1892.] ON THE BODY-CAVITY IN SNAKES. 477 



Mr. Sclater read some extracts from a letter addressed to him by- 

 Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., F.Z.S., dated the Residency, Zomba, 

 British Central Africa, March 27th, 1892, announcing the despatch 

 of a large consignment of Natural History specimens illustrative of the 

 Fauna and Flora of the Shire Highlands, a good proportion of which 

 were from altitudes of from 4000 to 8000 feet on Mount Zomba and 

 Mount Milanji. Mr. Johnston requested Mr. Sclater to place these 

 specimens in the hands of competent naturalists for examination. 



Mr. Sclater stated that one box containing 150 bird-skins and 

 6 mammal-skiiis had already arrived, and that he proposed to ask 

 Mr. Oldfield Thomas to undertake the examination of the latter and 

 Captain Shelley to determine the birds. The first complete set 

 of everything was to be deposited in the British Museum. 



Mr. W. Saville Kent, F.Z.S., exliibited and made remarks on 

 some photographs of a species of the genus Podargus (P. siriff aides), 

 showing the strange attitudes of these birds in a living state. 



Mr. J. W. Gregory, F.Z.S., gave an account of his researches on 

 the British Paleogene Bryozoa, of which he recognized 30 species, 

 represented in the National Collection by about 7.50 specimens. 



This paper will be published entire in the Society's • Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On the Subdivision of the Bocly-ca\'ity in Snakes. 

 By Gerard W. Butler, B.A., F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived May 14, 1892.] 



(Plate XXVIII.) 



Contents. „ 



Page 

 I. Introductory 473 



II. Bibliography 473 



III. List of Snakes examined 481 



IV. On the Subdivision of the Body -cavity in the Adult Snake. 



(0) Preliminary, and as to certain e.xtra-peritoneal lymph- 

 spaces 482 



(i.) The single posterior peritoneal space 483 



(ii.) The unpaired ^a5!';-jc peritoneal space of the left side ... 486 



(iii.) The paired peritoneal liver-sacs 487 



(iv.) The unpaired " omental" or " lesser peritoneal " spaoe of 



the right side 487 



V. Explanation of the List of Snakes in § III 489 



VT. The Developmental History of the Pleuroperitoneal Cavity of 



Snakes 49O 



(i.) Early embryos of Tropidonofics, &c 490 



(ii.) Embryos oi Elaphis 11 cm. long 491 



(iii.) Embryo of £'/a^^w 1.5 em. long 492 



VII. The Subdivisions of the Body-cavity of Snakes compared with 



those of other Sauropsida 494 



VIII. Conclusions 49g 



IX. Explanation of Plate XXVIII ......'..!!.......!...!.!. 497 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1892, No. XXXIII. 33 



