125 



Septembers, ISS.'J. 

 Thomas Bell, Esq., in the Chair. 



A living lacchus Monkey, lacchus penicillatus, GeofFr., was ex- 

 hibited, which had recently been presented to the Society by Mrs. 

 Moore of Rio de Janeiro. It was accompanied by a note, in which 

 it was stated to have been obtained from the province of Bahia. 

 *' Like most monkeys, it will eat almost anything; but its chief and 

 favourite food, in its wild state, is the Banana. It is a very delicate 

 animal, and requires great warmth ; and its very beautiful tail is, in 

 this respect, eminently conducive to the comfort of the little crea- 

 ture, who, on all occasions when he requires warmth, rolls himself 

 in the natural boa with which Providence has, in its wisdom, en- 

 dowed him." 



A note by Mr. William Smith, relative to the animal of the /ir- 

 gonauta Argo, Linn., and forwarded through Mr. Gray, was read. 

 The most important statement adduced in it, with reference to the 

 question of the parasitic nature of the Cephalopod so frequently found 

 in the shell, is thus expressed : " It seems pretty evident that the 

 animal found in the Argonauta is a parasite, because, in the Bay of 

 Naples, where it is very abundant, the shell is but rarelj' found; 

 whereas the Octopus itself is constantly to be met with, and indeed 

 is daily to be seen in the common market as an article of food. To 

 give some idea of its comparative scarcity in union with the shell, I 

 shall merely mention that the usual price of the animal alone is about 

 fourpence ; while a specimen inhabiting the shell cannot be obtained 

 under five shillings." 



The following Notes, by Mr. Martin, of the dissection of a spe- 

 cimen of the small Nocturnal Lemur, Microcebus murinus, Geoffr., 

 which lately died at the Society's Gardens, were read. 



" The animal was a male, and doubtless adult, as was sufficiently 

 indicated by the development of the sexual organs. Its length 

 from the nose to the insertion of the tail was 5 inches ; that of 

 the tail, 6 ; the ears were large and naked ; the head was rounded ; 

 the muzzle short and pointed ; the eyes were not so large, in pro- 

 portion, as in the slender Loris, Loris gracilis, GeoftV., but were 

 evidently of a nocturnal character, being extremely resplendent, 

 the glare of the tapetum lucidum showing very bright through the 

 round dilated pupil. 



" The penis was furnished with a slender bone extending from 

 \\\&glans for nearly half an inch. 'The glans was compressed, with 

 a lunar-shaped elevation, inclosing a small depression on its an- 



No, XXXIII. — Procekdings of thk Zoological Society. 



