188(5.] ON OVIS HODGSONI AND OVIS VtGNEI. 205 



scarcely any dense black, while the hind legs are slightly tawny with 

 clear markings of black and white. The whole skin is very handsome 

 and remarkable. The specimen was caught by a native in a trap and 

 then shot. The native took the tip of the tail and the claws for 

 trophies. It was caught about twenty miles from Grahani's-town. 

 I have made many inquiries respecting this peculiar variety with the 

 hope of forming some good theory ex|)laining this deviation from 

 the ordinary type. I can only trace four specimens, viz. : — The skin 

 in the Graham's-town Museum (tiiis is a good specimen, but not 

 nearly so black as the one in my possession) ; another was taken 

 to England by Mr. Bowker, and is in the British Museum ; a 

 third was sold some time ago at a Church bazaar, but I cannot trace 

 it ; and the fourth I have. I do not know of any other for certain. 

 All these have been shot in, or about the same district. The one I 

 have came from CoUingham near to Graham's-town. I am told that 

 there are two living specimens still in tiie district, and there may be 

 more, but these two have been seen, but not captured. I am still 

 on the trail for more information ; at present I cannot give any 

 certain or probable account of the origin of this variety, but I write 

 this to you and shall be glad to forward you further information when 

 I have completed my investigation. 



" I remain, dear Sir, 

 Yours sincerely, 

 (Siiined) Nendick Abraham, 

 Pres. Griiham's-tuwu Natural History Society." 



April 20, 188G. 



Prof. Flower, LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



Mr. O. Salvin, F.R.S., exhibited a living specimen of an exotic 

 Worm — Bipuliutn kewense (Moseley, Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. ^, vol. i. 

 p. 238), found at Hawksfold, Fernhurst, April 19, 18s6, amongst 

 the broken tiles at the bottom of a pot of Calceolaria, which had 

 been in a cold frame the whole winter. This fact suggested that 

 the true home of B. kewense was some temperate region. 



The following extract was read from a letter addressed by Mr. 

 R. A. Sterndale, F.Z.S., to Sir Victor Brooke, concerning a case of 

 hybridism between Ovis hodgsoni and 0. vignei : — 



" In the mountain-range south of the Indus, near Lanskar (the 

 precise locality being for obvious reasons withheld from publication), 

 a herd of Ovis vignei were observed for some years to contain a large 

 ram of Ovis Jiodgsoni, who drove out the weaker Shapoo rams and 

 appropriated the ewes of the herd. The ram was ultimately, one 

 winter, killed and eaten by Chankos or Tibetan wolves; but 

 during his stay he produced a family of hybrids possessing greater 

 size of horn and head, with characteristic colouring combining traits 



