64 



May 8, 1849. 

 Harpur Gamble, Esq., M.D., in the Chair. 



The Secretary reported that Uving specimens of Ptilinopus mela- 

 nocephalus, Platycercus Barnardi, Lanius septentrionalis, and Basy- 

 procta Azarce, had been purchased for the Menagerie ; that a Hog- 

 Deer fawn and a Chinchilla had been produced in the Gardens ; and 

 that a beautiful example of Equus hemionvs from Cutch, presented 

 by the Hon. Sir T. Erskiue Perry, Chief Justice of Bombay, had been 

 brought to England free of expense in the Peninsular and Oriental 

 Steam Navigation Company's ship 'Pottinger.' 



Among the correspondence were letters from the Lord Harris, 

 Governor of Trinidad, the Hon. C. A. Murray, and Lieut. Tyler, R.E. 

 (S'» Lucia). 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On a very large Roe-Deer (C. leucotis) in the collection 

 OF THE Earl of Derby. By J. E. Gray, Esa., F.R.S. etc. 



_ (Mamm. PI. XII.) 



' The President has sent for exhibition a stuffed specimen of a female 

 Deer, which has lately been obtained by him from Valparaiso, and 

 is a native of South America. It evidently belongs to the genus 

 Capireolus or Roebucks. 



I may observe that most of the groups into which the Deer have 

 been divided are strictly geographic divisions ; the only exception is 

 in the Stags, or the restricted genus Cervus, one species of which is 

 found in America. The following animal appears to be a similar ex- 

 ample in the geniis Capreolus, which has hitherto been restricted 

 to species found in the Old World. 



In size it agrees with the specimens of the male Alii or C. pygar- 

 gus from Siberia in the British Museum collection, being at least 

 three times as large as the usual European Roebucks ; but it differs 

 from that species in being much darker, in not having the white spot 

 which extends over the upper part of the sides of the haunches, and 

 in having the greater part of the front of the chin and a spot on each 

 side of the upper lip white, instead of the lip and chin being nearly 

 black, as in that species. 



In all the characters above noted it agrees with the European Roe- 

 buck, as it also does in the greater stoutness of the legs and the 

 greater length of the face. Indeed I can see no difference between it 

 and the European Roebuck, except in the greater size, the greater 

 length of the quills, and their more distinct and broader subterminal 

 yellow bands, and in the hair on the inside of the ears being whiter ; 

 but in the latter character it also differs from C. pygargus. 



I think it may be distinguished by the provisional name of C leu- 

 cotis. 



