220 MR. A. H. EVERETT ON THE ZOO-GEOGRAPHICAL [Apr. 16, 



a colony of wild Herons (Ardea cinerea) had lately established 

 itself, and now numbered 24 pairs. 



In Amsterdam Mr. Sclater was much interested to find an adult 

 male and a young female of the fine x\ntelope Tragelaphiis gratus, 

 described by him in the Society's ' Proceedings ' for ] 883 (see P. Z. S. 

 1883, p. 34, pi. viii.), remarkable for its long extended hoofs. 

 These animals were named in Amsterdam Tragelaphus decula, but 

 were certainly not, in Mr. Sclater's opinion, AntUope decula of 

 Riippell (Neue Wirb. i. p. II, t. iv.). They had been received 

 from a correspondent on the Lower Congo. Other fine species 

 represented in the Amsterdam Gardens were Canis jubatus of 

 Brazil, Pedetes caffer of South Africa, Felis servalina, Ogilby 

 {cf. Sclater, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 49.5, pi. Ixiii.), from the Congo, and 

 Corythaix livingstoni, G. R. Gray. 



Mr. Sclater had also paid a visit to the private garden of Heer 

 Blanuw, at Westervald, near Hildersum, and inspected with great 

 pleasure the herd of Gnus (Catobfepas gnu) recently spoken of by 

 that gentleman in a communication to this Society {supra p. 2), and 

 the other beautiful sj)ecimens in that collection. 



Mr. E. T. Newton, F.Z.S., exhibited a tibio-tarsus of the large 

 extinct bird Gastornis klaasseni irom the Woolwich Beds of Croydon. 

 The specimen had parts preserved in it which were wanting in the 

 type (described, Trans, vol. xii. p. 143), and consequently the length 

 of the bone was now made certain. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Remarks on the Zoo-geograpliical Relationships of the 

 Island of Palawan and some adjacent Islands. By A. H. 

 Everett, C.M.Z.S. 



[Eeceived March 15, 1889.] 

 (Plate XXIII.) 



It has been customary heretofore to regard the Island of Palawan, 

 together with Balabac and the numerous smaller islands which lie 

 between South Balabac and the Miudoro Straits, as forming a kind 

 of debatable land, of which the fauna was not sufficiently well known 

 to allow of its being allocated definitely to the Philippines or to 

 Borneo and the more typical sub-area o( the Indc-Malayan Sub- 

 Region. But in actual practice these islands have been treated as a 

 part of the Philippine sub-area by the authors who have written on 

 the zoology of the latter, though until lately this practice was fol- 

 lowed simply for reasons of convenieice, and not as expiessing the 

 opinion that their natural zoo-geographical relationship lay with that 

 group rather than with Borneo. 



Quite recently, however, Professor J. B. Steere, to whom we are 



