2 ME. C. D. SHEEBOBN ON THE ' INDEX ANIMA.LIUM.' [May 7. 



April 11th by Mr. W. H. Harper, E.Z.S., who continues to send 

 us most interesting additions to our collection of Indian Birds; 

 and to a fine young male Eiand, bred at Woburn, and presented to 

 us on April 26th by H.G-. the Duke of Bedford, which will make 

 an excellent match for our young female purchased in Apiil 1899. 



Mr. Sclater stated that Mr. E. Bidu ell had kindly pointed out 

 to him the following passage in Ludolphus's work ' on Abyssinia, 

 published in 1682, which apparently referred to Grevy's Zebra 

 (Equus grevyi) : — 



" But there is a beast which is called Zecora, which for beauty 

 exceeds all the four-footed creatures in the World. They of Congo 

 give it the name of Zebra. This creature is about the bigness of 

 a Mule, and is brought out of the woods of Habessinia, and the 

 countries possessed by the Golems, and easily tam'd. A present 

 of great esteem and frequently given to the Kings of Habessinia. 

 Tellez briefly describes him thus, — 'A Circle of black colour 

 encompasses his Loyns like a girdle ; adjoining to which, Nature 

 has pencilled out several others, some broader, some narrower, 

 some black, and some of a bright shining Ash-colour ; with so 

 much Elegancy and order, as no Painter's Art can equalize. His 

 ears are the only thing that disfigures him ; being of a dispro- 

 portionate length : for which reason he is called by the Portugals 

 " Burro do Matto " (though improperly) the wild Ass.' But you 

 may guess at bis beauty, by his price, for King Susneus having 

 given one of these beasts to the Turkish Basha of Suaqena, he 

 sold the same for Two thousand Venetian Pieces, to a certain 

 Indian, that bought him for a present to the great Mogul." 



Mr. C. Davies Sherborn, F.Z.S., remarked that it had been his 

 privilege to bring before the Society, from time to time, the 

 progress of the ' Index Anirnalium.' He had now to inform the 

 Society that the Index was completed from the 1st of January, 

 17o8, to the 31st of December, 1800. This portion of the manu- 

 script was ready for press, and negotiations with the Cambridge 

 University Press were in progress for printing it. 



One of the chief difficulties that the compiler had to contend 

 with was the inaccessibility of much of the literature. With the 

 exception of about twenty books, which from their titles might 

 possibly contain specific names, this difficulty had been successfully 

 grappled with, either with the help of those interested in the work 

 or by purchase. He alluded to the impossibility of accurate com- 

 parison of various editions, copies of which were in different 

 institutions, and lamented the fact that even in the British 

 Museum (Xat. Hist.), where the collection of books was very com- 

 plete, this matter of editions had not been fully grasped. He had 



1 Ludolpiius, J. A New History of Ethiopia, being a full and Accurate 

 Description of the Kingdom of Abyssinia .... called the Empire of Prester 

 John. Bv the Learned Job Ludolphus. Made English by J. P. Gent. 

 Plates. Folio. London, 1682. 



