HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
83 
brilliant patterns on the inside of anima's than 
on Ihe outside." Wherever colours could be 
seen, animals had as little colour as possible 
to enable them to hide ihemselves and do their 
best to resemble their background, and in many 
( ases patterns on animals, which were extremely 
conspicuous out of their proper surroundings, 
hellped to make their owners invisible under 
normal conditions. This was shown in the case 
of the spotted deer. 
THAT Mr. Harry Tagg, of Hampton Court, has 
presented a young Otter to the Zoological Gar- 
dens, which was caught in the Thames. 
THAT on account of the damage done by Grey 
Squirrels, Wimbledon and Putney Common 
Conservators have instructed their head keeper 
to have their nests destroyed. 
THAT the Basuto Chiefs, Maama and Majara, 
have paid a long visit to the Zoo,. They were 
especially delighted with the Giraffes and Hip- 
popotami. 
THAT the following communication has been 
issued by the Director of the atural History 
Museum, and we do not doubt that the informa- 
tion which it conveys will be acceptable to many 
of our readers, especially those abroad, who may 
net otherwise have an opportunity of perusing 
it. 
THE WAR AND THE MUSEUM STAFF. 
Sixty-one members of the staff of the 
Natural History Museum are serving with the 
naval or military forces. In addition, twelve 
museum men have joined the volunteers (1st 
Battalion Central London Regiment, United 
Arts Rifles); six men are serving as special 
constables; and six men form a museum detach- 
ment of the London Ambulance Column. This 
detachment has been very active during the 
p. ist year, having received and dealt with 286 
separate calls to attend wounded men from hos- 
pital trains or from the hospitals. Four mem- 
bers of the staff have been lent to the Ministry 
of Munitions; one assistant is doing duty as 
bacteriollogist at Haslar Hospital under the 
Admiralty, and another assistant has been lent 
to the War Office for duty as protozoologist. 
There is no man of military age passed fit for 
general service at present employed at the 
museum. 
THAT the Zoological Society has lost its Austra- 
lian Lungfish which has been in the Reptile 
House for nineteen years. 
THAT Mr. George T. Witherwick, of Hull, has 
presented to the Zoological Society one young 
Grey Seal. 
THAT Mr. F. \V. Frohawk describes in "The 
Field," January 12th :— 
The capture of a White-beaked Dolphin 
(Lagenorhynchus alberostris) off the British 
coast is of sufficiently rare occurrence to be 
placed on record. During November last Mr. 
Slater, fishmonger, Leadenhall Street, had on 
show a large specimen of this rare species which 
attracted considerable attention. Being a very 
line example, I obtained, with the assistance of 
Mr. Philip Castang, the following measurements 
of the animal : — Total length from tip of beak 
to centre of (outer edge) tail, 9ft. 3in.; girth 
(middle of body), 5ft. 4in. ; dorsal fin, 24£in.; 
expanse of tail, 27in.; flipper, 21£in.; upper 
jaw (tip to angle of mouth), lOin. The whole 
of the upper half of the body a slaty-black, in- 
cluding the dorsal fin and tail, the lower half 
leaden-white, which extends to the forehead 
and covers the beak and lower jaw; the flippers 
of the same dull-white colouring. Adults of 
this species measure from 7ft. to about 9ft. 
6in. in length; the male is larger than the 
femfcile. This large specimen has been ac- 
quired for the Tring Museum, and is being 
preserved at the Rowland Ward Studios, Picca- 
dilly. Respecting the habits of the white-beaked 
dolphin little appears to be known. Apparently 
the young are born about midsummer. Like 
its near allies it leaps from the water and wan- 
ders about in shoals. Most of the specimens 
captured off the British coasts have occurred 
during the summer months. 
THAT Mr. John W. Marsden, of Harrogate, the 
son of a former Mayor of Leeds, has presented 
to the Leeds Philosophical Hall a stuffed speci- 
men of the rare tribe of birds known asl the 
blue budgerigar, which is a variant of the com- 
mon green parrakeet of Australia. Mr. Mars- 
den has succeeded after many years in breed- 
ing the blue variety, and the one which he has 
presented to the Philosophical Hall recently 
died in his aviary. There are not more than a 
dozen specimens in the country. 
THAT at the monthly general meeting of the 
Zoological Society, held on January 16th at the 
offices in Regent's Park, Mr. E,. G. B. Meade- 
Waldo, Vice-President, in the chair, Rear- 
Admiral Mark E. F. Kerr, C.B., M.V.O., 
Brigadier-General Seymour H. Sheppard, R. E., 
D. S.O., Captain John M. Logan, Captain 
Richard Adare Rochfort, D.S.O., M.C., Sub- 
Lieutenant John Bostock, R.N., Messrs. Philip 
F. B. lackwell, David Brown, Albert B. Dex- 
