I 



57 



April 9. 1839. 



The liev. F. W. Hope, iu the Chair. 



. A letter was read, from P. L. Strachan, Esq., dated Sierra Leone, 

 February 19th, 1839. It stated that he had sent two African Wood- 

 cocks for the Society's Menagerie, and that having only just arrived 

 at Sierra Leone, he had not yet had time to procure other zoologi- 

 cal specimens for the Society. 



A letter from C. B. Bidwell, Esq., dated Sierra Leone. January 

 I4th, 1839, was read. In this letter Mr. Bidwell states that he had 

 forwarded the skull of an Hippopotamus for the Society's Museum. 



In a letter from J. Frembly, Esq., dated Gibraltar, January 30th, 

 1839, that gentleman states that he had forwarded for the Society 

 the body of a species of Cat, from South America, which he thought 

 would be acceptable for the purpose of dissection. 



A letter from the Board of Management of the Saffron Walden 

 Museum was also read. This letter begged the Society's accept- 

 ance of two specimens (a male and female) of the Antilope Isabel- 

 Una, a specimen of the Antilope grimmea, and a skin of the Bernicla 

 cana. 



A collection of beautifully finished drawings of Tasmanian Fishes 

 was exhibited to the Members present, these drawings having been 

 sent to the Society by Dr, Lhotsky for that purpose. In a letter 

 accompanying these drawings. Dr. Lhotsky stated that they had all 

 been executed, under his own superintendence, from fresh specimens. 



A new species of Hamster was exhibited by Mr. Waterhouse, and 

 characterized as follows : 



Cricetus auratus. Cri. aureo-fuscescens, subths albidus : pilis 

 mollissimis, suprci ad basin plumbeis, subtus ad basin cinereis : 

 auribus mediocribus, rotundis : caudd brevissimd pilis albis ob- 

 sitd. 



unc. lin. 

 Longitudo ab apice rostri ad caudse basin . . 7 6 



caudee 5 



ab apice rostri ad basin auris .... 1 6 



tarsi digitorumque 10 



auris 7 



Hab. Aleppo. 



" This species is less than the common Hamster (Cricetus vul- 

 garis), and is remarkable for its deep golden yellow colouring. The 

 No. LXXVI. — Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



