472 DR. J. ANDERSON ON SPALAX TYPHLTJS. [JunC 14, 



Mr. Sclater had also visited the private Menagerie of the Society's 

 Corresponding Member, Mr. F. E. Blaauw, of Westerveld, s'Grave- 

 land, Hilversum, and admired the beautiful herd of White-tailed 

 Gnus, and the flocks of Rheas of hoth species {Rhea americana 

 and R. darwini) and the fine series of Water-fowl to be seen there. 

 A pair of Mantchurian Cranes (Grus viridirostris) were found engaged 

 on the duties of incubation, and both Bernicla poliocephala and 

 B, ruMdieeps with young birds lately hatched '. 



A communication was read from Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, F.Z.S., 

 of the Institute of Jamaica, containing an account of the occur- 

 rence of a specimen of the Jacana (Jacana spinosa ^, Cory, B. W. I. 

 p. 252) in Jamaica. 



On April 20, 1892, Dr. Alex. G. McCatty, of Montego Bay, 

 Jamaica, had sent a specimen of this bird to Mr. F. Cundall, Secretary 

 of the Jamaica Institute, stating that it was quite new to him and had 

 been shot by his friend Mr. Dillon at Savanna-la-Mar, where it is 

 known to the people as the " Banana or Plantain Coot." This was, 

 so far as Mr. Cockerell knew, the first certain record of the Jacana 

 in Jamaica. There was, however, in the Museum of the Institute 

 of Jamaica, a skin of a Jacana presented by Mr. H. O. Vickers in 

 1886, which was said to have been shot by that gentleman in West- 

 moreland Parish, Jamaica. 



In a subsequent letter (dated May 14th) Mr. Cockerell had written 

 as follows : — 



" Since writing on this subject I have learned, from Air. R. A. 

 Walcott, Resident Magistrate for Westmoreland, that the Jacana is 

 uertainly resident in Jamaica. It was first observed by a party of 

 gentlemen, of whom Mr. Walcott was one, in 1874, on the Cabaritta 

 River. Since then it has occurred regularly, being observed in the 

 Meylersfield Morasses, between Savanna-la-Mar and Little London, 

 along the banks of the Cabaritta, and at the ponds at Hodges, near 

 Black River, in St. Elizabeth. Although there is no history of its 

 importation, it seems probable that it must have been brought to 

 Jamaica from the mainland about 1873, as the rather numerous 

 sportsmen of Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth would surely have 

 observed it, had it existed there earlier. Its arrival by natural means 

 seems out of the question, as Mr. Walcott informs me that it cannot 

 fly long distances." 



Dr. J. Anderson, F.R.S., F.Z.S., read the following notes on the 

 occurrence of Spalax typhlus in Africa : — 



" Towards the end of last April, while in Lower Egypt, I found in 

 the district of Mariut, to the west of the great lake of the same name, 

 and about eight miles from Alexandria, the rodent exhibited to-night. 



" I may mention, in order to convey to you some idea of the cha- 

 racter of the Egyptian habitat of this animal, that unlike the delta 



^ For a report on Heer Blaauw's collection, see " Educations d'Animaux faites 

 a s'Graveland (HoUande) en 1891," Eev. Sc. Nat. Appl. 1892, p. 449. 

 ^ Melius Parra gymnostmna, Wagl. 



