131 



November 28, 1837- 



Richard Owen, Esq., in the Chair. 



Mr. Ogilby brought before the notice of the Society anew species 

 of Phalanger, hitherto confounded with Ph. Cookii, but possessing 

 distinctive characters, which made Mr. Ogilby determine to separate 

 it from that species under the name of Ph. Viverrina. It may be 

 readily distinguished from Ph. Cookii by its superior size, dark ashy 

 brown colour, and white ears, and by the absence of the clear red tinge 

 which is so conspicuous on the throat, flanks and extremities of that 

 species. Its chai-acters, however, are in other respects much the 

 same: it has the same small round ears, the same long slender tail, 

 similarly tipt with white, and the same division of the fingers into 

 two groups, which Mr. Ogilby formerly pointed out as characteristic 

 of the Ph. Cookii, and which led him to distinguish that species 

 from the other Phalangers, as a subgenus, under the name of Pseu- 

 docheirus. The two species distinguished on the present occasion 

 differ in habitat, as well as in the characters pointed out ; the Ph. 

 Cookii being confined to continental Australia, whilst the Ph. Vi- 

 verrina is only found in the neighbouring island of Van Diemen's 

 Land. 



Mr. Gray then laid before the Meeting a general arrangement of 

 Reptiles, and observed, that since the publication of his Synopsis 

 Reptilium he had found it necessary to modify the arrangement which 

 he had adopted in that work, and he now proposes to divide the 

 class Reptilia into the following orders : 



1st. Squamata, or ScaLy Reptiles, being the typical group, and 

 including 1st, Saurians, and 2nd, Ophidians; 



2nd. The annectant group Cataphracta, or shielded Reptiles, con- 

 taining 3rd, Amphisbanians ; 4th, Chelonians ; and, 5th, Emydo- 

 saurians. ' 



Mr. Gray observed that in his previous arrangement he had fore- 

 seen the difficulty connected with the Amphisbanians, and hesitated 

 to make an order of a group then containing so small a number of 

 species ; such extensive additions however have resulted from the 

 recent labours of Zoologists that the genera now exceed in number 

 the amount of species formerly known. 



Mr. Gray then proceeded to remark that the class Reptilia ex- 

 hibits a regular series of affinities returning into each otiier, so as to 

 present a circular disposition ; and he also observed that many points 

 of resemblance may be noticed between the Saurians and the Pri- 

 mates, the Ophidians and the Fera, and the Chelonians and Unc/u- 

 lata ; but that the resemblance of the Amphisbanians and the Emydu- 

 saurians to the Glires and the Cetacea is not so evident ; though the 

 Emy do -saurians among the Reptilia, like the Cetacea among the Mum- 

 malia, are the most truly aquatic of their class. 



