1896.] ZOOLOQlOAIy EXPEDITION TO MADAGASOAE. 973 



very successful, thauks chiefly to the cooperation of the 

 natives, Betsileos and Betsiinisarakas ; but the French never 

 came. The result was, that in the beginning of September 1895, 

 after having despatched my collections via Ambositra, I returned 

 to Sirabe aud searched earnestly for the ^pyornis — at the best 

 time, with regard to the condition of the marshes ; at the worst, 

 with regard to that of the country generally. Three times I was 

 compelled to interrupt the work, once for a whole week. To 

 make up for lost time, I engaged in the intervals as many 

 workmen as presented themselves, generally more than fifty. 

 "When at last the rainy season stopped the business, I found that 

 after all the result was more than 1 had expected ; my collections 

 were far superior to what any previous collector had brought 

 together in many years. I have to acknowledge with thanks the 

 Eev. Mr. Eosaas's friendly help at this place, especially in using 

 his influence with the natives on our behalf. 



The rest of the Odysey can be told in a. few words. First a 

 forced stay of nearly two months in the capital ; a short sojourn 

 of some weeks in the forest of Ankeramadinika, at a day's journey 

 to the east, where not much was to be done, owing chiefly to the 

 growing unfriendliness oF the Ilovas towards all Europeans. Still 

 some good things, including a new Lemur, were secured here.. 

 Later on, I travelled south again, settled in the old place Ampi- 

 tambe, with equally good results as the first time; the work, however, 

 was unfortunately interrupted by the unsafety of the place. 

 Lastly, a lengthened sojourn was made in a more southern 

 region, viz. near Vinanitelo, in the forest of the independent 

 Tanalas, 30 miles south of Fianarantsoa. Here some attempts 

 to make excavations were without result ; but good work was 

 done in collecting recent mammals, as the foUovi'ing statement 

 may show : — at the end of my first stay at Ampitambe 804 

 specimens of recent Mammals had been collected ; when T left 

 Vinanitelo this figure bad been more than doubled. 



Some general remarks on the results of my excavations at Sirabe 

 may not be out of place here. The mammalian remains found were 

 few, and on this account the locality cannot be said to be a very 

 favourable one ; besides there were difficulties of various kinds 

 connected with the excavations and more or less inherent to the 

 locality. The predominant feature of the fossil fauna of Sirabe 

 in general is the great rarity of strictly terrestrial vertebrates. 

 Apart from the Hippopoiatmis, which is numerous in the 

 sujjerficial deposit as well as lower down, the only mammalian 

 remains found are a lower jaw of a Centetes, scanty remains of 

 llodents (which, to judge from a pelvis, belong to a Murine of con- 

 siderable diitiensions), some bones referable to Potamochoenis, and 

 finally the remains of two species of a remarkable new family of 

 Monkeys, chiefly represented by an incomplete skull, part of a 

 lower jaw, milk-dentition, humerus, &c., some of which I have 

 preliminarily described in the October number of the ' Geological 

 Magazine ' under the name of Nesopithecus. It will be more fully 



