511 Chronicles of Science. [July> 



the deaths among them during the late long and severe winter had 

 been very few, and the greater number of them had remained in a state 

 of excellent health. In addition to a crowd of smaller Quadrumana, 

 there is at present a red orang and a black chimpanzee in the house, 

 both of which are well worthy of attention ; and for the first time, 

 these anthropoid apes have passed a winter without contracting cough 

 or consumption. Moreover, the atmosphere of the house presents an 

 agreeable contrast to that of the former small and confined building, 

 in which it was impossible to remain for any length of time ; and, 

 doubtless, the present admirable structure will be greatly improved in 

 process of time, as various suggestions offer themselves, so that when 

 the long-desired gorilla arrives, there shall be no reason why he 

 should not be long kept alive and in health. Last year, a most 

 interesting series of rare quadrumana was obtained, among them were 

 numerous spicier monkeys and red howlers, and the rare Lagothrix 

 Humboldtii, which died most probably from insufficient accommoda- 

 tion. The expenditure of so large a sum in a properly-constituted 

 house is, therefore, true economy. 



During the year 1864, there were exhibited for the first time eight 

 mammals, including the orange-quilled porcupine (Hystrix Mala- 

 barica), twenty-three birds, including the tooth-billed pigeon (Didun- 

 culus strigirostris) of the Samoan Islands, supposed, until recently, 

 to be quite extinct, as well as two reptiles and two fishes. There 

 have also bred in the menagerie, during the year, twenty-two species 

 of mammals, twenty species of birds, one reptile, and three fishes. 



An important movement has also been made in the Society during 

 the last quarter. The Council resolved to appoint a ' Prosector ' in 

 the gardens, at a salary of 250Z. per annum, whose duty it should bo 

 to make dissections of the animals which die in the menagerie, and 

 have not been promised elsewhere. If the Zootomical Committee 

 shall have disposed of the skin, or skeleton, or both, an examination 

 will be made to determine the cause of death, so far as it can be 

 made without injury to the skin or skeleton, — and an accurate 

 record will be kept of the dissections, or other anatomical or physio- 

 logical work performed ; and such parts of the record as may be 

 approved by the Committee will be presented by the prosector to 

 the Society, at its scientific meetings, for publication in the Pro- 

 ceedings or Transactions. For this desirable post, there were twenty- 

 eight candidates, from whom the Council selected Dr. James Murie, 

 of the University of Glasgow, formerly Pathologist to the Glasgow 

 Infirmary, and afterwards Assistant in the Museum of the Royal 

 College of Surgeons, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. Dr. Murie left the 

 College of Surgeons to join Consul Petherick's expedition to the 

 White Nile, as naturalist, and there made extensive collections in 

 natural history. The same gentleman has communicated a paper to 

 the Society, in March last, upon the muscular system of the curious 

 little Hyrax, or coney, which, being a pachydermatous animal, in so 

 many points resembles the rodent type. Also papers " On the 

 Anatomy of the Lemur, JYycticebus tardigradus ; " " On the Sperm 

 Whale," &c. 



