1869.] MR. HARPER PEASE ON THE AURICULID®. 59 
its tail about 2 feet 10 inches. Full particulars about this animal in 
a state of captivity were also given. 
Dr. Murie exhibited two malformed hoofs from a specimen of the 
feral cattle of the Falkland Islands. The owner, Capt. Henry 
Payne, stated that he shot the animal himself, and remarked that 
such an instance had rarely, if ever, been seen by the Falkland- 
Island residents*. The hoofs were a left fore and a right hind one. 
The outer half or segment of the fore hoof was considerably length- 
ened and expanded; the inner half, on the contrary, was narrow, 
elongated, and very convex on its upper surface. This latter, inner, 
enormously overgrown portion of the hoof formed a complete semi- 
circle, and crossed above and round to the outside of the outer half. 
It lay like a section of a quoit over its neighbour. The outer half 
of the hind hoof was lengthened, but not so much flattened as the 
corresponding fore one; its point had a tendency to turn upwards. 
The inner half of the hind hoof curved outwards and over its neigh- 
bour, but somewhat differently from the front one. Instead of being 
quoit-shape, it twisted like a Ram’s horn, the plantar surface turn- 
ing forwards and outwards. 
As to the cause of this peculiar growth of the hoof, Mr. Darwin 
remarks of the Falkland-Island Horses:—‘‘ From the softness of 
the ground their hoofs often grow irregularly to a great length, and 
this causes lameness” (Voy. of Beagle, p. 192). 
A communication was read from Prof. Owen, F.R.S., on Dinornis, 
forming the fourteenth part of his series of memoirs on this subject. 
The present paper related chiefly to the craniology of the genus, but 
contained also the description of a fossil cranium from the London 
clay of Sheppey, in the collection of the Earl of Enniskillen, F.R.S., 
which Prof. Owen considered to present combinations of Dinornithic 
and modern Struthious characters, and characterized under the name 
Dasornis londinensis. 
This paper will be printed in the Society’s ‘ Transactions.’ 
The following papers were read :-— 
1. Descriptions of the Animals of certain Genera of Auri- 
culide. By Harper Prass, C.M.ZS. 
Genus Piecorrema (H. & A. Ad.). 
The animal of the above genus appears to have been unknown to 
Messrs. H. and A. Adams; and I find no description of it published 
elsewhere. That of P. striata (Phil.) presents the following cha- 
racters :—Proboscis short, very broad, slightly emarginate in front, 
produced laterally, neck long, more so than that of Melampus. Foot 
* See another case recorded by Mr, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1861, p. 4. 
