BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIRTY. 
ZOOLOGICAL NOTES. 
PRocempines oF THE Zooiocican Socinry or Lonpon, 
Parts 1.; Il. aANp? TU: oF 1887. 
As the proceedings of the Zoological Society of London are not easy to get at in 
this country for others than the Bombay members of the Society, the following 
notes of the contents of the first three parts issued in 1887, as far as they refer to 
this part of the world, may be of interest :— 
Part I. notices the addition of the larger one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros 
unicormis) to the Society’s menagerie, presented by H. H. the Maharajah of Cooch 
Behar. There is an interesting article on the habits of the “Tree Trapdoor Spider ° 
of Graham’s Town,” which though not referring to the East, yet is of general interest; 
hence its mention here: also descriptions and plates of certain Coleoptera” of 
Ceylon, collected in 1881-82: alsoa report on some Echinodermata from the 
Andamans, by Professor Bell, followed by an article with plates on a collection of 
Reptiles and Batrachians from the Loo-Choo Islands. | 
Part II. opens with a note on a Batrachian of the genus Cacopus (C. globulosus) 
sent by Mr. Thurston of the Madras Museum, who wrote: ‘* On opening the 
visceral cavity, which was enormously distended, the distension was found to be 
caused by the presence of a mass of winged white ants, which when dried weighed 
326 grains.” ‘the first article is an interesting one on the “ Experimental Proof 
i of the Protective Value of Colour and Markings in Insects in reference to their 
Vertebrate Enemies :”’ it spreads over 84 pages, full of particulars of many experi- 
ments. A letter from the Rev. G. Fisk, C. M. Z.5., of Capetown, was read at 
the meeting held on the 5th April, giving an account of how a mouse killed and 
ate a poisonous snake, or more correctly two; they were “ young ‘ Ringhals,’ 
probably from 7 to 14 days old.” j 
In Part ITI. Mr. Sharpe contributes some remarks on a collection of Birds from 
Perak, followed by a description of some new Lepidoptera from Sikkim by H. J. 
Elwes, viz., Lethe tristigmata, Zophoesa milleri, Chilades (2) pontis, Chilades 
sinensis Nipoly cena virgo, and Saturnia royi. We then find a “Description of some 
new and little known Indian butterflies, with notes on the Seasonal Dimorphism 
obtaining in the genus Melanitis, by L. de Nicéville, F. B.S.” Nineteen butterflies 
are figured. At the May meeting Mr. Sharpe read some notes on Specimens in the 
Ilume Collection of Birds. This is No. 5 of these notes, and is on Syrnium 
maing oyt. 
At the June 7th meeting were read some remarks by the well-known A. O. H. 
H onthe Gnu Goat on Takin (Budorcas taxicolor); three horns are figured. 
Hh At the June 23rd meeting, a pheasant, Phasianus komarovi, from North Afghan- 
istan, presented by Sir Peter Lumsden, was exhibited. A paper was read on a 
zoological collection made at Xmas Island, Indian Ocean; it is well worth noting 
that “ unfortunately one of the most interesting portions of the collection, viz., the 
Lepidoptera, was destroyed on its way home, some pieces of camphor having 
become loose and smashed all the specimens but two.” This paper is illustrated. 
B. B. B. 
