18/4.] DONATION FROM COL. S. R. TICKELL. 667 



crop. It it very fond of this fruit (or, rather, vegetable), and de- 

 stroys a great quantity. In addition to this it makes the most 

 horrid screeching noise during the greater part of the night. Resi- 

 dents soon get accustomed to this; but when I first came to Samoa 

 the noise appeared to me peculiarly disagreeable. 



"As the bread-fruit trees are chiefly about the villages, during this 

 season the natives kill a good many Bats as an article of food. They 

 are very fond of them, and declare them to be far preferable to fowl. 

 At the present time they often shoot them : but the more common 

 mode of catching them is to fasten a prickly bush on a long bamboo 

 or light pole ; with this they approach the tree on which a Bat is 

 feeding, and by a dexterous movement manage to strike a wing with 

 a thorn of the bush as the animal takes to flight ; the wing is thus 

 torn by the thorns and the Bat disabled. In addition to the bread- 

 fruit (Artocarpus incisa) the Pteropus feeds on the different species 

 of banana, but chiefly that known as the Chinese {Musa chinensis), 

 the Papaw apple (Carica papaya), the indigenous Hog-plum (Spon- 

 dias dulcis), the Eugenia malaccensis, and the sweet orange. 



Judging from my own trees, it appears to have a great liking for 

 the oranges when they are fine and ripe. The natives of these 

 islands very easily tame this Bat : after keeping it for a little time in 

 captivity they allow it to go at liberty ; but it never leaves the house 

 and people it is accustomed to. The natives declare that it keeps the 

 house in which it lives quite free from other Bats, which are afraid 

 of it. 



"I have been unsuccessful in attempting to tame the two specimens 

 now sent to you. One was full-grown when brought to me by a 

 native. I have had him two or three months ; and he continues as 

 shy and savage as when first brought. The other was procured 

 when very small. A servant of mine shot a female, which fell dead 

 with the uninjured young one at her breast. This we reared ; 

 but it continues very shy to the present time." 



The Secretary called the special attention of the meeting to the 

 valuable donation made to the Society's Library, by Col. S. R 

 Tickell, of an illustrated MS. work on the ornithology of India in 

 seven small folio volumes, with 261 plates of birds (illustrating 276 

 species), descriptions of 448 species, and 5 plates of eggs containing 

 illustrations of those of 42 species. The following were stated to 

 he the contents of the seven volumes : — 



Vol. I. Raptores diurni, with 41 plates and descriptions of 60 

 species. 



Vol. II. Raptores nocttjrni, with 21 plates and descriptions of 

 24 species, also 1 plate of eggs containing figures of those of 9 species. 



Vol. III. Zygodactyly with 46 plates and descriptions 'of 83 

 species also 1 plate of eggs containing figures of those of 7 species. 



Vol. IV. Tenuirostres, with 32 plates and descriptions of 56 

 species, and 1 plate of eggs containing figures of those of 5 species. 



Vol. V. Dentirostres (part l),with 38 plates and descriptions 



43* 



