62 



THE NATURALIST. 



which he was induced to refer to three 

 species of the genus Elephas. One of these, 

 not much inferior in bulk to the existing 

 Indian elephant, was, as Mr. Busk believed, 

 probably referable to Elephas antiquus. The 

 two others were both of diminutive stature 

 as compared with the existing species of 

 elephant, neither of them having exceeded 

 five feet in height. To one of these, 

 slightly the larger of the two, Mr. Busk 

 proposed to restrict Dr. Falconer's name 

 Ele23has melitensis, and to call the other 

 and smaller one after the lamented natura- 

 list who had done so much towards in- 

 creasing our knowledge of these animals, 

 Elephas Falconeri. The two latter species 

 ■were distinguished by very well marked 

 dental and other characters. 



Mr. St. George Mivart read a paper on 

 the axial skeleton of the Primates, in 

 which the modifications presented by the 

 vertebral column and the adjoining parts 

 of the skeleton of this order of mammals 

 were pointed out. 



Dr. J. E. Gray pointed out the charac- 

 ters of a new genus of Delphinoid Whales 

 from the Cape of Good Hope, proposed to 

 be called Petrorhynchus, and gave particu- 

 lars concerning other Cetaceans from the 

 same seas, skulls of which had been sub- 

 mitted to his examination by Mr. E. L. 

 Layard, curator of the South African 

 Museum, Cape Town. 



A joint paper was read by Mr. Bartlett 

 and J. Murie on the movement of the 

 symphysis in the lower jaw of the Kan- 

 garoos. 



Mr. N. L. Austen read some notes on 

 the habits of the Water Shrew, Crossopus 

 fodiens, as observed in a state of nature and 

 in captivity. 



A paper w^as read by Professor Owen 

 containing descriptions of new species of 

 Indian Cetaceans, which had been observed 

 and collected on the eastern coast of the 

 Indian peninsula by Walter Elliot, Esq. 

 Of the seven species described as new, six 

 belonged to the family Delpliinidse ; the 

 seventh was referred to the Sperm Whales, 



PhyseteridcB, and proposed to be called 

 Physeter ( Euphysetes ) simus. 



A report was read by the Rev. H. B. 

 Tristam on the Terrestrial and Fluviatile 

 MoUusks collected during his recent expe- 

 dition in Palestine. 



Mr. Sclater read a paper on the genera 

 and species of the family of Swifts Cypse- 

 lidcB. Mr. Sclater was acquainted with 

 about fifty well characterised species of 

 this family divisible into two sub -families 

 (proposed to be called Cypselinoe and Chcetu- 

 rince), which together contained six genera. 



A paper , was read by Dr. P. Carpenter 

 entitled — " Description of two species of 

 Chitonidse from the collection of W. Har- 

 per Pease." Dr. Carpenter also communi- 

 cated a paper by Mr, W. Harper Pease, 

 containing descriptions of new genera and 

 species of Marine Shells from the islands 

 of the central Pacific. 



A paper was read by Ritter von Frauen- 

 feld on some new species of Mollusks of 

 the genus Vivipara in Mr. Cumming's col- 

 lection. 



Two papers were read by Mr. G. B. 

 Sowerby entitled — '* Descriptions of new 

 /S'cm^iZ^te and a new Pythina," and " Des- 

 criptions of new species of Conus." 



Huddersfield Naturalists' Society. — This 

 Society held a grand field-day on Saturday 

 afternoon, June 21st, at the residence of 

 their late President, Alfred Beaumont, Esq., 

 the Greave, Wilshaw, near Meltham. 

 Picturesquely seated at the the edge of lofty 

 moorlands, forming a portion of the Penine 

 chain which here divides the two counties of 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire, and surrounded 

 by fertile and well- wooded valleys, the 

 efi"ect heightened by the additions to the 

 beautiful monumental Church recently 

 erected by Joseph Hirst, Esq., to the 

 memory of a beloved daughter, render 

 Wilshaw an attractive spot not only to the 

 avowed Naturalist, but to everyone who 

 has an eye open to appreciate nature's 

 beauties ; and while furnishing abundant 

 material for study cannot but tend also to 

 elevate the mind. 



