us 



Col. Sykes, when reading to the Society, in 1S32, his Cata- 

 logue of the Birds of Dukhun, not having exliibited the nest and 

 eggs of the Lonchura Cheet, and of that species of Tailor-bird which 

 he denominated Orthotomus Bennetfii, brought them under the notice 

 of the Society on the present occasion. 



The nest of the Lonchura Cheet. is a perfect hollow ball, made of 

 a delicate Agrostis, with a lateral hole for the entrance of the birds. 

 It contained ten oblong minute white eggs, -J-oths of an inch long 

 by VVths in diameter. It was found in the fork of a branch of the 

 Mimosa Arabica. 



The nest of the Orthotomus Bennettii was lodged in the cavity 

 formed by sewing the edges of two leaves together : the nest itself 

 also was attached to the leaves by threads passing through the leaf 

 and the bottom of the nest, and there were appearances of the end 

 of the thread being knotted outside. The nest-is composed of very 

 delicate fibres of Indian Hemp and grass. It contained two minute 

 oblong crimson eggs, -^Vths of an inch long by -jVths wide. 



Col. Sykes also exhibited an egg of the fuviatile Tortoise of Duk- 

 hun, Trionyx Indicus, Gray. It is a perfect sphere, IvV inch in dia- 

 meter : the calcareous shell is of a peculiar alabaster-like white- 

 ness. He found seven eggs with shells in the oviducts, and twenty- 

 seven without shells, nearly of the size of the preceding, in one 

 specimen. He took occasion to mention that in the stomach and 

 intestines of another specimen of Trionyx, he found not only the 

 animals, but also angular fragments of considerable size of the shells 

 of some scores of large Uniones. 



A paper was read, entitled, " Description of some Species of 

 Chuma : by W. J. Broderip, Esq., Vice-President of the Geological 

 and Zoological Societies, F.R.S., L.S., &c." 



The author commences by remarking that the shells of the genus 

 Chama appear to be subject to every change of shape and often of 

 colour which the accidents of their locality may bring upon them, 

 and that the distinction of the species must consequently be diffi- 

 cult, on account of their infinite variety. He then proceeds to de- 

 scribe those brought home by Mr. Cuming, and now in that gentle- 

 man's cabinet. The Shells referred to were exhibited in illustra- 

 tion of the characters and descriptions. 



Chama frondosa. Chama testa sublobatd, lamellosd, lamellis 

 sinuosis frondosis, longitudinaliter plicatis et in utrdque valvd 

 cardinem veisus biseriatis, maximis ; intus albidd, Umbo purpu- 

 rascente, crenulato. 

 Hab. ad Insulam Platam Columbise Occidentalis. 

 The ground colour of this beautiful Chama is a light pinkish 

 purple, and the luxuriant and spreading longitudinally plaited folia- 

 tions are yellow tinged and streaked with the ground colour. At 

 the root of each foliation, on its lower side, there is generally a 

 purplish transverse stripe. 



It was dredged up from a rock of coral, to which it was adhering, 

 at a depth of seventeen fathoms. 



