1906.1 ON THE SUPPOSED BREEDING OF A MULE. 123 



remained rather restricted in their diet. A few only developed 

 jaws of type 2 R ; crushing rather than grinding machines. 



It was left to the Mammals to develop jaws of the true type 2, 

 and so to be able to achieve easy horizontal movements of the 

 teeth over one another, by which they could grind seeds and reap 

 the highest benefits of a vegetarian diet. 



The Birds solved the difficulty of triturating vegetable food by 

 improving their gizzards, not their mouths. 



The development of the higher Carnivora was a consequence of 

 the development of the Herbivora. The modern jaws of type 1, 

 with their tuberculated posterior molars, their overlappiiig 

 carnassial teeth, and their long canines, are as perfect machines 

 of their own kind as jaws of type 2. 



The failure of the Reptiles was perhaps due, among other 

 things, to their inability to produce types with jaws capable of 

 efi"ective grinding movements. They were unable to make the 

 most of vegetable foods, and hence were restricted to the parts of 

 the world where the more luxuriant forms of vegetation were 

 found. 



February 20, 1906. 



Q. A. BouLENGEB, Esq., F.R.S., Vice-President, 

 in the Chair. 



The Secretary read the following report on the additions that 

 had been made to the Society's Menagerie in January 1906 :— 



The registered additions to the Society's Menagerie during the 

 month of January were 220 in number. Of these 34 were acquired 

 by presentation and 73 by purchase, 112 were received on deposit, 

 and 1 was born in the Gardens. The total number of departures 

 during the same period, by death and removals, was 208. 



Amongst the additions special attention may be directed to :— 



A Snow-Leopard (i^eZisMWcia), from Ladak; presented by Major 

 A. H. Hussey, R.H.A., on January 22nd. 



An Aard Wolf {Proteles cristatus), from South Africa ; purchased 

 on January 23rd. 



A Salt-Marsh Cavy {Dolichotis scdinicola), from the Argentine, 

 new to the Collection, deposited on January 23rd. 



The Secretary read the following extract fi-om a letter addressed 

 to him by Maj.-Gen. Sir Reginald Talbot, K.C.B., Governor of 

 Victoria : — 



" It may interest the Zoological Society of London to be informed 

 of a well-authenticated case of a Mule giving birth to a foal. 



" I enclose an extract from the ' Australasian ' of Dec. 30th, 1 905, 

 giving a portrait of this mule and foal photographed by Captain 

 Buxton of my Staff. I have myself seen the pair, and there is a 



