ON WING-CLAWS IN YOUNG BLACK-BACKED POKPHYRIOS. 985 



EXHIBITIONS AND NOTICES. 



June 27, 1911. 



Frederick Gillett, Esq., Yice-Pi^esiclent, 

 in the Chair. 



The Secretary read the following report on the additions made 

 "to the Society's Menagerie during the month of May 1911 : — 



The registered additions to the Society's Menagei-ie during the 

 month of May were 445 in number. Of these 163 were acquired 

 by presentation, 200 by purchase, 41 were received on deposit, 

 25 in exchange, and 16 were born in the Gardens. 



The total number of departures during the month, by death 

 and by removals, was 204. 



Amongst the additions special attention may be called to the 

 following : — 



1 African Rhinoceros {Rhinoceros bicornis) S , from Nairobi, 

 received from R. B. Woosnam, Esq., C.M.Z.S., for H.M. The 

 King's African Collection, on May 19th. 



1 Californian Sea-Lion {Otciria ccdiforniana) $ , from the 

 North Pacific Ocean, purchased on May 10th. 



2 Three-coloured Parrot-Finches [Erythrara trichroa), new to 

 the Collection, from New Guinea, received in exchange on 

 May 4th. 



A Collection of 38 Fishes, received on May 1st, comprising the 

 following species, all new to the Collection : — 



A ^word-teiiis {Xiphophor us helleri) from Mexico, 2 Fighting Fish 

 (Betta splende7is) irom Singapore, 2 Fan-tailed Cyprinodons (Bivulus 

 flahellicauda) from Mexico, 2 Elegant Cyprinodons {Haplochilus 

 elegans) from the Niger River, 2 Chaper's Cyprinodons {Rcqylo- 

 chilus chap>eri) from Sierra Leone, 2 Timid Cyprinodons {Haplo- 

 chilus panchax) from Cochin India, presented by P. Arnold, Esq. ; 

 2 Poey's Cyprinodons (Rivulus poeyi) from Para, 6 Ocellated 

 Cyprinodons {Rivulus ocellatus) from Santos, 10 Zebra Fish 

 {Dania rero) from Bengal, presented by G. A. Boulenger, Esq., 

 F.Z.S. ; 2 Freshwater Flying- Fish {Pantodon buchholzi) and 2 

 Gular Cyprinodons {Fundidus gularis) from the Niger River, and 

 2 Rainbow Fish {Trichogaster lahius) from Bengal, purchased. 



Mr. D. Seth-Smith, F.Z.S., the Society's Curator of Birds, ex- 

 hibited two immature Black-backed Porphyrios {Porphyrio melano- 

 notus) which had been bred in the Gardens, and i-emarked upon 

 their possession of a well-developed claw (text-fig. 200, p. 986) on the 

 pollex. Although these wing-claws were said to be functional 

 only in the Hoatzin amongst living birds, the exhibitor believed 

 that they were so also in the present species and also probably in 



