1902.] THE SECRETARY OX ADDITIONS TO THE MEXAC4ERIE. 317 



5. Note on Alces hedforJicc. 

 By Hon. Walter Rothschild, M.P., F.Z.S. 



[Received July 1, 1902.] 



At the scientific meeting of this Society on June 17th a 

 communication was read from Mr. H. J. Elwes, taking to task 

 Mr. Lydekker for describing a new Elk from insufficient material 

 (see P. Z. S. 1 902, vol. ii. p. 1 04). I wish to point out to the Society 

 that the characters by which species and subspecies of vertebrate 

 animals are distinguished are much more constant as a rule than 

 those of the Invertebrata, the study of which probably induced 

 Mr. Elwes to make this communication. Therefore Mr. Lydekker, 

 to my mind, was justified in describing Alces bedfordice, though I 

 personally would only have given the new form subspecific rank. 

 In support of the validity of this new Elk, I may say I knew of 

 its existence eight years before Mr. Lydekker described it. I 

 have in the Tring Museum a good series of this form in addition 

 to the two types. Mr. Carl Hagenbeck has received considera.ble 

 numbers of these horns, and many pairs have passed through the 

 London horn- and feather-merchants' hands, which, being of the 

 same type, prove the recently desciibed form to be fully worthy 

 of a name. 



November 18, 1902. 



Prof. G. B. Howes, D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S., Vice-President, 

 in the Chair. 



The Secretary read the following report on the additions to the 

 Society's Menagerie during the month of October 1902 : — 



The registered additions to the Society's Menagerie during the 

 month of October were 169 in number. Of these 66 were acquired 

 by pi'esentation and 1 by purchase, 89 were received on deposit, 

 and 13 in exchange. The total number of departures during the 

 same period, by death and removals, was 140. 



Amongst these special attention may be drawn to : — 



1 . A specimen of the Galapagan Barn- Owl [Strix punctatissima), 

 deposited Oct. 11th, probably the first example of this rare Owl 

 that has reached Europe alive. 



2. Seven living examples of the Galapagan Land-Iguana (Cono- 

 lophus suhcristatus) from Seymour Island, Galapagos, deposited 

 Oct. 11th. 



The Barn-Owl and Iguanas were brought from the Galapagos 

 along with a collection of Gigantic Tortoises, and deposited by 

 the Hon. Walter Rothschild, M.P., F.Z.S. 



3. A specimen of the Fringed Gecko {Uroplates fimbriatus) 

 from Madagascar, deposited Oct. 25th bv the Hon. Walter 

 Rothschild, M.P., F.Z.S. 



