482 THE SECRETARY ON PELAMIS BICOLOR. [May 19,. 



never been opened, is still available in case of a final appeal. I 

 would suggest that if there is any one still in doubt on the subject, 

 any one who still thinks that the right cardiac valve of Apteryoo 

 differs from that of ordinary birds and is provided with chordae 

 tendineae attached to membranous flaps, he should be asked to open 

 Sir Richard Owen's hitherto unpenetrated third specimen at a 

 meeting of this Society. 



The first and the second specimens I have opened by an appro- 

 priate incision in the right ventricular wall, in the presence of 

 Professor Bourne, and had no difficulty in bringing the right cardiac 

 valve in each heart into full view. It presented none of the peculiar 

 features attributed by Sir Richard Owen to the right cardiac valve 

 of these identical specimens which Sir Richard believes himself to 

 have examined, but which neither he nor any one else had seen 

 until I opened up the ventricular wall to-day (April 24th, 1885). 

 The valve was entirely fleshy as in an ordinary bird (compare figs. 1, 

 2, with figs. 3, 4). There were no radiating fibrous cords binding 

 the mid-region of the valve to the ventricular wall, such as are 

 shown in Sir Richard Owen's drawing. There was no departure 

 from the typical Avian right cardiac valve; no such departure has 

 been seen in any specimen of the Apteryx-ht&xt which has been 

 opened. 



It seems important that the actual condition of the right cardiac 

 ■valve in Apteryx should be represented pictorially, and I therefore 

 give here two drawings of that structure taken from the specimen 

 in my possession (figs. 3 & 4, p. 479), and also for comparison, two 

 views of the right cardiac valve of the Common Fowl (figs. 1 & 2, 

 p. 478), and of the Ornithorhynchus (tigs. 5 & 6, p. 480) for com- 

 parison. 



May 19, 188.5. 

 F. Du Cane Godman, Esq., F.R.S., F.Z.S., in the Chair. 



A communication was read from Prof J. von Haast, C.M.Z.S., 

 containing a description of some fossil remains of a species of Dinornis 

 remarkable for its small size, and apparently previously undescribed, 

 which he proposed to call Dinornis oweni. The remains in question, 

 at present deposited in the Auckland Museum, had been obtained 

 near Whangarei, New Zealand. Prof, von Haast added some remarks 

 on Dinornis c?'assus, Owen. 



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



The Secretary read the following extract from a letter addressed 

 to him by the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk, C.M.Z.S., dated Breakwater, 

 Cape Town, January 27th, 188.5 : — 



" I wish to mention that a Snake was taken amongst the rocks in a 

 pool of -water and seaweed at the entrance to Table Bay, which, 

 from the description given of it by those who found it, I have every 

 reason to believe was a ' Pelamis bicolor.' It was found by the 



