1908.] MR. C, TATE REGAN OX AX AUSTRALIAN CAT-FISH. 345 



April 28, 1908. 



Dr. Henry Woodward, F.R.S., Vice-President, 

 in the Cliair. 



The Secretary read the following report on the additions made 

 to the Society's Menagerie during the month of March 1908 : — 



The number of registered additions to the Society's Menagerie 

 during the month of March w-as 147. Of these 103 w^ere acquired 

 by presentation, and 17 purchased, 9 were received on deposit, 

 8 by exchange, and 10 were born in the Gardens. 



The number of departures during the same period, by death 

 and removals, was 178. 



Among the additions special attention may be directed to : — 



A pair of Jaguars {Felis onca), from Northern Paraguay, 

 purchased on March 21st. 



Two Bay Lynxes {Felis rufa), from Korth America, purchased 

 on March 28th. 



Two Himalayan Ibexes {Caprasihirica),ivo\\\ PanginearChamba, 

 presented by H.H. The Maharajah of Chamba on March 27th. 



A Red 'Rvoc\et{Mazamarufa)iim\ a Savannah Beer (Odocoileus 

 americanus savannarum), from Venezuela, presented by A. Pam, 

 Esq., F.Z.S., on March 25th. 



A Collection of thirty-one birds, including two Red-tailed 

 Guans {Ortalis ruficauda), an Ochre-winged Dove {Leptoptila 

 ochro2)tera), and two White-necked Saltators (Saltator cdbicollis), 

 new to the Collection, from Venezuela, presented by A. Pam, Esq., 

 F.Z.S., on March 25th. 



Mr. C. Tate Regan, M.A., F.Z.S., exhibited a specimen of an 

 Australian Cat-fish [Cnidoglanis megastoma Richards.), dissected 

 from one side to show the supports of the vertical fins, and made 

 the following remarks : — 



" In Teleostean Fishes the rays of the caudal fin are inserted 

 directly on the more or less expanded haemal spines of the posterior 

 vertebrae, which are generally fused to form a hypural bone ; 

 sometimes a few j^rocurrent rays above and below^ are supported 

 by the neural and hasmal spines of the vertebras preceding the 

 hypural. The dorsal and anal fins difler from the caudal in that 

 each ray is inserted on one of a series of basal supports, the so- 

 called interneural and interhpemal spines. 



" The Siluroid Fishes of the sub-family Plotosiu^ have been 

 generally defined as having two dorsal fins, a short anterior one 

 and a longer posterior fin continuous with the caudal, similar to 

 the long anal. The so-called second dorsal fin proves to be a pro- 

 current portion of the caudal fin, which has extended forward 

 along the back and in the species exhibited has a base of more 

 than I the total length of the fish and is foi-med of about 130 rays ; 



