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Show 240 THE SECRETARY ON ADDITIONS TO THE MENAGERIE. [Feb. 28, belong to this family, and form a section of it which has a soft thin skin. The genus Edwardsia, Quatrefages (Ann. des Sci. Nat. xvm. 65, 1842), and Solanthus of Gosse (Ann. Nat. Hist. xii. 1853, p. 157), may also belong to this tribe, and form a section characterized by the middle portion of the skin of the body being thickened, so as to form an imperfect tubular polyperoid, into which the soft anterior and posterior portion of the body are retracted for protection. The Edwardsia vestita of Forbes (Ann. Nat. Hist. viii. 244. t. viii. 1842, and xii. 42, 1843) is most probably a Cerianthus, which forms a tube of agglutinated sand, like many Annelides, for the base of its body. February 28, 1867. Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. The Secretary called the attention of the Meeting to several recent additions to the Society's Menagerie, amongst which were - 1. A male example of the wild Swine of Formosa (Sus taivanus, Swinhoe), received by the ship ' Island Queen,' January 17th, having been obtained for Mr. Swinhoe by Mr. Gregory, H.M. Vice-Consul at Tamsuy, and forwarded to the Society by Mr. Swinhoe. This animal was stated by Mr. Sclater to be very nearly allied to, if not identical with, Sus leucomystax of Japan, of which the Society had previously possessed a female specimen, and was apparently very different from the curious red pig of the savages of Formosa, of which Mr. Swinhoe had sent three examples to the Society on the 25th of October, 1866, in the 'Maitland,' and which had been spoken of as Sus taivanus in a former communication on the subject (P. Z.S. 1866, p. 419). 2. A pair of Saiga Antelopes (Saiga tatarica, Pallas), received on deposit in November 1866, and recently purchased, as being apparently likely to do well in the Society's Menagerie. A drawing by Mr. Wolf was exhibited (Plate XVII.) showing the peculiar sheep-like appearance of this singular Antelope. Mr. W. II. Flower exhibited a skull of the newly described Tapir of Panama (Elasmognathus bairdi, Gill, Pr. Acad. Sc. Phil. Ib66, p. 183), belonging to the collection of the Royal College of Surgeons, and pointed out the characters which distinguish it from Tapirus americanus and T. malayensis, the most prominent of which was the complete osseous septum between the nasal apertures. Mr. Flower did not propose to give any further description of this animal at present, as it was understood that Professor Gill was preparing a complete account of it. The skull had been obtained bv a collector at one of the stations of the Panama Railway. |
