420 MR. BLANFORD ON PARADOXURUS JERDONI. [NoV. 16, 



There was little doubt of the specific identity of the specimen with 

 that belonging to the Vienna Museum, described by Fitzinger under 

 the name of Cryptophractus pilosus \ and also with two specimens 

 from Guyaquil in the Lima Museum, described and figured by 

 Burmeister as Praopus hirsutus ^ if, as was probably the case, the 

 smaller size of the present specimen could be attributed to its not 

 being full-grown. So far as Prof. Flower knew, these were the only 

 published indications of the existence of this somewhat remarkable 

 species, or at all events very distinct variety, of Armadillo, of which 

 no specimen existed in our National collection. 



Prof. Bell exhibited and made remarks upon an object (apparently 

 of the nature of an amulet) supposed to have been made from some 

 portion of the skin of a mammal. It had been obtained from the 

 natives at Moreton Bay, and sent to Kew, being supposed to be of 

 vegetable origin. 



Mr. Seebohm exhibited a skin of the Lesser White-fronted Goose, 

 Anser albifrons minutus (Anser erythropus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 

 p. 197), which had been shot on the 16th of September last near Holy 

 Island, on the coast of Northumberland, by Mr. Alfred Crawhall 

 Chapman, of Sunderland. It was the first recorded example of the 

 small form of the White-fronted Goose which had been obtained on 

 the coasts of our islands, and it was especially interesting as being a 

 young bird in first plumage. It proved to be a female on dissection, 

 and bore a remarkable resemblance to the young in first plumage of 

 the dark-bellied or typical form of the Brent Goose, Anser hrenta ; 

 but its much greater expanse of wing (4 feet) and its large legs 

 and feet, which were yellow-ochre in colour when first shot, precluded 

 the possibility of confounding it with that species. Its very small 

 bill, quite as small as that of the Brent Goose, showed it to be a small 

 example of the small form of the White-fronted Goose, but in so 

 young a bird the white forehead had not yet appeared. 



Mr. W. T. Blanford exhibited a stuffed skin, the first perfect 

 specimen he had seen, of Paradoxurus jerdoni, described and figured 

 in the Society's Proceedings for 1885 (pp. 613, 802, pi. xlix.). For 

 this specimen, which was killed at Kateri (Kartary) on the Nilgiri 

 hills, Mr. Blanford was indebted to Mr. G. F. Hatnpson, of Dun- 

 sandle, Ootacamund, who had identified the species from the descrip- 

 tion, and had confirmed the suggestion already made by Mr. Blanford, 

 /. c. p. 613, that this species inhabits the Nilgiri hills as well as the 

 Animale range. 



The following papers were read : — 



1 Tageblatt, Nr. 32 ; Versamml. deutsch. Naturf. u. Aerzte, 1856, Nr. 6, 

 S. 123. I am only acquainted with this reference through Pitzinger's subsequent 

 paper, "Die natiirliche Pamilie der Giirtelthiere (Dasypoder)," in Sitz. der k. 

 Akad. der Wissensch., Band Ixiv. 1 Abth. (1871). 



^ Abhandl. naturf. Gesell. Halle, B. vi. p. 147 (1861). 



