13 
Brief mention may be made of a few of the specimens 
received which are of especial interest. 
On the 30th March a jackal (Cams antlms), from Algiers, 
was presented by Mr. John P. Crozer, of Upland, Delaware 
County. 
On the 10th of May a pair of modest finches (Amadina 
modesta) from Australia and a specimen of the marail 
guan {Penelope marail) from Guiana, were purchased. On 
the same date were received from a dealer, two Lesuer's 
lizards (Physignathus lesueri) from Queensland, Australia 
and a snake from an unknown locality in tropical Amer- 
ica, which, while allied to Spilotes corais is yet sufficiently 
distinct to require description, and to which I have ac- 
cordingly given the name of Spilotes corais xanthurus. 
On the 12th of May a number of reptiles and amphibians 
were received in exchange from Mr. Julius Hunter, of St. 
Louis, Missouri. Among them the following were new to 
the collection : western worm snake (Carphophiops vermis)^ 
Racine garter snake {Eutsenia radix), long-tailed salaman- 
der (Spelerpes longicaudus), western cricket frog (Acris 
gryllus crepitans), and Carolina tree frog {Engy stoma caro- 
linense). 
A fine specimen of the purplish death-adder {Pseudechis 
porphyriacus) and two of Schlegel's sand snakes (Diemenia 
psammophis) were received on the 18th of May. These are 
among the most venomous of the Australian snakes, and 
the former, known among the inhabitants as the " black 
snake," is held in universal dread. 
A black-tailed rat snake {Spilotes corais melanurus) from 
Mexico was received by purchase on the 19th of May, and 
at the same time several specimens of Say's king snake 
{Ophibolus getulus sayi) from Louisiana, were taken in ex- 
change. 
On the 21st two specimens of the varied hemipode {Tur- 
nix varius) were purchased. The birds of this order {Hemi- 
podii), found in India, Africa, and Australia, closely resem- 
ble quails in appearance and are of similar habits. Their 
position in the zoological system is rather anomalous, their 
