298 MR. H. SCHERREN ON OLD | Nov. 14, 
Dr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., read a letter addressed to him by 
Mr. Wilham Rodier, dated Tambua Station, Cobar, New South 
Wales, June 29th, 1905, in which it was stated that Mr. Rodier’s 
plan for combating the Rabbit-pest (‘ Nature,’ March 21st, 1889) 
was still proving a ‘wonderful success.” As there had been 
some good rains in the district the feed at Tambua was “ splendid, 
right up to the boundary netting-fence,” but on the other side 
there was “absolute starvation,” owing to the great numbers of 
rabbits. This summer, in Mr. Rodier’s opinion, would see the 
surrounding district quite ‘“‘eaten out” by the rabbits, which 
were there in millions, but were easily kept down at Tambua by 
his plan. 
Mr. Rodier’s plan, which was very simple, might be shortly 
described as follows :—Ferrets and nets are employed to catch the 
vabbits alive in the usual way, but while all the females captured 
are destroyed, the males are turned out uninjured. The results 
are that the male rabbits, so soon as they begin to predominate in 
numbers, persecute the females with their attentions and prevent 
them from breeding. They also kill the young rabbits, and, as 
Mr. Rodier declares, “ worry the remaining does to death.” 
My. Henry Scherven, F.Z.8., exhibited two lantern-slides of old 
pictures of Anthropoid Apes, and made the following remarks on 
the Satyrus indicus of Tulpius (text-fig. 50) :— 
There appeared to be in Dapper (‘ Beschreibung von Afrika,’ 
Amsterdam, 1670, p. 393) an early reference to a Gorilla. No 
figure was given, but the description, though of course inexact, 
seemed to fit the Gorilla better than the Chimpanzee, especially 
with regard to erect progression *, the folk-story of carrying off 
and ravishing women, and the supposed human origin. The 
passage 1s as follows :— 
“Hier [Quoja, north of Fernando Po] wird auch ein Tier 
gefunden, welches die Einwohner Quojas-Morrow oder Worow 
und die Portugallier Salvage dass ist ein Waldmann nennen. 
Es hat emen grossen Kopf, dicken Leib, fleischichte Arme, damit 
es in Ringen sehr starck ist, aber gantz keen Schwantz; und 
gehet zuweilen mit ausgerecktem gerade Leibe auf den Hinter- 
fiissen allen wie die Affen zuweilen auf allen vieren langst der 
Erde. Die Schwartzen sagen dass es von Menschen entsprossen ; 
aber durch das wilde Leben im Busche zum halben unverniinft- 
igen Tiere sei worden. Diese Tiere leben vom wilde Honige 
und die Friichten in den Biischen : auch fechten sie fort und fort 
nuit emander. Ja, sie diirfen nicht allein die Frauen ergreifen 
und nohtziichtigen, sondern auch die gewafnete Minner selbsten 
anfallen.” 
In December 1904 the Hon. Walter Rothschild, M.P., laid 
hefore the Society a valuable paper, entitled ‘ Notes on Anthiyo- 
poid Apes”, and exhibited what was undoubtedly the finest 
* R. I. Pocock, P. Z.S. 1905, vol. ii. p. 178. 
7 P. ZS. 1904, vol. i. pp. 413-440. 
