350 



A large Achatina, most nearly related to A. glutinosa, Pfr., is the 

 " common snail " of the region between Lake Tanganyika and the 

 East coast. Fossil specimens were obtained in the Usagara district, 

 at a place called Maroro, 3000 feet above the sea, overlooking the 

 Lufiji River, where it intersects the coast range (lat. 7° to 8° $., 

 long. 36° to 37° E.). 



Another common land snail of the same district is the well-known 

 " Bulimus caillaudi, Pfr.," a shell more nearly related to Achatina 

 than Bulimus. 



Captain Speke also found a solitary example of Bulimus ovoideus, 

 Brug., in a musjid on the island of Kiloa (lat. 9° S., long. 39° to 

 40° E.). This species is identical with B. grandis, Desh., from the 

 island of Nosse Be, Madagascar, and very closely allied to B. libe- 

 rianus, Lea, from Guinea. 



Mr. Hermann Schlagintweit exhibited specimens of heads of a 

 Sheep from Thibet, which showed a curious modification in the 

 form of the horns. He referred them to the sheep described as 

 Ovis hunia by Mr. Hodgson (Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, i. p. 348, xvi. 

 p. 1005 ; and Proc. Zool. Soc. for 1834, p. 99) : but the specimens 

 exhibited were remarkable on account of a curious malformation 

 — the horny part of the two horns being entirely grown together 

 so as to form apparently but one single horn. This might, it was 

 stated, not improbably have given rise to one of the various mo- 

 difications of the fabulous Unicorn of Thibet. This peculiar for- 

 mation was only met with in tame animals ; and in the three spe- 

 cimens laid before the Society (one of which was presented some 

 time ago by Mr. Hodgson to the India House, the two others being 

 from Messrs. Schlagintweit' s collections) the upper part of the horns, 

 which perhaps would have touched the animal's neck, had been artifi- 

 cially cut off. 



It was considered to be well worthy of notice, that this peculiar 

 malformation seemed to be limited to the Ovis hunia, none of the 

 members being aware that a similar malformation was ever met with 

 among either wild or domesticated sheep. 



On searching the rich collections of London for similar objects, 

 Messrs. Schlagintweit found one example in the College of Surgeons, 

 where, by an evident mistake, it is called in the Catalogue a malfor- 

 mation of Ovis ammon. Another specimen was stated to exist in 

 the British Museum. 



The Secretary exhibited an egg laid by the Apteryx (Apteryx 

 mantelli) which had been living in the Gardens since 1852. The 

 egg when deposited (June 9th) weighed 14^ ozs., the contents 

 thereof weighing \2>\ ozs. The shell was smooth, and of a dirty 

 white colour ; the form an elongated oval, slightly tapering towards 

 the small end, 4*75 inches in long, and 2*9 inches in short diameter. 

 The weight of the living bird was ascertained to be 60 ozs. ; so that 

 the egg was nearly equal to one-fourth of the weight of the bird. 



