278 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 



At the Meeting of the Zoological Society, held on June 18th, the inter- 

 esting mammalian discoveries recently made by Sir H. H. Johnston were 

 discussed. A communication was read from Prof. Ray Lankester on the 

 new African mammal lately discovered by Sir Harry Johnston in the forest 

 on the borders of the Congo Free State, of which two skulls and a skin 

 were exhibited. Prof. Lankester fully agreed with Sir Harry as to this 

 mammal belonging to a quite new and most remarkable form allied to the 

 Giraffes, but having some relations to the extinct Helladotherium, and 

 proposed for it the generic name Okapia, from its native name " Okapi." 

 The scientific name of this mammal would therefore be Okapia johnstoni, 

 Mr. Sclater having already given it a specific name based on the pieces of 

 its skin previously received. Sir Harry Johnston, who was himself present, 

 gave an account of the facts connected with his discovery of this animal. 

 Sir Harry also stated that during his last excursion to the north of Mount 

 Elgon he had found large herds of a Giraffe in this country which appeared 

 to be distinct from previously known forms of this mammal in having five 

 bony protuberances on the head, four placed in pairs, and one anterior in 

 the middle line. Four examples of this animal were now on their way home, 

 and would soon be here to settle the validity of this presumed new species. 



At a Meeting ot the Linnean Society of New South Wales, held on 

 April 24th last, Mr. Coleman Phillips, a visitor, addressed the meeting on 

 the subject of Rabbit extermination. The speaker, a resident of South 

 Wairarapa, New Zealand, explained that in his district Rabbits are success- 

 fully kept in check by the operation of introduced natural enemies (Ferrets, 

 Stoats, and Weasels), and the spread of diseases (bladder-worm, liver-rot, 

 scab, and lice). Trapping, fumigation with bisulphide of carbon, and 

 reliance solely upon poisoning or wire-netting, he considered to be methods 

 altogether wrong in principle. He advocated in preference those which 

 had been successfully tried in New Zealand ; and at the same time he 

 expressed his astonishment that in Australia anything like organized effort 

 of the right kind in dealing with so important a matter seemed con- 

 spicuously absent. 



