298 MR. ]1. SCHERREX OX OLD [Nov. 14, 



Dr. p. L. Sclater, F.R.S., read a letter addressed to him by 

 Mr. William Rodier, dated Tambua, Station, Cobar, New South 

 Wales, June 29th, 1905, in which it was stated that Mr. Rodier's 

 plan for combating the Rabbit-pest ('Nature,' March 21st, 1889) 

 was still proving a " wonderful success." As there had been 

 some good rains in the district the feed at Tambua was " splendid, 

 right up to the boundary netting-fence," but on the other side 

 there was "absolute starvation," owing to the great numbers of 

 rabbits. This summer, in Mr. Rodier's opinion, would see the 

 surrounding district quite "eaten out" by the rabbits, which 

 were there in millions, but were easily kept down at Tambua by 

 liis plan. 



Mr. Rodier's plan, which was very simple, might be shortly 

 ilescribed as follows : — Ferrets and nets are employed to catch the 

 labbits alive in the usual way, but while all the females captured 

 are destroyed, the males ai'e turned out uninjured. The results 

 ai-e that the male rabbits, so soon as they begin to predominate in 

 numbers, persecute the females with theii- attentions and prevent 

 them from breeding. They also kill the young rabbits, and, as 

 ]\[r. Rodier declares, " worry the i-emaining does to death." 



Mr. Henry Scherren, F.Z.S., exhibited two lantern- slides of old 

 pietui'es of Anthropoid Apes, aiid made the following remai'ks on 

 tlie Satyrus indicws of Tulpius (text-fig. 50) : — 



There appeared to be in Dapper (' Beschreibung von Afrika,' 

 Amsterdam, 1670, p. 393) an early reference to a Gorilla. No 

 figui'e was given, but the description, though of course inexact, 

 seemed to fit the Gorilla better than the Chimpanzee, especially 

 with regard to erect progression *, the folk-story of carrying ofi" 

 a,nd }-avishing women, and the supposed human origin. The 

 passage is as follows : — 



"Hier [Quoja, north of Fernando Po] wird auch ein Tier 

 gefunden, welches die Einwohner Quojas-Morrou oder Worou 

 unci die Portugallier Salvage dass ist ein Waldmann nennen. 

 Es hat einen gi'ossen Kopf, dicken Leib, fleischichte Arme, damit 

 es in Ringen sehr starck ist, aber gantz keinen Schwantz ; und 

 gehet zuweilen mit ausgerecktem gerade Leibe aiif den Hintei-- 

 fiissen allein wie die Alien zuweilen auf alien vieren langst dei- 

 Erde. Die Schwartzen sag-en dass es von Menschen entsprossen ; 

 aber durch das wilde Leben im Busche zum halben unverniinft- 

 igen Tiere sei worden. Diese Tiere leben vom wilde Honige 

 und die Friiehten in den Biischen : auch fechten sie fort und fort 

 mit einander. Ja,, sie diirfen nicht allein die Frauen ergreifen 

 und nohtziichtigen, sondern auch die gewafnete Manner selbsten 

 anfallen." 



In December 1904 the Hon. Walter Rothschild, M.P., laid 

 before the Society a valuable paper, entitled " Notes on Anthi-o- 

 poid Apes " '^, and exhibited what was undoubtedly the finest 



* R. I.Pocock, P.Z.S. 1905, vol. ii. p. 178. 

 t P. Z.S. 1904, vol. ii. pp. 413-140. 



