XIV 



Obituary Notice of Fellow deceased. 



tympanic and neighbouring bones, and short teeth, it securely holds its prey. 

 These parts, indeed, form a contrast with those in other Anura. His 

 acuteness in discriminating the fossil humerus of the male Cystognathus, 

 which is specially developed in connection with propagation, rested on his 

 thorough knowledge of the living forms, and so with the presence of the thick 

 ray in the pelvic fin of the Tench. 



He notes that the inhabitants of tbe Sandwich Islands search the tidal 

 pools at low water for small fish-fry, and convey them to ponds (fresh 

 water) " in which in a short time they increase to a size fit for the table " 

 (E. T. Bennett, formerly Secretary Zoological Society). Dr. Gunther adds 

 (1861) that though he considers the acclimatisation of foreign fishes as a 

 matter of subordinate value from a practical point of view, it is a problem of 

 high scientific importance, because it involves the solution of the question, 

 how far the power of man is able to interfere with the original distribution 

 of fishes. He advises the selection of forms from a similar climate, e.g. the 

 Wels (Silurus giants) of 'the Continent. If tropical forms are wished, the 

 Gorami (Osphromenus olfax) a freshwater fish reaching 15 lb., and which has 

 been introduced into Mauritius and Cayenne, the climbing Perch (Anahas 

 scandens), and the Pla Kat of Siam {Betta pugnax) as deserving trial. 



The grasp which, even at this early age, Dr. Gunther had obtained of the 

 distribution of Eeptiles and Batrachians is evident in the masterly paper 

 communicated to the Zoological Society in 1858. A careful perusal of this 

 demonstrates that the author had forestalled many interesting features which 

 have since been described by others. The contrast between snakes and 

 amphibians in connection with temperature and temporary physical disad- 

 vantages is pronounced, and this makes snakes well adapted for clearing 

 up the question, Creation versus Evolution. He contrasts the reptilian 

 distribution with that of birds (which P. L. Sclater had communicated to the 

 same society a few months earlier, and which had often been the subject of 

 discussion between the two naturalists), and it is possible that the views of 

 Dr. Gunther had some influence even in regard to the birds. He united, 

 however, the Ethiopian shores of the Mediterranean with the Palaearctic 

 region, instead of considering Spain and Portugal as approximating more to 

 Africa than to Europe, as Schlegel did. He differed from the latter also in 

 showing that a snake like Dasypeltis scaler, living on trees in Africa, devouring 

 eggs of birds, the shells of which it breaks by gular teeth and with irregular 

 arrangement of the lateral scales, cannot be a representative of the genus 

 Tropidonotus. The Hydridas of the Indian region, the linking of Japan to 

 this region, the large proportion of venomous snakes in Australia, the two 

 systems radiating from the Mississippi in the north and the Amazon in the 

 south in the Nearctic region, the comparative paucity of snakes in the 

 Neotropical region, are all forcibly portrayed in this communication. In 

 the same way the peculiarities of the distribution of the Amphibians are 

 dealt with throughout the several regions, many striking facts being brought 

 forward for the first time. The total absence of Batrachians from New 



