1 048 Quadrupeds . 



analogy to any of the species determined by Prof. Owen from the New Zealand fos- 

 sils, I am not qualified to say, nor is it indeed the object of this paper to discuss ; the 

 intention of which being rather to bring together these facts, and to associate them 

 with that recorded at Gezah, in order to call the attention of those who have opportu- 

 nity of making further research into this interesting matter.'' 



Mr. H. Strickland remarked, that the instances of gigantic birds, both recent 

 and fossil, enumerated by M. Bonomi, though interesting in themselves, had little or 

 no mutual connexion. The artists of ancient Egypt were wont to set the laws of per- 

 spective and proportion at defiance, so that the fact of the birds here represented being 

 taller than the men who were leading them, by no means implied the former existence 

 of colossal birds in Egypt. Indeed, in this very painting, the foot of a human figure 

 is introduced, probably that of a prince or hero, whose proportions are as much larger 

 than those of the birds in question, as the other human figures are smaller. He con- 

 sidered the birds here figured to be either storks, or demoiselle cranes, or egrets, all of 

 which are common in Egypt. The gigantic nests found by Mr. Burton on the coast 

 of the Ked Sea deserved further examination ; but the size of a nest by no means im- 

 plied that the bird which formed it was large also, for the Australian Megapodius, a 

 bird not larger than a fowl, makes a nest of enormous proportions. 



Mr. Thompson read a communication, from Messrs. Alder and Hancock, * On a 

 New Genus of Mollusca Nudibranchiata.' This new genus is founded on the Trito- 

 nia arborescens of authors and its allies, which are distinguished from the true Trito- 

 nia (T. Hombergii, Sec.) by the form of their tentacula, and the free, arborescent nature 

 of their branchiae. These characters alone induced the authors to consider them gene- 

 rically distinct, before they had an opportunity of examining their internal structure, 

 in which such important differences in the digestive organs were exhibited, as to show 

 that this new genus — for which the name of Dendronotus is proposed — should be re- 

 moved from the family Dorididae to that of Eolididae, to be placed first in order, as the 

 connecting link between these two families. 



The paper was illustrated by drawings from the work by Messrs. Alder and Han- 

 cock, on the British Nudibranchiate Mollusca, just published by the Ray Society. 



Prof. Allman remarked, that this paper was important, as it more clearly than 

 ever demonstrated the errors into which M. de Quaterfages had fallen with regard 

 to this family. 



Singular act performed by a Sheep. Crossing Durdham-down to-day with a friend, 

 we observed a sickly-looking sheep alternately (as it seemed to us) protruding and 

 drawing in its tongue. We watched this steadily for about half a minute or more, 

 till we saw what we had fancied was its tongue drop out of its mouth, when the sheep 

 went on feeding in its usual quick-nibbling way. Of course we went up to see this 

 seeming tongue, and found it to be a piece of old flat iron. Ts this a common occur- 

 rence ? The sheep was evidently a diseased animal, and from the way in which it 

 was mouthing the iron, must have tasted its flavour. Now the rust or oxide of iron is, 

 I believe, a common and powerful remedy in scorbutic and cutaneous diseases, such as 

 the poor animal was suffering under ; and this makes me think that the sheep was, in 

 fact, " taking medicine." At any rate the fact appears worth recording, and may pos- 

 sibly afford a useful hint to the shepherd. — W. S. Lewis ; St. MichaeVs Hill, Bristol, 

 June 23, 1845. 



