18G8.] DR. A. CiCNTHER ON THK BRITISH CLUPE/E. 3/7 



attained a much greater size than G. yaleatus. Total length, from 

 the summit of the helmet to the end of the caudal feathers, about 

 72 in. ; total height of the crest, from its base to the summit, 5"8 ; 

 distance from the gape to the end of the bill, in a straight line, 6-1 ; 

 length of tarsus 13'3 ; length of inner toe with the uail G"3, nail of 

 do. 3"5 ; length of middle toe with the nail 7"0, outer do. with the 

 nail 4 "5. The wing in C. austrulis was composed of four or five 

 strong barblcss quills, and terminated, as in other species of the 

 genus, by a well-developed claw. The gular caruncle appeared 

 rather to resemble that of C. (jalealns, being divided nearly down to 

 its base, and terminating in two flaps, which in the present speci- 

 men were of unequal length, one measuring 2"3, and the other 3'9, 

 from the junction. These caruncles were sparingly covered with 

 hairs, which JMr. Sclater had not noticed in the case of the other 

 Cassowaries. 



Dr. A. Giinther, F.R.S., made some observations on the various 

 species of Clupea found on the British coasts, which were stated to 

 be five in number, namely, the Herring (Chqjea harenc/us), the 

 Spratt {C. sprattus), the Alice-Shad (C. alosa), the Twaite-Shad 

 (^C.Jinfa), and the Pilchard (C 'pilchardus) . Dr. Giinther showed, 

 by the exhibition of various specimens and diagrams, that the so-called 

 C. alba, or Whitebait, which had been considered by several authors 

 a distinct species, and by Prof. Valenciennes had been even ele- 

 vated into the rank of a distinct genus {Rogenia), was nothing more 

 than the young of the common Herring. Dr. Giinther likewise re- 

 ferred C. leachii of Yarrell to a well-developed variety of the Herring, 

 and considered the so-called Alosa squamo-pinnata of Couch (Brit. 

 Fish. iv. p. 123, t. 20G) a hj'brid between the Pilchard and one of 

 the two Shads. 



Mr, Tegetmeier called the attention of the Society to the progress 

 recently made in Salmon-breeding at the Stormontfield ponds, on 

 the Ta)'. In November 1867, 350,000 eggs were spawned artifi- 

 cially and deposited in the ponds : of these 200,000 were hatched 

 this spring. The smolts of last and the previous year, which left for 

 the sea during May 1868, were very much larger than those of pre- 

 vious seasons — the fishes of one year old being as large as those of 

 two years' age of previous seasons. This great increase of size was 

 evidently owing to the change which had been effected in their 

 dietary. Formerly the fish were fed during their smolt-conditiou on 

 boiled ox-liver rubbed down to coarse powder. Recently the aquatic 

 weeds in the ponds had become covered with Limncea jiereyra, on 

 which the fish had fed greedily, and to which the great increase of 

 size was undoubtedly to be attributed. 



]Mr. E. T. Hisgins exhibited and made remarks on a skin of a 

 variety of the Puma (Felis concolor) from the southern part of 

 South America. 



