1876.] THE SECRETARY ON ADDITIONS TO THE MENAGERIE. 6[)5 



Liverpool on the (5th of March last, and stated to have been received 

 from Maranham. They consist of an adult male, and an adult and 

 younger female. I exhibit Mr. Smit's sketches of the adult pair of 

 the Indian birds (Plate LXVII.), and corresponding views of the 

 American specimens (Plate LXVIII.), by which it will be seen that 

 the two forms are readily distinguishable. In the Indian bird (S. me- 

 lanonota)*, the flanks are white, surmounted by a curved black 

 line coming from beneath the bend of the wing; the female is much 

 inferior in size to the male, and has no caruncle on her bill. In the 

 American bird, which, as Mr. Salvia and I have shown in our article 

 on South-American Anatidse {anted, p. 377), should be teamed Sarci- 

 diornis carunculuta (Licht.), the sexes are nearly equal in size, the 

 female bears a comb on the head as well as the male, and the flanks 

 are conspicuously black. I think, therefore, there can no longer be 

 any question that the Indian and American Sarcidiornithes should 

 stand as distinct species. What the African bird (Sarcidiornis afri- 

 cana, Eyton) is remains still to be seen. 



2. A Bear, purchased July 21st, and stated to have been obtained 

 out of a vessel coining from New Orleans, seems, although quite 

 young, from its long claws and peculiar pale colour, to be referable 

 to nothing else than the Grizzly Bear (Ursus ferox), of which we 

 have had for many years no specimen in the Society's collection. 



3. Two Crested Guinea-fowls (Numida eristata), hatched in the 

 Society's Gardens July 27th, being, so far as I know, the first speci- 

 mens of this fine bird bred in Europe. The eggs were taken from 

 the bird and hatched by a common hen after thirty days' incubation. 



The total number of registered additions to the Society's Mena- 

 gerie during the month of August was 96 ; of these 42 were 

 acquired by presentation, 28 by purchase, 14 by birth, and 12 were 

 received on deposit. The total number of departures during the 

 same period by death and removals was 81. 



The most noticeable additions during the month were : — 



1. A young example of the Raccoon-like Dog (Nyctereutes pro- 

 cynides), from China, presented by Captain Burgoyne, August 1st, 

 being the second example of this rare and curious Carnivore that has 

 reached us. 



2. A fine adult male of the Grizzly Bear (Ursus ferox), imported 

 into Liverpool from San Francisco, and purchased August 12th. 

 This is perhaps the first undoubted example of this Bear that has of 

 late years reached us, and gives us an opportunity of comparing this 

 animal in its living aspect with large specimens of Ursus arctos, of 

 which we have several in the collection. The most noticeable dif- 

 ferences are the longer claws and the long hair down the front of the 

 neck. 



3. Three White-crested Laughing Thrushes (Garruldx leucolo- 

 pfius), from Northern India, purchased August loth. These have 



* Anas melanonota, Forater, Zool. Ind. p. 42, tab. xi. (1781), ex Oje de la 

 Coromande!, Buff. PI. Enl. 337. 



46* 



