NO. 42.— 1891.] ZOOLOGICAL SPECIMENS. 



65 



The female, who was imprisoned over her eggs, did not 

 appear to be in a particularly emaciated condition, having 

 been probably fed by her mate during the period of incu- 

 bation. It may be worthy of note, however, to remark that 

 the entire plumage of the bird appeared to be thicker and 

 softer than when the bird is not breeding. This may be 

 due to the enforced repose of the bird, or possibly a develop- 

 ment at this particular stage of the creature's existence that is 

 necessary for the preservation of the offspring. 



I believe it is generally considered that the Ceylon horn- 

 bill is strictly frugivorous in its feeding, but I may here 

 record that in dissecting an adult bird I found the bones, 

 head, and bill of a sun -bird ( Cinnyris Zeylonicus ), besides 

 the wing-cases of some beetles that were too crushed to be 

 distinguishable. 



I have not been able to gather any information from natives 

 relative to the nesting habits of Tockus Gingalensis beyond 

 the very vague statement that they build in holes in trees. 



Mr, Amyrald Haly (Director, Colombo Museum), after 

 directing attention to the collection of specimens at the end 

 of the room, which had been lettered and labelled for the 

 occasion, proceeded to read his Paper on — 



A NEW METHOD OF PRESERVING AND MOUNTING 

 ZOOLOGICAL SPECIMENS. 



This Paper ought, perhaps, to be confined to reading a 

 simple recipe, which would only occupy your attention a 

 minute or two ; but in these days, in which the development 

 of everything is so carefully studied from fans and lawn 

 tennis bats to the nebulae, I have thought that perhaps a 

 short history of how the results exhibited in this room to- 

 night have been arrived at might not be entirely devoid of 

 interest, although of an excessively technical character. The 

 plot of my story may be summed up in carbolic acid — carbo- 

 lic acid as a failure and carbolic acid as a success. 



98—91 F 



