the Cricket's chirp varies 

 with the temperature, becoming faster as the latter rises. A writer in the 

 • Salem Gazette ' (Mass.), has given the following rule for estimating the 

 temperature of the air by the number of chirps made by Crickets per 

 minute : — "Take seventy-two as the number of strokes per minute at 60° 

 temperature, and for every four strokes more add 1°; for every four strokes 

 less deduct the same." In a letter to the ' Popular Science Monthly,' 

 Margarette W. Brook gives an account of observations she made, with a 

 view to testing this rule, on twelve evenings, from September 30th to 

 October 17th. Her column of temperature, as computed by the rate 

 of vibration, shows a close agreement with that of temperatures recorded 

 by the thermometer. 



PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



Zoological Society of London. 



February 21, 1882.— Prof. W. H. Flower, F.R.S., President, in the 

 chair. 



The Secretary read a report on the additions that had been made to the 

 Society's Menagerie during the month of January, 1882, and called special 

 attention to a young male Gayal, born in the Gardens, January 6th, being 

 the produce of the fine pair received in exchange in October, 1880, from 

 the Zoological Gardens, Calcutta ; and to a young female Markhoor, Capra 

 mer/aceros, from Afghanistan, presented by Lieut.-Colonel Oliver B. C. 

 St. John. 



Mr. F. Moore read a paper containing an account of the Lepidoptera 

 collected by the Rev. J. H. Hocking, chiefly in the Kangra District N.W. 

 Himalaya, with descriptions of new genera and species. 



A communication was read from Mr. G. A. Boulenger, in which he 

 gave the description of a Frog, Phyllomedusa hyjwchondialis, lately living 

 in the Society's Gardens. This Frog has been obtained at Pernambuco, 

 and was belived to be the first example of the species that had reached 

 Europe alive. Attention was drawn to the peculiar coloration as being 

 worthy of notice, it not having been described before. 



Mr. Oldfield Thomas read a paper containing the descriptions of a small 

 collection of Rodents which had been obtained by the late Mr. C. J. 

 Andersson in Damara Land and in the neighbouring countries. The 

 collection contained examples of a new species of Mouse, which was 

 proposed to be named Mm niyricauda. 



Mr. W. A. Forbes gave a description of the pterylosis of Mesites, and 



