135 



The dotting on the upper surface is produced by two or three 

 black points on each of the scales. The upper streak passes along 

 the keels on each side of the face and terminates on the back of the 

 neck. The lower streak separates the dark colour of the under, from 

 the pale of the upper, surface, and is edged beneath along its whole 

 extent by a narrow brown line ; in its anterior portion it is brown 

 above. 



The scales are smooth, and marked with four slight lines. The 

 front lower labial plate is rather larger, with one pair of small men- 

 tal plates and an odd one behind it : there are four pairs of long tri- 

 gonal arched scales on each side of the lower jaw, of which the an- 

 terior is small and the posterior the largest, each with a small linear 

 scale at its outer tip, which is next the small, broad, low labial 

 plates ; the hinder ones having two or three series of broad low 

 plates under them. The dorsal scales are margined. The super- 

 ciliary plates are triangular, and of moderate size. The scales of the 

 front of the muzzle are very small, with two odd ones behind them, 

 and one in the middle between the nostrils. The eyes are circular, 

 and surrounded by a series of small scales. Eyelids none } 



Mr. Gray also exhibited a specimen of the New Holland Ibis of 

 Dr. Latham, for the purpose of directing the attention of the Meet- 

 ing to the spatulate form of the feathers of its neck ; a form of 

 feather which he believes not to have been previously recorded as oc- 

 curring in any Grallatorial Bird. In this instance they are elon- 

 gated, lanceolate, and bear some resemblance to straws. The spe- 

 cimen was obtained from the neighbourhood of Macquarrie River. 



Mr. Gray subsequently exhibited adult specimens of the Geoemyda 

 spinosa and Emys platynota, two species of fresh-water Tortoise re- 

 cently described by him from young individuals at the Meetings of the 

 Society on June 24 and August 26 (pages 54 and 99). He pointed out 

 in detail the peculiarities of the adult animals and shells, which he is 

 about to describe in his ' Synopsis of Indian Animals' ; and demon- 

 strated on the specimen of the former the existence of those characters 

 on which he had founded the genus Geoemyda, and which he had pre- 

 viously had occasion to observe in Ge. Spengleri alone, — his know- 

 ledge of the animal of Ge. spinosa having at the time of his proposing 

 the genus been limited to the figure published by Mr. Bell. 



In the adult individual exhibited the sternum was concave ; and 

 Mr. Gray, in calling particular attention to this point, took occasion 

 to remark on it as evidencing, in an additional character to those 

 already adverted to by him, the affinity of Geoemyda to the Land 

 Tortoises, that genus and the genus Cistuda, Say, being the only ge- 

 nera among the Emydidcs that possess the concavity of sternum which 

 is common to most of the species of Testudinidce. 



A Paper was read " On Nycteribia, a genus of wingless Insects, 

 by J. O. Westwood. Esq., F.L.S., &c.' 



The author commences by remarking on the existence of certain 



