338 DB. JBNTINK OX CERCOPITHECUS ATERRIMUS. [May 7, 



Count Salvadori's Catalogue of Parrots (see ' Catalogue of Birds in 

 the British Museum,' vol. xx. p. 581) there was but a single 

 specimen of this Parrakeet in the British Museum. The recent 

 voyage of the Earl of Glasgow, Governor of Ne^^■ Zealand, in the 

 ' Hinemoa,' to the outlying islands of New Zealand, has residted 

 in the acquisition of several specimens of this rare species. 



I take this opportunity also of calling attention to the specimens 

 of the Pacific Eat (Mus exidans) obtained by the Governor 

 of New Zealand during his recent visit to Simday Island, Kermadec 

 group, and received March 14, 1895, and presented by the Countess 

 of Glasgow. I exhibit a living pair of this interesting Rat, con- 

 cerning wliich Mr. O. Thomas has favoured me with the following 

 note : — 



" Pacific Eat {Mus exulans). 



" The Eats from Sunday Island, Kermadec group, apparently 

 belong to a species widely spread over the Pacific, the earliest 

 name of which seems to be Mus exulans, Peale ', based on Pijian 

 examples. It is possible that examples from the different groups 

 of islands may hereafter show certain differences from each other, 

 but, so far as we can see at present, aU should be united under one 

 heading. Indeed the fine Maori Eat of New Zealand {Mus 

 maorium, Hutton ') seems to be very doubtfully separable from the 

 same form, which has probably travelled from island to island in 

 native canoes, or on floating logs &c., long before European ships 

 began to bring over the ubiquitous Grey and Black Eats, which 

 now threaten to exterminate the native species throughout the 

 world." 



The following extract from a letter addressed to the Secretary 

 by Dr. Jentink, dated Leiden, April 30th, 1895, was read : — 

 " There is in the ' Zoologische Garten," 1890, pp. 266-269, a paper 

 written by Dr. Oudemans, concerning a living Monkey that 

 Dr. Oudemans described as a new species under the specific title 

 Gercointhecus aterrimus. In this paper Dr. Oudemans states that 

 ' ausgemacht ivurde der Affe sei imrhlich eine neue Art.' I feel 

 obliged to state that the story is not quite correctly told by 

 Dr. Oudemans, for, when he showed me his Monkey, and after 

 I had compared it with the large series in our Museum, I 

 informed him that if the animal ^^"as an adult specimen it might 

 belong to an undescribed species ; however, if it was a young one 

 I thought it would belong to Cercocehics cdhigena. We could not 

 make out whether all the molars were present or not, as the 

 animal would not allow us to examine its dentition. 



" Shortly afterwards it died, and I purchased the cadaver. It 



1 Peale, U.S. Exploring Exped., Mamm. p. 47 (1848). 

 - Trans. K. Z. Inst. x. p. 288 (1878). 



