138 Zoological Society. 



WHbl^j^-i^Mi^h 1oM% sbotnng tHe geographical distribtttioii ctf ^eci^, 

 being in the highest degree valuable. I have said that the collection 

 is a very fine one, and I must not omit observing that much credit is 

 due to Capt. Stanley for affording the naturalist the requisite oppor- 

 tunities for obtaining so many interesting species ; nor is a lesser meed 

 of praise due to Mr. MacGillivray, for the very excellent manner in 

 which the specimens are prepared, and the accuracy with which all 

 the information connected with them that could be obtained has been 

 noted down. The collection of Quadrupeds and Birds only has been 

 placed in my hands for examination, with a view to my publishing 

 such novelties as it may contain in my works on these subjects ; after 

 which the specimens are to be sent to the British Museum. The pe- 

 riod that has elapsed since the arrival of the collection has been far 

 too short to admit of my investigating the subject as I could wish ; 

 I shall therefore, on the present occasion, exhibit some of the species 

 that appear to me to be new, and defer my remarks upon the entire 

 collection to the next or some future meeting of the Society. 



I shall now proceed to describe two species of mammalia and two 

 species of birds from this collection, as follows : — ^^^^^ 



■''"Pteropus conspicillatus, Gould. '■ ' '^-nt - )iyj<j^ .^liiT 



, , Sp. Ch. — Crown of the head black, slightly grizzledwitn buff ; ronhd 

 each eye a large oval patch of deep brownish buff, which advances on 

 the sides of the face and shows very conspicuously ; at the nape a broad 

 crescent-shaped band of deep sandy buff, which extends down the 

 sides of the neck and nearly meets on the breast ; centre of the back 

 glossy black, slightly grizzled with grey ; cheeks, chin, all the under 

 surface and rump, black, slightly grizzled with buff ; ears and wing- 

 membranes naked and of a deep purplish black ; claws black. 

 Hab. Fitzroy Island. 

 Jifj^-^'ljig species is about the size oi Pteropus poliocepkalus, }^t\i9i^ a 

 somewhat larger head and much larger and more powerful teeth, and 

 is moreover rendered conspicuously different from that species by the 

 nuchal band being of a deep sandy buff instead of deep rust-red, and 

 not continuous round the neck ; by the crown of the head and back 

 being almost jet-black ; and the eyes being conspicuously encircled 

 with deep buff (whence the specific name) ; in which latter character 

 it assimilates to P. funereus^ but scarcely to any other. Respecting 

 this species Mr. Macgillivray writes : " Is this not new to AustraHa ? 

 It is not funereus, of which see skull No. 7 and skin No. 8, nor is it 

 poliocephalus. Of its habits I extract the following note from my 

 journal : ' On the wooded slope of a hill on Fitzroy Island I one day 

 fell in with this bat in prodigious numbers, looking while flying along 

 the bright sunshine (so unusual for a nocturnal animal) like a large 

 flock of rooks : on close approach a strong musky odour became ap- 

 parent, and a loud incessant chattering was heard ; many of the 

 branches were bending under their load of bats, some in a state of 

 inactivity suspended by their hind claws, others scrambling along 

 among the boughs and taking to wing when disturbed. In a very 

 short time I procured as many specimens as I wished, three and four 



