1880.] COL. HEYSHAM ON THE BREEDING OF ELEPHANTS. 2'i 



These animals are in good health and in fine condition, and 

 perfectly tame. The female is hondess. The male has apparently 

 lately shed his horns, as the pair which he bears were quite soft 

 when he arrived. 



2. Examples of two rare species of Parrots of the genus Chrysotis, 

 namely Bodinus's Amazon (C. hocUn'i) and the Red-tailed Amazon 

 C. erythrura), purchased December 18, 1879. 



Botb these species are new to the collection. 



Chrysotis bodini was first described in the Society's Proceedings 

 for 1873 (p. .'JGO, pi. xlix.) by Dr. Finsch, from an example formerly 

 living in the Zoological Gardens of Berlin. In May last year I 

 met with the first example I had ever seen of this species in the 

 Zoological Gardens of Amsterdam (see P. Z. S. 1879, p. 438). 

 Since then I have been fortunate enough to secure a specimen of 

 this Parrot for my collection, which I now exhibit. From the make 

 of this skin, it is probable that its imtria is the Orinoco district of 

 Venezuela, which is rather singular, as the closely allied C.f estiva 

 likewise occurs in the same country. 



Chrysotis erythrura (Plate II.), of which I likewise exhibit an 

 example, was described by Kuhl in 1821, from a specimen in the 

 French national collection, but is so rare that Dr. Finsch was unable 

 to examine an example when preparing his celebrated Monograph. 

 The first examples of it I ever saw were also at Amsterdam last year 

 (see P Z.S. 1879, p. 438). One of the pair there noticed happening to 

 die, Mr. Westerman kindly sent its skin to me for my own collection. 



The exact habitat of this Chrysotis is still unknown. 



Dr. Giinther exhibited the drawing of a fish, Holacanthus tricolor, 

 obtained on the coast of the island of Lewes, and communicated to 

 him by the Rev. George Gordon, who examined the specimen whilst 

 in a fresh state. Dr. Giinther stated that this was the first instance 

 of this fish (which is common in the West Indies) having reached the 

 British coast. 



An extract was read from a letter addressed to the President by 

 Col. Heysham of the Madras Commissariat Staff, giving particulars 

 of two cases of Elephants breeding in captivity in which the period 

 of gestation was observed. The first case was described by Col. 

 Heysham as follows : — 



Towards the middle of Decem.ber 1863, when at Thyetmyo, in Bur- 

 mah,it was reported tome that three wild Elephants (a male and two 

 females) were doing a great deal of damage near Muadung ; and on 

 the 18th of the month, having made all necessary arrangements, I 

 sent some of our Mahouts and Elephants across the river, to 

 try and effect a capture. The following day (the 19th December) 

 I received a report from the Jemadar, that the wild Elephants 

 had joined ours immediately they got near them, and that 

 the male Elephant had covered the four females named in 

 Serjeant Heron's letter. We several times succeeded in fastening ropes 



