1893.] MR. F. E. BLAATIW OX ARAMIDES TPECAHA. 531 



groove that the foramen for the uutrient artery is placed on the 

 posterior surface of the limb. In the abuormal specimen there is 

 no median groove, but on either side of the middle digit there is 

 such a groove, indicating the lines of deaiarcation between the 

 parts of the metacarpus belonging to each of the three digits. The 

 groove between the middle and external digit is very slightly the 

 deeper of the two, and in it is placed the foi'amen for the nutrient 

 artery on the posterior surface. 



The specimen was an old one and no particulars as to parentage 

 or to the condition of the other limbs were to be had. It was 

 mentioned that this case differed from that of the three-toed Cow 

 described by Xeville Goodman, ' Journ. Anat. and Phys.' IStiS, in 

 that there was in the present example an almost perfect symmetry 

 about the middle axis of the foot. 



The following extracts from a letter addressed to the Secretary 

 by Mr. F. E. Blaauw, C.M.Z.S., of 'sGrraveland, Hilversum, 

 Holland, were read : — 



" Last autumn I obtained a pair of Aramides ypecalia. I kept the 

 birds indoors during the winter and turned them out in spring into 

 an oat-of-door aviary, in which is a small rocliery tliat served formerly 

 for Hyrax capensis. In the first days of JNIay I observed that the 

 male bird collected straw, hay, and bundles of grass that he uprooted 

 vvdth his strong bill, and brought it all to the veiy top of the 

 rockery, where in a depression between the stones he made a flat 

 nest of the said materials. As the female did not appear to take 

 much notice of the exertions of the male, I was a little doubtful 

 as to the result, but as the birds were extremely noisy at that time 

 I retained some hopes. On the 16th I observed the female sitting 

 on the nest, and on the 17th the keeper informed me that there was 

 an egg in the nest. As the birds wei'e very much excited and the 

 male bird attacked furiously everj'body he could reach, the number 

 of eggs laid wa-s not then ascertained for fear of disturbing the 

 birds, but it was afterwards found that the number was /'owr. As 

 soon as the eggs were laid the birds began to incubate, the female 

 mostly during the night and the male during the day, and the birds 

 sat so loosely that the slightest thing would disturb them. If a 

 person approached the nest or the aviary when the male was sitting, 

 it would come down directly to attack the intruder. If the female 

 happened to be on the nest .she would keep motionless and wait 

 till you turned your eyes from* her, when she would vanish like a 

 shadow. If you happened to turn your eyes on her before she had 

 had time to get quite clear away, sIk^ would 8top in the position she 

 was in, sometimes with a leg half strelched out, and keep quite 

 motionless till you again turned your eyes from her, when she 

 would take care to be (jvlie away before you looked round again. 



"As incubation advanced the birds began to sit closer and were 

 not 60 easily tempted to abandon their task, and on the 21st day of 

 incubation the head of a young bird was seen peeping from under 



