1877.] Mft. A. H. GARROD ON THE SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS. 533 



The Secretary read an extract from a letter addressed to him bv 

 Monsieur J. M. Cornely, C.M.Z.S., dated Chateau Beaujardin. 

 lours. France, June 5th, stating that his female Hydropotes inermil 

 which had been impregnated by the Society's male, sent to Tours 

 tor that purpose, had just produced three young ones, one of which 

 however, had been born dead ; the dead one weighed 11/5 grammes' 

 and was about 45 centims. in length. ' 



Mr. J. E. Harting, F.Z.S., exhibited a variety of the Common 

 &nipe, and made the following remarks : — 



The Snipe which I have the pleasure of exhibiting this evening is 

 remarkable from the circumstance that the colour of the plumage is 

 exactly intermediate between that of the Common Snipe and the 

 so-called Sabme's Snipe. It seems, indeed, to form a connecting 

 link, as IS were, between the two, and to lead to the conclusion 

 (already shared in by many ornithologists) that the so-called Sabine's 

 fcnipe IS not a vahd species, but a melanism of the Common Snipe 



Some years ago before I had examined as many specimens of 

 Sabine s Snipe as I have since seen, I thought from various characters 

 (such as the absence of the longitudinal half-lines on the dorsal 

 plumage and the ovate shape of the feathers generally) that 

 Sabine s Smpe might be a good species ; but having now examined 

 some fifteen or sixteen different specimens, I am inclined to believe 

 that the ovate shape of the feathers is characteristic of a-e and 

 indicates a young bird, and that the so-called species ought to be 

 regarded simply as a melanism of the common species. 



The specimen now exhibited was killed in Ireland last Christmas • 

 and a brief notice of it will be found in the ' Zoologist ' for January 

 last, pp. 24, 25. ■' 



Mr. B. Tegetmeier, F.Z.S., exhibited a specimen of the sternum 

 ot the lawny Owi {Syrnium aluco) which presented a curious mal- 

 tormation. There was a complete absence of ossification down the 

 middle Ime, the moieties of the sternum, in contact superiorly, bein.' 

 widely divergent inferiorly, although each was quite of normal form" 

 Ine turcula was not peculiar. 



Mr. John Murray, C.M.Z.S., Naturalist of the • Challenger ' Ex- 

 \vu\^^' ^^'"'^I'^'i a>^d 'nade remarks on a series of Shark's teeth 

 Whale s ear-bones, and other specimens dredged up during the voyage 

 01 the 'Challenger. ^ ° 



Prof Garrod, F.R.S., read a description of the brain of the 

 Sumatran Rhinoceros. 

 This paper will be published in the Society's ' Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : 



