236 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



more, Co. Cork. Mr. J. Groves remarked that they were probably the most 

 satisfactory examples of the true R. tripartitus which had been collected in 

 the British Isles. 



On behalf of Mr. W. E. Hoyle, Prof. Howes exhibited some Rontgen ray 

 skiagraphs, showing the positions of a mouse when partially and completely 

 swallowed by a snake, and showing the displacement of the jaws of the 

 reptile during deglutition. The specimen of the snake was further interesting 

 by way of showing a " half vertebra," about which in the Ophidia con- 

 siderable discussion had arisen. 



Dr. J. E. Aitcheson, CLE , exhibited some specimens of an Indian 

 Woodpecker, Dendrocopus himalayensis, obtained on the Murree Hills at an 

 elevation of 7000 feet, for the purpose of calling attention to an unrecorded 

 habit of this bird of fixing walnuts in the bark of trees in order to extract 

 the kernels. Dr. P. L. Sclater and Mr. J. E. Harting made some additional 

 remarks on a similar habit of storing acorns recorded of a Californian Wood- 

 pecker, Melanerpes formicivorus, Bonap. (Picus jwovidus, Jardine). So far 

 as had been ascertained, no such habit had been observed, or at least recorded, 

 in the case of the European Pied Woodpecker, Dendrocopus major, which 

 is closely allied to the Indian species. 



Dr. H. W. Marett Tims read a paper on the Tooth genesis in the Canidce, 

 the main object of which was to trace the order of cusp-development and the 

 inter-relations of the various tooth-cusps, and to examine the evidence thereby 

 obtained bearing upon important and interesting problems of Phylogeny. 

 The paper also dealt with the cingulum in relation to cusp-formation, and with 

 the questions whether pm, 4 or m} more nearly approximates to the type tooth 

 and is therefore safest for the comparison of known forms, whether the milk 

 or the permanent dentition is the more primitive, aud whether Otocyon is 

 primitive in both the number and characters of its teeth. A discussion 

 followed, in which Mr. Martin Woodward, Mr. C. W. Andrews, and 

 Prof. Howes took part. 



Zoological Society of London. 



May hth. — Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S., Vice-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 April, and called special attention 

 to a young male Indian Elephant, Elephas indicus, from Burmah, obtained 

 by purchase. 



Mr. W. E. Hoyle exhibited a Rongten-ray photograph of a Snake in the 

 act of swallowing a mouse. 



Mr. G. A. Boulenger read a paper on some little-known Batrachians 

 from the Caucasus, based chiefly on specimens recently transmitted to the 

 British Museum by Dr. Radde, of Tiflis, C.M.Z.S. Among these was an 

 example of the new Frog of the genus Pelodytes, for which he had proposed 





