312 THE HON. W. ROTHSCHILD ON A NEW PIGEON. [May 5, 



level. His report of this coal was very favourable, as it made a good 

 fire and burned up strongly. Prof. Drummond, however, who 

 seems to have examined the same bed, at the same place, is much 

 less satisfied with the coal he tried, and did not tliink it of much 

 economic value. 



Mount Waller, which rises some 3100 feet above the lake, was 

 visited by Mr. Stewart, and found to consist of horizontal argillaceous 

 and sandy beds, of varying degrees of hardness — three bands of 

 coarse grit forming a broad ledge along the mountain side at an 

 elevation of about 1200 feet. 



Not far from the village of Karongo, at the N.W. extremity of 

 Lake Nyassa, Prof. Drummond met with a series of sedimentary 

 deposits, some of which are fossiliferous. These he believes to be 

 continuous with the coal-bearing series near Mount Waller, although 

 situated about 60 miles further to the north-west. 



The fossils found are of much interest, being the first recorded 

 from Central Africa. They consist of some fragmentary fish- 

 remains and some shells. The fishes have been described by 

 Dr. R. H. Traquair as Acrolepis 1 drummondi and A. africanus ; 

 while the mollusks have been named by Prof. T. Rupert Jones 

 Iridina oblonga. 



From these fossils it is evident that the deposits are closely related 

 to the Karoo formation, which is so well known further south ou 

 account of the Dicynodon and other remarkable reptilian remains 

 which it has yielded. 



Remarks were also made by Dr. A. Giinther on the Fishes, by 

 Mr. O. Thomas on the Mammals, by Mr. Stebbing on the Crusta- 

 ceans, by Mr. Salvin on the Butterflies, and by Mr. Beddard on 

 the Earthworms of British Central Africa. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Description of a new Pigeon of the Genus Carpophaga. 

 By tlie Hon. Walter Rothschild, F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived April 10, 1891.] 

 (Plate XXVIII.) 



The Pigeon described below was sent from the Chatham Islands 

 by my collector Henry Palmer. 



This Pigeon, which at Professor Newton's suggestion I propose to 

 call Carpophaga chathamenais, is very closely allied to the Carpophaga 

 of New Zealand, Carpophaga novce zealandice, but can be at once 

 distinguished from it not only by the very considerable differences 

 in colour, but also by its much larger size and larger beak. 



Carpophaga chathamensis, sp. nov. (Plate XXVIII.) 

 Adult male. Head, neck, and fore part of breast deep brownish 



I 



