698 M15. E. P. RAMSAY ON THE HABITS OF CERATODUS. [Nov. 7, 



transport the body of a wild one. The voiee is not so strong as that 

 of the tame Camel. The female produces in February or the beginning 

 of March, one calf, rarely two, and bears young every year, whereas 

 the tame Camel brings forth only every two years. The flesh of the 

 wild Camel is much appreciated by the Tanguts, and they hunt the 

 animal with great zeal.' 



" The Kirgiz who told us this assured us he had seen wild Camels 

 himself when travelling with Tanguts through the Gobi to Kuld- 

 schen. He had often tasted the flesh, which he found sweeter than 

 that of the tame. 



" Mr. Harkloff, who takes great interest in natural history, has 

 promised to send me the skin and skull of the wild Camel, as he was 

 sure to be able to obtain them." 



A letter was read from Mr. E. Pierson Ramsay, C.M.Z.S., con- 

 taining the following notes on the habits of some living Geratodi in 

 the Australian Museum, S\ duey : — 



"You, among others, will perhaps be very glad to hear that I have 

 at last succeeded in landing some Ceratodi alive here. At present 

 thev are doing well, and afford me great satisfaction in watching 

 their movements in the large tank in which they are placed. I 

 should like to write a long paper on them, but have too much on 

 my hands to attempt it at present. 



"It is now winter-time here, and very cold ; so that the Ceratodi 

 are not so lively as they might be, and appear to be too lazy to get 

 out of the way when about to be handled. 



" Their chief mode of progression is by waves of the tail, or by 

 paddling with the pectoral fins alone (without either moving their 

 posterior pair of fins or the tail). When at rest on the bottom of the 

 tank, the pectorals are placed at nearly right angles to the body, the 

 posterior fins lying parallel to the tail. If not disturbed, they will 

 remain in this position for hours, and only when stirred up think it 

 necessary to use their fins and tail at all. They then lash out with 

 their great strong tail, and, turning sideways, squeeze in between 

 some tufts of grass. 



" I have tried to rriake them progress in only a few inches of water, 

 but (as far as I have yet seen) without effect. They are exceedingly 

 eel-like in their motions ; and when going slowly along, the swaying 

 of the great caudal fin gives them a serpentine course. I do not think 

 they could go forward in a straight line unless swimming very fast or 

 very slowly at the bottom : when they do this they do not use the 

 tail at all, but depend on their pectoral fins. 



" They are of a light olive-brown colour (some darker than others) 

 above, and of a pate fleshy pink below. The eyes have a yellowish tinge 

 when looked at sideways ; but the iris is of a dull lead-brown colour. 

 They feed on worms and water-weeds, Li/mncEce and Physa, Cyclas, 

 Anodun, Sec. 



" I am beginning to doubt their ever going quite out of the 

 water to> ' graze/ as has been reported, for the simple reason that 

 tUcv are too bulky to progress by their fins, and not long enqugh in 



