654 ME. G. A. BOULEXGEU ON rOLYPIKRLS fO^GlCUS. [^lay 2, 



only difference in the coloration between the sexes being that, 

 whilst the underparts of the body are bright bay in the male, they 

 are reddish-grey in the female '. The specimens were obtained 

 by Crossley, and came, according to the Register, from the Betsi- 

 misaraka Country, which is rather a vague definition. 



I have myself collected specimens of what I consider to be the 

 same as Gray's species in four different forest-districts, from 900 

 to about 1300 metres above the sea-level, viz. at Ampitarabe, 

 IV. E. Betsileo (at the confines of the Betsimisai-aka country) ; at 

 Ambohimitombo and Ivohimanitra, farther to the south, in the 

 Tanala country (the Tanalas, " foresters," are part of the Betsimi- 

 saraka tribe); and, lastly, at Yinauitelo, Southern Betsileo, on the 

 confines of the Tonalas of Ikongo. The coloration varies slightly 

 from one locality to the other ; especially the specimens froui the 

 lowest district, Ivohimanitra, are of a lighter coloration, and in the 

 females the throat is white ; in young specimens the whole of 

 the underparts being of this coloration. From my material I am 

 disposed to agree with Schlegel ", who considered Gray's " Fromnia 

 itifipes" to be the same as Is. GeofFroy's Lemur ruhriventer and 

 L.flavivenier^, the latter based on the tA\o female specimens held 

 by Schlegel, rightly as I think, to be females of the former. 



My collections contain about a dozen individuals, cJ , ? , and 

 young; but I have never met with a black male. At first sight it 

 would appear quite possible that in the most northern parts of 

 Madagascar the males of one species of Lemur might have a 

 different coloration from those in more southern districts. 



TJnfortnuateiy, neither the type of L. nir/crrimus, which, as said 

 before, lived at the Society's Gardens, nor any other black Lemur, 

 apart from L. macaco, is in the Natural History Museum. I 

 should not attach great weight to the colour of the iris, stated to 

 be gi-eenish-blue in both male and female L. m(jerrimus, if this 

 coloration were not such a very exceptional occurrence in Lemurs. 

 All my supposed specimens of L. rti/ijjes had a dark yellow iris, 

 nor have I ever met with bkiish eyes in any species of Lemur. 



Of more importance still is the difference iu the skulls, those 

 of L. nigerrimus figured in Grandidier's work* being different 

 from Gray's and my specimens of supposed L. rufipcs. So that, in 

 conclusion, until better evidence is forthcoming, I am not inclined 

 to admit the specific identity of the two forms. 



Mr. G. A. Boulenger exhibited a specimen of the fish I'ohjpterus 

 eom/k-us, measuring 22 centimetres loug, from the Kiver Congo 

 (Bangala Country), remarkable for the retention of the right 

 opercular gill, the axis of which measured 34 millimetres and the 



* Dr. J. E. Gray, •' On a new Species of Lemur fVoni Jladagascar" &c.. Antr. 

 Nat. Hist. [4] vol." viii. p. 339 (1871) ; id. P. Z. S. 1872, pp. 852, 8J3, pi. Lxi.\. 

 (coloured fifJiires inaccurate). 



'^ H. Schlegel, Monographie des Singes, p. 311 (187<i). 



^ Is. Geotfrov Siiiiit-Hilaire, Catal. uutli. Coll. Mammif. &c. pp. 71, 72 (18ol). 



* Hist. Mudag., Mamm. Atlaii, ii. 1890, pi. 



