222 MR. SCLATER ON THE BIRTH OF AN ELEPHANT. [Apr. 6, 



the livraison confined to the Scutellidse ? certainly it is, and Prof. 

 Alex. Agassiz most explicitly says so ; but what does the "so-called " 

 Introduction deal with ? In the space of 20 pages reference is made 

 to (not to quote all) Forbes's 'British Starfishes ' (itself a general work 

 on Echinoderms), the classifications proposed by Miiller and 

 Troschel and by J. E. G-ray for the Asterida, to M. DesmouHns's 

 Studies on the Echinida, to Brandt's establishment of certain genera 

 of regular Echini, to the same writer's classification of the Holo- 

 thurians, to Grube's anAiomy oi Sipuneulus, to Sars's researches into 

 the development oi Asterias, to J. Miiller's labours on Pentacrinus, 

 as well as to various memoirs on fossil forms. 



(4) The genus Tripneustes is not defined in the essay referred to, 

 but the type only mentioned as E. ventricosiis. 



(5) In the Introduction to Valentin's anatomy of Echinus the 

 genus is well defined (p. viii). 



(ti) Notwithstanding certain cases to the contrary, I prefer to 

 believe that, in the case of Tripneustes at any rate, L. Agassiz justly 

 referred in the ' Nomenclator ' to the paper in which he amply defined 

 and so, strictly speaking, published that generic name. 



There are two other statements of mine which it is not just to 

 denounce as misrepresentations, for they both arise from my funda- 

 mental proposition that, in zoological nomenclature, names which 

 antedate Linnoaus do not exist ; thus variegata gets put out of 

 court, and 1788, not 1/34, is, with me, the date of unicolor. 



April 6, 1880. 

 Prof. W. H. Flower, LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Secretary read the following extracts from two letters of Mr. 

 Arthur E. Brown, Superintendent of the Gardens of the Zoological 

 Society of Philadelphia, U.S.A., relating to the birth of an Elephant, 

 which had taken place on the 10th ult. in Cooper and Bailey's mena- 

 gerie at Philadelphia. These letters had been addressed to Mr. W. 

 A. Conklin, C.M.Z.S., of New York, and had been kindly commu- 

 nicated to the Secretary by that gentleman. 



"The baby Elephant was born only on Wednesday morning; is a 

 female, strong and healthy, and I see no reason why they should not 

 successfully rear it. They have another female which they say is 

 eight months gone with young ; and from examination I am inclined 

 to think this is the case. 



" Our Prosector, Dr. Chapman, was fortunate enough to obtain 

 the placenta in perfect condition ; the only other one known, I be- 

 lieve, is an imperfect specimen in the Royal College of Surgeons, 

 London, sent in spirit from India. It is a good thing that this one 

 has fallen into perfectly competent hands. The baby is a lively, 

 interesting little thing, about two feet high, weight 213 pounds (an 

 hour after birth), and is well worth seeing. 



