404 MR. J. GOULD ON A NEW SPECIES OF CEYX. [June 25, 



and announced that that gentleman had procured at Gibraltar a 

 young living specimen of this animal, which it was his intention 

 to present to the Society's Menagerie. 



Mr. Sclater read the following notices of the more important ad- 

 ditions to the Society's Menagerie during the month of May : — 



1. A pair of the Wild Ass of the Syrian deserts (Equus hemippus 

 of the late Isidore Geoflfroy St.-Hilaire), of much interest as ren- 

 dering the Society's series of the living species of this group com- 

 plete. This pair of animals had been obtained by exchange from 

 the Jardin d'AccUmatation, Paris, on the 2nd of May. 



2. A young male of the Regent Bird (Sericulus chrysocephalus), 

 purchased on May 14th, being the first specimen of this remarkable 

 bird that had reached the Society's Gardens alive. The Society's 

 correspondent, Dr. F. Mueller of Melbourne, had previously for- 

 warded a living example of this bird, which had, unfortunately, died 

 in the vessel after it had reached the docks. 



3. An African Fruit-Bat {Cynonycteris collaris) which had been 

 captured at sea off the St. John's river, Natal, March 1st, 1868, and 

 purchased the 27th of May. This animal had been placed in the 

 Monkey-house along with the Indian Fruit-Bat (Pteropus tnedius), 

 which had been living in the Society's Menagerie ever since October 

 1863. 



A communication was read from Prof. R. Owen, F.R.S., contain- 

 ing a description of the sternum in Dinornis elephantopus and D. 

 rheides, with notes on that bone in D. crassus and D. casuarinus, 

 and forming the thirteenth part of his series of memoirs on the ex- 

 tinct birds of the genus Dinornis. 



This paper will be published in the Society's 'Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Description of a New Species of the Genus Ceyx. 

 By John Gould, F.E.S. &c. 



CeYX PHILIPPINENSIS, Sp. nOV. 



This little Kingfisher might at first sight be considered the same 

 as Ceyx cyanopectus, Eyton, but on comparing it with that species 

 it will be found to differ in having a shorter bill, in the richer tone 

 of the whole of its colouring, in having the patch of feathers on the 

 sides of the neck larger and of a purer white, and in the absence of 

 the dark indigo band ; the flanks, too, are rufous, and not blue as in 

 C. cyanopectus. Its form and colouring are those of a true Ceyx ; 

 but it has the patches of feathers on the upper part of each side of 

 the breast very much developed, as in Alcyone, and more so than in 

 any other species of the genus Ceyx. Upper mandible brownish 

 black ; lower mandible fleshy-brown ; feet orange. 



Total length b\ inches, bill If, wing 2^, tail |, tarsi ,-V- 



Hah. Vicinity of Manila, Philippine Islands. 



