V 



105 



which produce the yellow tint, being replaced by brownish white or 

 pale brown." 



Mr.Ogilby pointed out the characters of a new species of Muntjac 

 Deer, which lately died at the Gardens. This species is about the same 

 size as the common Indian Muntjac, but has a longer head and toil; 

 has less red. and more blue in the general shade of the colouring, 

 and is readily distinguished by the want of the white over the hoofs, 

 which is so apparent in its congener. The specimen, a male, was 

 brought from China by J. R. Reeves, Esq., to whom the Society is 

 already indebted for many rare and valuable animals, and to whom 

 Mr. Ogilby proposed to dedicate the present species by applying the 

 name of Cervus Reevesi. A female specimen which accompanied 

 that here described, is still living and has lately produced a fawn, 

 which is interesting from exhibiting the spotted character common to 

 the generality of the young in this extensive group. 



Mr. Waterhouse then directed the attention of the Meeting to an 

 interesting series of skins of Marsupial animals, brought from Van 

 Diemen's Land by George Everett, Esq., and presented by that gen- 

 tleman to the Society ; the collection includes a specimen of the 

 Thylacims, two species of Kangaroo, and two of the genus Perameles, 

 besides others of more common occurrence. 



Mr. Owen concluded his memoir on the anatomy of the Apteryx 

 by a description of the general structure and peculiarities of its os- 

 seous system. j • • 



The bones of the Apteryx are not perforated for the admission ot 

 air, nor do they exhibit the pure white colour which characterizes the 

 skeleton in other birds ; their tough and somewhat coarse texture 

 resembles rather that of the bones of the lizard tribe. 



The spinal column was found to consist of 15 cervical and 9 dorsal 

 vertebra, and 22 in the lumbar, sacral, and caudal regions. The third 

 to the sixth, inclusive, of the dorsal vertebne, are slightly anchylosed 

 together by the contiguous edges of their spinous processes; but Mr. 

 Owen supposes that notwithstanding this anchylosis, a jielding, elastic 

 movement may still take place between these vertebra. A short ob- 

 tuse process is sent off obliquely forwards, from the inferior surface 

 of the body of the first four dorsal vertebra ; the articulation between 

 the bodies is by the adaptation of a surface, slightly concave in the ver- 

 tical, and convex in the transverse direction, at the posterior end of 

 one vertebra to opposite curves at the anterior end of the succeeding 

 one ; close to the anterior surface on each side there is a hemisphe- 

 rical pit for the reception of the round head of the rib ; the trans- 

 verse processes are broad, flat, and square-shaped, with the anterior 

 angle obliquely cut off to receive the abutment of the tubercle of the 

 rib ; they are not connected together by extended bony splints, but are 

 quite detached, as in struthious birds. The spinous process arises from 

 the whole length of the arch of each vertebra ; it is truncate above, 

 and with the exception of the first, is of the same breadth through- 

 out : all the dorsal spines are much compressed, the middle ones being 



