31 



• Pongos ;' but I beg leave to differ with them as to ' Pongos' being 

 a native term. The Portuguese formerly monopolized the trade of 

 the coast, and had large possessions there as well as in the East In- 

 dies, most of the capes, rivers, &c. bearing the names they gave 

 them to this day. Now ' Pongos' I look upon to be a Portuguese East 

 Indian term for a tailless monkey, and in consequence of their dis- 

 covering a river in Africa, the banks of winch were inhabited by vast 

 numbers of this species, they called it ' Rio Pongos,' a name which 

 it bears still. This / conceive to be the origin of the term, whilst 

 on the coast I observed that all the natives in the neighbourhood of 

 Sierra Leone, when speaking of this animal, invariably called him 

 'Baboo,' a corruption, I should suppose, of our term Baboon." 



At the request of the Chairman, Mr. Ogilby proceeded to make 

 some observations upon a new species of Monkey, now living at the 

 Society's Menagerie, which he characterized as follows : — 



Papio Melanotus. p. ctnereo-brunneus ; capite, dorso, lumhis- 

 que suh-n'igris ; caudci brevissinia, tiudd ; facie, auricuUsque 

 palUdis. 



The specimen from which this description is taken is a young 

 male, said to have been brought from Madras. It has at first sight a 

 considerable resemblance to the common Barbary species (Papio 

 sylvanus) both in general colour and in physiognomy, but differs 

 materially in the blackish brown shade which covers all the upper 

 parts of the head, neck, shoulders, and back. The face and ears 

 are of a pale flesh colour, not unlike the shade which distinguishes 

 extreme age in the human species ; the naked part of the paws is 

 dirty brovim, and the temples are slightly tinged with a shade of 

 scarlet, which the keejjer informs me spreads and deepens when the 

 animal is feeding. The tail is about an inch long, very slender, and 

 perfectly naked ; but whether the last circumstance be not accidental 

 I shall not take on me to say ; it appears, however, to be the 

 natural condition of the organ. The general colour of the sides, 

 under parts of the body, and extremities, is that pale olive brown so 

 common among other species of this genus, such as the Bhunder {P. 

 Rhesus), the Maimon (P. Nemestrinus), &c., and the hairs are 

 equally without annulations. The individual has all the liveliness, 

 good-nature, and grimace of the young Magot (P. Inuus and Syl- 

 vanus) ; but, like that species, it will probably become morose and 

 saturnine as it advances in age and physical development ; qualities 

 which, indeed, are common to all the Papios, and pre-eminently di- 

 stinguish them from the Cercopithecs, Colobs, and Semnopithecs. 



A paper, entitled " Spicilegium Serpentium Indicorum," was 

 communicated by Dr. Theodore Cantor. This paper contains the 

 following descriptions of 



A. Venomous Serpents*. 



Genus Thigonocephalus, Oppel. 



Trigonocephalus erythrurus. Tri. supra Icete viridis, squamis 



* Dr. Cantor's original specimens, drawings, and descriptions are in the 

 possession of the Radclifle Library, Oxford. 



