100 M-R. It. I. POCOCK OX THE WORK OF 



The White Marmoset. — This little animal never refuses an 

 insert, but there was some hesitation about attacking these foul- 

 smelling beetles. However, its love of insect-food overcame 

 everything else, and after much sniffing and spitting two were 

 devoured. 



The Meercats. — Smelt, but would not touch, either species. 

 I often feed these animals with such species as Dytiscus mar- 

 ginalis, Carabus violaseus, and Geotrupes sylvaticus. 



Capuchin Monkeys, — rThese animals seized both species readily. 

 One female monkey satisfied herself with eating some of the 

 numerous parasitic mites from the body of the beetle. A male 

 monkey ate three beetles, and then stole and devoured the one 

 held by the female. 



March 6th, 1917. 



Dr. S. F. Harmer, Sc.D., F.R.S., Vice-President, 



in the Chair. 



Work of the Bea vers hi the S.ocieti/s Gardens. 



Mr. R.J. Pocock, F.R.S., F.Z.S., Curator of Mammals, gave 

 an exhibition illustrated by lantern-slides to show the work of the 

 Beaveil in the old enclosure in the Gardens, and remarked : — 



" Until the middle of 1913 the pair of Canadian Beavers had 

 shown no special activities of any kind, apart from felling in 

 characteristic manner the tree-trunks erected for that purpose. 

 In the summer of 1913, however, a shallow pool appeared in the 

 surface-clay of their enclosure. This they proceeded to deepen and 

 widen by digging out the bottom and sides. They carried a way 

 the excavated clay and plastered it in different places, especially 

 up against the fence. From the enlarged pool they drove an open 

 channel through the soil for about a couple of yards ; but this 

 they soon roofed over with small logs and straw plastered with 

 mud, so that their subsequent operations were concealed from 

 view. But from the end of the channel and continuous with it, 

 as it afterwards transpired, they dug out a burrow nearly three 

 yards in length and passing under the root of a witch elm. The 

 first intimation we had of this was the appearance of a hole, 

 smaller than a rabbit's burrow, close to the fence on the side 

 remote from the pool where the channel started. This hole they 

 built up with tufts of straw and a small log or two, possibly to 

 prevent the clay falling in. 



When I opened the burrow to satisfy myself that it was not 

 being carried beneath the fence, it appeared to me that the hole 



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