1866.] LETTER FROM DR. G. BENNETT. 167 



with its posterior margin thickened ; mandibular symphysis much 

 less than three times the length of the lower incisors ; fossa for di- 

 gastric not very deep ; no vertical groove on posterior part of arti- 

 cular surface of condyle ; inferior margin of mandible strongly and 

 suddenly concave. 



Hab. Madagascar, but not St. Mary's Island. 



Propithecus. 



Characters. — Median upper incisors very decidedly larger than 

 the outer pair ; upper canine much more vertically extended than 

 the first premolar ; ears short, in the fur ; muzzle moderately pro- 

 duced ; tail long. 



Hab. Madagascar. 



March 27, 1866. 

 Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. 



The following extract was read from a letter addressed to the Secre- 

 tary by Dr. George Bennett, F.Z.S., dated Sydney, January 20th : — 



" There is now a living Lyre-bird (Menura novce-hollandice) at 

 Mr. J. S. Palmer's, at New Town near Sydney, which he informs 

 me is two years and four months old, and has been in his possession 

 in captivity for full two years. He had it first when it was so young 

 that it could only just feed itself. At that time he fed it with great 

 care and regularity on worms and grubs, German paste, and beef 

 chopped very fine. It now eats the same, together with hemp-seed, 

 bread, &c. As regards its habits of feeding and the mode of rearing 

 it, he compares it to the Thrush and Blackbird. Since he has had 

 this specimen, he has purchased Lyre-birds of all ages, brought from 

 the Illawara district ; but this is the only one that has survived in 

 confinement ; the others only lived for a short time. Those that 

 died were heard to whistle at dusk in the evening, apparently healthy 

 and well, but were found dead in the morning. This we also ob- 

 served with those we had in the Gardens here, the longest period we 

 got one to survive in captivity in our aviary being six months — from 

 August 1864 to January 1865. I rode out on the 4th of January 

 to see Mr. Palmer's bird ; it was apparently a full-grown female, or 

 male in immature plumage. I have this day been informed by Mr. 

 Palmer that it is now developing two of the peculiar tail-feathers of 

 the male ; so that there is now no doubt as to the sex. On the occa- 

 sion of my visit I found it, as is usual with these birds, in a constant 

 state of restless activity, running with greater or less rapidity about 

 the spacious aviary in which it is confined, scratching about the 

 ground, and leaping upon and over the stones and branches placed 

 in the inclosure. It would stop and feed rather more frequently 

 than is usually the case with this bird in the presence of strangers. 



