240 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



May 16, 1882. — Osbert Salvin, Esq., F.R.S., Vice-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 April, 1882, and called special 

 attention to the following birds, all of which were said to be new to the 

 collection: — (11 A. male Rifle-bird, Ptilorhis paradisea, in immature and 

 worn plumage, changing very slowly into the adult dress, but apparently in 

 good health ; {2) a pair of Black-headed Tragopans, Ceriornis melanocephala ; 



(3) four Ruppell's Parrots, Pyocephalus Rueppelli, from Western Africa; 



(4) a Western Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus iiaso, conspicuously differing 

 from the eastern C. Banksi in its smaller size ; (5) a male Cabot's Tragopan, 

 Ceriornis Caboti, making a fine addition to the gallinaceous series ; and 

 (6) two of the recently described Uvsean Parrakeet, Nymphicns uvceensis. 



There was exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Henry Stevenson, a specimen of 

 the Dusky Petrel, Pujfinus obscurus, which had been picked up dead in 

 the neighbourhood of Bungay, Suffolk, in April, 1858. (See Zool. 1858, 

 p. 6096.) 



A communication was read from the Rev. 0. P. Cambridge on some 

 new genera and species of Araneidea. Of the sixteen species described 

 two were from Caffraria, one from St. Helena, two from Ceylon, and the 

 remaining eleven from the Amazons. 



Mr. W. A. Forbes called attention to a peculiarity recently observed in 

 a young male specimen of Pithecia satanas, in which the third and fourth 

 digits of both hands were completely " webbed." 



Mr. Forbes also read a paper on certain points in the anatomy of the 

 Todies (Todus), and on the affinities of that group. He dissented from 

 the views of most previous authors as to the close affinities of these birds to 

 the MomotidcB, considering that they must form a group by themselves, to 

 be called Todiforines, of value equivalent to the Pici-, Passeri-, and Cypseli- 

 formes of Garrod. There were many grounds for supposing that Todus is 

 a very ancient form, more nearly representing the ancestors of the whole 

 group of Anomalogonatous birds than any other living form. 



A communication was read from Mr. Roland Trimen, containing a 

 description of an apparently undescribed Sun-bird obtained in the province 

 of Mossamedes, South-Western Africa, which he proposed to name Cinnyris 

 Erikssoni, after its discoverer, Mr. Abel W. Eriksson. 



Mr. P. L. Sclater read some notes on a species of Duck, Anas gibberi- 

 frons, examples of which had recently bred in the Society's Gardens. 



Mr. W. A. Forbes gave an account of some points in the anatomy of a 

 rare Australian Duck, Biziura lobata, from examples that had recently died 

 in the Society's Menagerie. — P. L. Sclater, Secretary. 



