32 



NATURE 



[May 14, 1874 



as far as the apex, the apex of the posterior tibiae bordered 

 with partly feather-like hairs.* 



The nests of T. cai^afogo, like those of many other 

 species, are built in hollow trees. One of two nests which 

 my brother had the opportunity of observing was found 

 in a tree cut down a lone; time before ; but its combs, 

 lying in confusion, probably in consequence of the direc- 

 tion of the trunk having been altered by felling the tree, 

 showed that the nest had probably been built before 

 the tree was felled. In this nest, the inhabitants of which 

 partly perished by having been plastered over with the 

 honey which flowed from the damaged honey-pots during 

 the transport, partly, as is to be supposed, flew away after- 

 wards ; besides a great number of workers and a small 

 number of males, only a single queen was found, viz. that 

 illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The honey-pots, of the size 

 of large hazel-nuts, were closely aggregated together. 

 The honey was of a very viscous consistence, partly 

 as clear as water, partly lighter or darker yellow ; its 

 flavour appeared to my brother insipid, pituitous, and 

 somewhat disagreeable (the latter perhaps, as he supposes 

 himself, because he was conscious of the cagafogos feeding 

 upon carrion). The brood-combs, as with other Trigonas, 

 were simple layers of hexagonal upright cells. The wax, 

 of which both the honey-pots and the brood-combs were 

 built, was nearly of a pure white colour, but it was mixed 

 with such an enormous quantity of heterogeneous ingre- 

 dients (perhaps 90 per cent.) that the building appeared 

 of a dirty brown or blackish colour. 



Another nest, found by my brother in a trunk of Canellci 

 pimetita, about five meters above the ground, was brought 

 safety home after cutting down the tree ; but a week after- 

 wards all the inhabitants had flown away. 



The most striking feature in the natural history of this 

 stingless bee is its fondness for oily matters, and its 

 singular means of defence, connected with a great irrita- 

 bility. As I have already stated (vol. viii. p. 201) it feeds 

 upon carrion ; and is also fond of old stinking cheese. 

 When visiting flowers, it seems to be also guided by its 

 particular taste ; it visits in swarms the flowers of a bean 

 with glandular calyx ; also a white-flowered Abutilon 

 and Sicyos aiigulata, the flowers of which are glandular 

 and secrete an oil. It was also observed fertilising the 

 flowers of Asclepias curassavica, milking the larva: of 

 Membracis, repeatedly sucking the juice flowing out of 

 trees, and devouring the sugar spread to be dried. Its 

 singular means of defence are indicated by the vernacular 

 name Cagafogo (spit-fire), for although stingless, like all 

 other Trigonas and Meliponas, it possesses a very intense 

 venom, wliich causes a most lively irritation in the skin. 

 Whilst the defenceless species are for the most part very 

 peaceable, the Cagafogos, on the contrary, are so irritable 

 that the observation of their nests proves impossible, 

 unless cold weather or strong breezes from the land keep 

 them quiet. 



Lippstadt Hermann Mijller 



THE, MAMMALS OF MO UP IN 

 " 'Vly^'HERE is Moupin?" our readers will say, when 

 ' ' they see the heading of this article. To this it 

 may be replied that, if not already well known to zoolo- 

 gists, Moupin bids fair to become so very quickly, as it 

 possesses one of the most strange and interesting faunas 

 which have become known to us of late years. JMoupin 

 is the name of one of the small independent principalities 

 lying on the extreme west of the great Chinese province 

 of Setchuan. It does not appear to be marked on any 

 of our charts, but if our readers will turn to the map of 

 China and find Ching-tou, the capital of .Setchuan, they 

 will see still farther to the west a range of mountains de- 



* A more full and detailed description of this and some other new species 

 will be given in a separate treatise on Trigona and Melipona, to be publislied 

 by my brother and myself. 



signaled the " Yungling Mountains," which separate 

 China proper froin Thibet. Amongst these the district 

 called Moupin is situated. 



The first and only European who has penetrated to this 

 remote corner of the earth is the celebrated French tra- 

 veller, Armand David, a missionary priest of the congre- 

 gation of Lazarists. who has for many years, by permission 

 of his superiors, devoted himself to the exploration of the 

 Chinese flora and fauna. Pure David left his mission 

 in Pekin in May 1 868, and travelled by the Yangze-kiang 

 — the great high road into the interior of China — to Chong^ 

 kin. Hence he proceeded by land, leaving his baggage to 

 follow by water, and after twelve days' journey reached 

 Chong-tong, the capital of the great province of Setchuan, 

 where there is a large Catholic mission, presided over by 

 an Apostolic vicar. Hence to Moupin was eight days' 

 journey farther westward, during the latter portion of 

 which a mountain range nearly 10,000 ft. high was tra- 

 vei'sed. Pfere David's ordinary residence in Moupin 

 was in one of the high valleys at an elevation of about 

 7,000 ft. above the sea-level, above which rose one of 

 the principal mountains of .the district to the height of 

 15,000 ft. Up to about 10,000 ft. dense woods of pines and 

 cedars varied with rhododendrons, laurels, and magnolias 

 prevail. During a ten months' residence in this locality, 

 Pere David formed extensive collections in every 

 branch of Natural History, which were transmitted to 

 the museum of the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. In a 

 report * addressed to the professors of that establishment, 

 which has been lately published in the 7th volume of the 

 " Nouvelles Archives," Pere David has given a complete 

 list of the mammals of his collection, which embraces no 

 less than no species. The novelties are shortly described 

 by M.Alphonse Milne-Edwards, one of the naturalists of 

 the Jardin des Plantes, who, however, is now giving a 

 much more complete account of them in a large work on 

 which he is engaged, entitled " Recherches sur I'histoire 

 naturelle des mammiferes." The following are some of 

 Pc-re David's most remarkable discoveries in Moupin in 

 the class of Mammals. 



Under the name Rliinopithccus roxcllana; is described 

 a very singular new form of monkey, clothed with dense 

 hair, and with aturned-up nose, which inhabits the highest 

 forests adjoining the snow. A second monkey from the 

 same mountains is described as Macacus thibctanus ; and 

 a third was ascertained to exist in the rocks of the more 

 eastern part of the district, but was, unfortunately, not 

 obtained. 



Amongst the Insectivora, Pere David's discoveries are 

 also remarkable. Besides several species of shrew, of 

 the known genera Sc/r.v and Lrocidura, a new form, 

 allied to Diplomcsoaon, was discovered, which M. Milne- 

 Edwards names Anoiirosorc.x squamipcs. Still more 

 curious is an entirely new aquatic form, allied to My^ah', 

 which j\l. Milne- Edwards names AY't/t'^<^«/t- clcgans. The 

 moles are also represented in Moupin by two entirely 

 new genera, Uropsilus and Scaptonyx, besides a new 

 species of true Talpn. 



The rodents of Moupin embrace several new species of 

 Mus, Rluzomys, Sipltnciis, and Lagoinys, besides squirrels 

 of difterent genera : examples of thii ty-six species in all 

 were obtained. The carnivores also furnished some im- 

 portant novelties, three new polecats {Piitorius), two new 

 species of the badger-like form Arcttmyx, and a new cat 

 {Fclis). But in this group the most industrious discovery 

 was that of the -Elurits y«/^tv/j.-— hitherto regarded as a 

 type peculiar for the higher Himalayas, and of its allied 

 but larger brotlier .Eluropus iiicltinolciiais — one of the 

 most wonderful of recent additions to the class of 

 mammals. These two genera constitute a special family 

 of carnivores, representing, in the Pakvarctic region, the 



* Rapport addressc a MM. les Professeurs-Administrateurs du Museum 

 d'Histoire naturelle par M. l'Abb6 Armand David. Nouv. Arch. d. Mus. 

 vii. Bull. p. 75. 



