ON SKINS OF THE AUSTRALIAN BULGEEIGAR. 445 



small vent at the top. When mild weather was on, she would 

 take her paws and pat the straw down until the opening was 

 practically full size. She left the nest at the end of seven days 

 for food and drink, and continued to do so until along in April, 

 when she permitted the baby to come out. The nest was so con- 

 structed that it resembled a large wicker basket. For a few 

 weeks the baby Avould crawl out and look over the side, but 

 mother was always there to discourage any attempt on the baby's 

 part to leave the nest. 



" We have four adult polar bears that came to us direct from 

 Bergen, Norway, in 1912. 1 have accustomed them to what 

 might be considered a peculiar diet for this class of animals. 

 We feed them on bread, apples, carrots, boiled rice, dried stock- 

 fish, a mess of fresh fish seldom, and no meat whatever. They 

 get a pan of cod-liver oil now and then, grass of all kinds during- 

 the summer months, also dog biscuits. The adult bears have 

 a sleeping den on the hillside 8x47 ft. deep and 7 high, and an 

 outside enclosure 50x60 ft., containing ledges, grottos, etc., also 

 a bathing tank 15 ft. wide, 30 ft. long, and 8 ft. 5 inches deep. 

 The bears bathe continuously, and are one of our main attractions 

 in the collection. 



" We used every precaution not to disturb onr mothei- bear. 

 The day that she was out for food I peeped into her nest, and 

 this baby was about as large as a full-grown guinea-pig, fully 

 furred, and with two little black eyes like beads. 1 could not 

 determine when it had opened its eyes. It is a wonderful cub, 

 only had one sick spell, and that lasted only for a few^ hours." 



Mr. C. Davies Sherbokn, F.Z.S., exhibited a coin of the Saka 

 Dynasty (Punjab Region) of King Arzes (Ayasa), showing the 

 so-called " maneless lion " of Asia, about B.C. 30. This coin 

 belongs to the Baotrian Series, and is inscribed in Greek on one 

 side and in Pali on the other. 



Mr. F. Martin Duncan, F.Z.S., exhibited, and made remarks 

 upon, a series of lantern-slides of a remarkable nest of the Wasp 

 ( Vespa germanica). 



Mr. D. Seth-Smith exhibited a series of skins of the Australian 

 Budgerigar {Meloj^slttacus undulaUts), showing the various colour- 

 varieties that have been produced in captivity. He remarked 

 that the species was apparently first impoited alive in Europe by 

 John Gould in 1840, since when not only had it been freely 

 brought home, but it had bred in captivity so readily that now it 

 might be said to be a domesticated species, and, like other domes- 

 ticated species, certain col our- varieties had been produced. There 



