1888.] ON MAMMALS FROM EQUATORIAL AFRICA. 3 



Mr. F. Day, F.Z.S., exhibited a specimen of the Spanish Loach, 

 Cobitis tcenia, captured the previous week at Hungerford. 



Mr. Day also exhibited two specimens of hybrid Salmonidse from 

 Howietoun, both of which had been removed from the ponds on Dec. 

 1st, 1887. The first was of the leopard breed, 13-2 inches long, and 

 one of the progeny from 8000 eggs of an American Char {Salmofon- 

 tinalis), taken on November 15th, 1882, milted from a Loch-Leven 

 Trout. Although 4 years and 10 months of age, this was the first 

 season that they had been observed to be fertile ; the specimeu was a 

 female full of nearly ripe eggs. The second fish was one of the zebra 

 breed, 18 inches long, 3 lb. in weight, and one of those raised from 

 3000 ova of the Loch-Leven Trout taken on November 29th, 1883, 

 and milted from an American Char. This fish, 3 years and 10 

 months old, was also a fertile female. The external colours in these 

 two forms were very similar, and coloured drawings of the hues 

 exhibited by the fish when first captured were likewise shown. 

 These fishes were covered with reticulations or vermiculated lines on 

 a grey or silvery ground, and differed in appearance from either of 

 their parents. But the most remarkable feature was the dentition 

 of the vomer, for in the Char teeth are only found along the 

 hind edge of the head of that bone, not along its shaft, where they 

 are, however, present in Trout. In these hybrids the hind edge of 

 the head of the vomer was toothed as in a Char, and also for a short 

 distance along the shaft of that bone, where three or four teeth were to 

 be seen. Thus a fertile form could be produced, differing in external 

 colours from Trout or Char, and having neither the dentition of 

 IS. salvelinus nor of true S.fario, but a compound between the two. 

 if such a form had been captured wild, and it is now so found in Car- 

 diganshire, doubtless it would have been referred to a new species. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On a Collection of Mammals obtained by Emin Pasha in 

 Equatorial Africa^ and presented by bim to the Natural 

 History Museum. By Oldfield Thomas. 



[Eeceived December 14, 1887.] 



(Plates I. & IL) 



The Mammals recently received by the Natural History Museum 

 from Dr. Emin Pasha number 115, belonging to 39 species — a col- 

 lection which is of the utmost value as a contribution to our know- 

 ledge of the Central- African fauna, and one which reflects the 

 highest credit on the energy and scientific spirit of the man by 

 whom it was formed. When the cares and anxieties of a person in 

 the position of responsible governor of a large and turbulent African 

 province are considered, it seems wonderful that Emin should have 

 been able to make any collections at all, and still more should have 



1* 



