PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



January 9th, 1 838. 



Thomas Bell, Esq., in the Chair. 



Mr. Gray exhibited a new species of Perameles, in size and ge- 

 neral appearance very closely agreeing with Per. nasutus, but pecu- 

 liar for its very short white tail, and in having several indistinct 

 broad white bands over the haunches. The species inhabits Van 

 Diemen's Land, where it frequents gardens, and commits great havoc 

 amongst bulbous roots, which it is said to devour with avidity. 

 Mr. Gray proposed for it the name of Per. Gu7mii, after its discoverer, 

 Mr. Ronald Gunn *. 



It was suggested in the course of some discussion which followed 

 Mr. Gray's observations, that the roots upon which this species was 

 supposed to feed, were probably attacked for the purpose of procu- 

 ring such insects as might be found in them ; and Mr. Owen in re- 

 ference to this point alluded to a dissection of a Perameles made by 

 Dr. Grant, and published in the Wernerian Transactions, in which 

 insects were found to constitute almost the sole contents of the 

 stomach and intestines. 



A very large and beautiful Antelope, of a si)ecies hitherto entirely 

 unknown, and which had just arrived in England under the care of 

 Captain Alexander from the Cape, was in the room for exhibition ; 

 and the history of the circumstances under which it had been dis- 

 covered, were detailed in the following letter, addressed to the Se- 

 cretary, by Capt. W. C. Harris, of the Bombay Engineers. 



Cape Town, South Africa, Oct. 10, 1837. 

 Sir, — I beg the favour of your presenting to the Zoological So- 

 ciety the accompanying drawing and description of an entirely new 

 and very interesting species of Antelope, which I discovered in the 

 course of an expedition to the interior of Africa, from which I have 

 lately returned. A perfect specimen that I brought down has been 

 admirably set up by Monsieur Verreaux, the French naturalist at 

 Cape Town, and will be sent to London in the course of a few days, 

 to the care of Dr. Andrew Smith. It would appear to belong to 

 the sub-genus Aigocerus, and in form, as well as in other respects, 

 bears remote resemblance to the Aigocerus Equina, (Roan Antelope 

 or Bastard Gemsbok,) with which it has been confounded by many 



* Since described in the Annals of Zoology and Botany, for April, 1838. 

 No. LXI. — Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



