152 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Zoological Society of London. 



March 3rd, 1896.— Sir W. H. Flower, K.C.B., F.R.S., President, 

 in the chair. 



The Secretary read a report on the additions that had been made to the 

 Society's Menagerie during the month of February, 189G, and called special 

 attention to a young Klipspringer Antelope, Oreotragus saltator, presented 

 by Commander Alfred Paget, R.N. 



Mr. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton exhibited two skeletons and other bones 

 of the Lemming, Myodes lemmus, obtained by Dr. H. Gadow from caves in 

 South Portugal, a discovery which increased our knowledge of its distribution 

 in past times. At present the Norway Lemming is only to be found in 

 Norway and Lapland, its southern range extending to about 58£° N. lat. ; 

 but its remains have been met with in England, and at Quedlinburg, in 

 Saxony. Mr. Hamilton's remarks were supplemented by Dr. Gadow, who 

 gave an account of the caves in Southern Portugal, in which he had found 

 these Lemmings' bones along with those of other animals. 



Mr. Sclater opened a discussion on the Rules of Zoological Nomenclature 

 by reading a paper on the Divergences between the Rules for naming 

 Animals of the German Zoological Society and the Stricklandian Code 

 usually followed by British naturalists. After giving some details of the 

 plan proposed by the German Zoological Society for a new work on the 

 Animal Kingdom to be called 'Das Tierreich,' and to contain an account of 

 all the species of recent animals hitherto described (estimated to be at least 

 386,000 in number), Mr. Sclater shortly recapitulated the Rules which were 

 intended to be used in the preparation of this important work. The main 

 divergences from the Stricklandian Code were pointed out to be three in 

 number: — (1) The permission to use the same generic names in zoology 

 and botany ; (2) the use of " tautonyms," that is, the same generic and 

 specific name for a species in certain cases; and (3) the adoption of the 

 tenth edition of the ' Systema Naturae ' instead of the twelfth as the com- 

 mencement of binary nomenclature. The advantages of, and objections to, 

 these alterations of the Stricklandian Code were discussed, and other minor 

 points of nomenclature were touched upon, amongst which was the use of 

 trinomials, which Mr. Sclater approved of as designations for subspecies. 

 A communication was read from Graf Hans von Berlepsch, expressing his 

 regret at not being present on this occasion, and giving his opinion on the 

 three points specially discussed. After some remarks by the Chairman, 

 Mr. E. Hartert spoke in defence of the German Rules, and was followed 

 by Prof. Lankester, Mr. H. J. Elwes, Dr. Sharp, Mr. Blanford, Mr. H. 0. 

 Forbes, and Mr. Kirby. 



A communication was read from Graf Hans v. Berlepsch and M. J. 

 Stolzmann on the ornithological researches of M. J. Kalinowski in Central 



