IS 



February 25, 1834. 

 Lieut,-Col. Sykes in the Chair. 



A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary by M. W. Bojer, 

 Corr. Memb. Z.S., and dated Mauritius, Nov. 15, 1833. It referred 

 principally to the animal from Madagascar, which was transmitted 

 in the spring of last year to the Society by the late Mr. Telfair, 

 and which was brought by Mr. Bennett on April 9, 1833, (Pro- 

 ceedings, Part 1. p. 4-6,) under the notice of the Society as the 

 type of a new genus, for which he proposed the name of Cri/pto- 

 procta, on account of its possessingan anal pouch, and being thereby 

 distinguishable from Paradoxurus, F. Cuv. One of the habits of 

 the Cryptoproctaferox indicated, during the life of the animal, the 

 existence of this pouch : when violently enraged, and it was apt to 

 become exceedingly ferocious on the sight of a morsel of flesh, "it 

 frequently gratified the persons present with, not an odoriferous, 

 but a most disagreeable smell, very like that oi Mephitis." When 

 its voracity was not thus excited, it was " quite domesticated and 

 extremely fond of playing with children," and ran "about the house 

 and yard free and sprightly, eating everything." When at liberty 

 «' it lay constantly in a rolling posture;" in confinement its sleep- 

 ing position was not that of the riverrce, "but always on its side, 

 or even on its back, holding with its fore-feet the small wires of its 

 cage." " It died of epileptic fits, which tormented it for nearly 

 three months, and during the last few days of its existence the at- 

 tacks were very strong and frequent." It had lived in the Mauri- 

 tius, M. Bojer states, about twenty-five months; and he feels on 

 this account some hesitation as to the immature condition of its 

 dentary system, inquiring whether " this period was not sufficient 

 for its developement, or were the detention and domestication tiie 

 cause of the imperfection?" 



With reference to this inquiry, Mr. Bennett remarked that in 

 the ViverridcE generally the replacement of the milk teeth takes 

 place at a comparatively late period of (.xistence, a fact recorded 

 by Mr. Gray in the 'Proceedings of the Committee of Science and 

 Correspondence ' of this Society (Part II., p. 65), and principally in- 

 sisted on as regards Paradoxurus, a genus most intimately allied to 

 Cryptoprocta. He added, that the fits of which the animal died 

 were not improbatbly occasioned by the irritation of dentition. 



Mr. Bennett's account of Cryptoproctaferox, with a figure of the 

 animal, will be published in the Second Part of the Society's 'Trans- 

 actions.' 



The reading was commenced of a Paper, entitled "Descriptions 

 of New Species q^ Calyplrceidce : by W. J. Broderip, Esq."; and 

 the Shells described in it, chiefly obtained from the collection of 



