1893.] DATES OF DELIVERY OF THE ' PROCEEDIXGS.' 435 



May 2, 1893. 

 Sir W. H. Flower, K C.B., LL.D., F.E.S., President", in the 



Chai 



r. 



The Secretary read the following report on the additions to the 

 Society's Menagerie during the mouth of April 1893 : — 



The total nuinher of registered additions to the Society's Mena- 

 gerie during the month of April \\ as 130, of which 58 were by 

 presentation, 18 by birth, 24 by purchase, 18 were received in 

 exchange, and 12 on deposit. Tlie total number of departures 

 during the same period, by death and removals, was 99. 



Amongst these special attention may be called to : — 



1. A young male Oraug (Simia sati/nis) brought home from 

 Singapore, and presented April 19th by Thomas Workman, Esq., 

 of Belfast and Singapore. 



2. A "White-bellied Hedgehog (Erinncens alhiventer), from Somali- 

 land, presented by H. W. Seton-Kerr, Esq., E.Z.S., April 24th. 

 This species is new to the Collection. 



3. A female Gibbon, brought home from North Borneo, and 

 presented by Leicester P. Beaufort, Esq., April 25th. This Gibbon 

 is generally of a dark ashy colour with a black patch on the crown, 

 and blackish on the lower surface and inner sides of the limbs. 1 

 am inclined to refer it to one of the varieties of Hi/lobates wuellen, 

 Martin. It has been placed along with the male Hainan Gibbon 

 (Hijlobates hainanus), received jN'ov. 1st, 1892 (see P. Z. S. 1892, 

 p. 541), and they agree A^ell together. 



Mr. Sclater called attention to the protrusion of a fleshy mass 

 from the cloaca occasionally exhibited by the Greater Vasa Parrot 

 {Coracopsis vasa), as recorded by him, P. Z. S. 1884, pp. 410, 562 ; 

 and stated that, owing to the kindness of the Hon. Henry S. 

 Littleton, of 22 Eutland Gate, he had himself lately had an 

 opportunity of observing another case of this curious phenomenon. 



A bird of this species, for several years in that gentleman's 

 possession, was stated to be in the habit of exhibiting this appear- 

 ance every spring, and did so for some time in Mr. Sclater's 

 presence on the 28th ult. Mr. Sclater was able to make a careful 

 examination of the bird, and had convinced himself that the 

 strange ap]:)earance was caused by the protrusion of the inner 

 membrane of the lower portion of the cloaca, which was abnormally 

 swollen at this time of year, and could be protruded and withdrawn 

 at the will of the bird. Mr. Sclater was able to elfect its partial 

 protrusion after withdrawal by pressure on the cloaca, lie had 

 no doubt the bird was a female, as in tlie other cases previously 

 observed. The extraordinary point was that no exactly similar 

 phenomenon was known to occur in any other species of bird. 



Mr. Sclater laid on the table the following List of the dates of 

 the receipt from the printers of tlie sheets of the Society's ' Pro- 

 ceedings ' from 18.31 to l.'^59 inclusive, which had been drawji up 



