1892.] MR. G. A. BOULENGER ON TESTtlDO GRANDIDIERI. 581 



them are examples of the Puisa Ichneumon {Bdeogale puisa), the 

 Black Gallinule (Limnocorax niger), the Madagascar Pratincole 

 (Glareola ocularis), Grant's Francolin {Francolinus granti), and 

 of other species new to the Society's collection. 



4. Two Ypecaha Rails {Ar amides ypecalia) from Brazil, pur- 

 chased Oct. 24, new to the Society's collection. 



The Secretary exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Thomas Ground, a 

 specimen of the Siberian Pectoral Sandpiper (Tringa acu7iiinata), 

 shot by that gentleman on Breydon mudflats, in Norfolk, in 

 August last^, and read the following letter addressed to hira on this 

 subject : — 



" School Laue, Moseley, 



Birmingham, 



Not. 14th, 1892. 

 " Dear Sir, 



"I have sent you to-day by L. & N. W. passenger train the 

 specimen of Tringa acuminata for exhibition at the meeting of your 

 Society tomorrow evening. 



'* I shot the bird on the 29th August last on Breydon mudflats ; 

 it was in company with a Ringed Plover and three or four Dunlins. 

 The boatman picked it up and threw it into the punt, saying it was 

 a Dunlin. On reaching home I examined the bird, and having 

 never seen a Dunlin with so fine and short a bill, I took it to the 

 stuffers and was agreeably surprised to find a few days afterwards 

 that it had been pronounced to be an example of T. acuminata. 



" Yours faithfully, 



" Thos. Ground." 



For the purpose of comparison with this specimen Mr. Thomas 

 Southwell had, with the permission of the Trustees of the Norfolk 

 and Norwich Museum, kindly sent up the specimen of Tringa 

 acuminata purchased by the late J. H. Gurney in 1848, and at first 

 referred to Tringa pectoralis'. 



Mr. Southwell wrote that since the specimen was recognized 

 as Tringa acuminata it had been restuff'ed for the Museum by 

 Mr. Roberts, who was decidedly of opinion that the specimen had 

 been originally (that is when stuffed by Knights) set up from the 

 flesh. It had been badly shot in the neck and legs. 



Mr. G. A. Boulenger, F.Z.S., read a paper describing the remains 

 of an extinct gigantic Tortoise from ]\Iadagascar {Testudo gran- 

 didieri, Vaill.), based on specimens obtained in caves in South-west 

 Madagascar by Mr. Last, and transmitted to the British Museum. 

 The species was stated to be most nearly allied to Testudo gigantea 

 of the Aldabra Islands. 



This memoir will be published entire in the Society's ' Transac- 

 tions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1 See 'Zoologist,' 1892, p. 356 et p, 405. 

 ^^ Cf. 'Zoologiat,' 1892, p. 405. 



