492 THE SECRETARY ON CBRATODUS FORSTERI. [June 21, 



June 21, 1898. 

 "W. T. Blanfoed, Esq., F.E.S., V.P., ia the Chair. 



Mr. J. Graham Kerr, F.Z.S., exhibited some specimens of 

 Lcpidosiren collected by him in the Gran Cliaco oE Paraguay daring 

 1896-97. The adult males exhibited the characteristically varying 

 appearances of the hind limb in the periods before, during, and 

 after the breeding-season. Mr. Kerr also exhibited specimens of 

 the youug of Lepidosiren, illustrating especially the external gills 

 and sucker, the disappearance of these organs, and the varying 

 colour of the animal associated with the surrounding conditions of 

 light or darkness. 



A small collection of Teleostean Fishes, which had been ob- 

 tained in the same region, and kiudly identified by Mr. Boulenger, 

 was also exhibited. Amongst its components the following 

 species were interesting as characteristic inhabitants of the same 

 range of swamps in which Lepidosiren was found : — 



CiCHLIDuE. 



Acara tetramerus Heck. 

 CrenicicMa saxatilis L. 



SlLITEID^. 



Ccdlichthys asper Q. & G. 



liUoralis Hancock. 



Liposarcus pavdalis Casteln. 



Chaeacinid^. 



Macrodon trahira Spix. 

 Erythrinus unitceniatus Spix. 

 Xipliorhamphus ferox Gthr. 

 Serrasalmo serrulatus C. & V. 



Symbranchid^. 



Symhranchus marmoratus Bl. 



The Secretary called the attention of the Meeting to the arriva- 

 in the Society's Gardens of four fine living specimens of the 

 Australian Lung-fish {Ceratodus forsteri), being the first examples 

 of this fish which had been imported alive to Europe. They had 

 been captured in the Eiver Mary in Queensland and brought 

 home from Brisbane in the S.S. 'Duke of Devonshire' by 

 Mr. D. O'Connor ^ who had been engaged by the Eoyal Society of 

 Queensland to transfer this fish into other Australian rivers 

 besides those (the Mary and the Burnett) in which it was already 

 known to exist. The specimens were kept in hot-water tanks 

 (temperature 70° to 80°) in the Tortoise House and were fed 

 principally upon prawns and shrimps. 



' See his letter in the ' Field,' June Hth, 1898, vol. sci. p. 899, 



