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Show 1867-] LETTER FROM DR. MUELLER. 241 In relation to the same subject, Mr. P. L. Sclater read the following extract from a letter received by him from Capt. John M . Dow, F.Z.S., dated New York, January 17th, 1867: - "The new Tapir from the Isthmus of Panama (Tapirus bairdi) appears to be the only species inhabiting that region of country. Not having seen an example of T. americanus I am unable to say whether it is, or is not, distinct in external appearance from T. bairdi. The young specimens of the latter I have seen were all marked on the back with light spots, and were covered with reddish-brown hair, which becomes darker, coarser, and uniform in colour in adult specimens. " Thus far all examples of T. bairdi have exclusively been found on the Atlantic side of the isthmus, and north of the Chagres River. Their favourite haunts appear to be in the hills lying at the back of Sion Hill and the adjoining stations of the Panama Railway. It is only during tbe rainy season that they seem to seek the lowlands, for it is only in that season they are captured. They are not hunted by the natives; and it is only when they occasionally stray out into the open space of the railway that the young are sometimes captured alive, and the old ones shot." The Secretary read the following extracts from a letter, addressed by Dr. F. Mueller, of Melbourne, C.M.Z.S., to the 'Australasian,' on the 15th of December last, giving further particulars as to the Cassowary of Australia:- " For the intelligence of the existence of an Australian true Cassowary, and for the means of defining preliminarily its specific characters, I am indebted to G. Randall Johnson, Esq., who in September last, while on a visit to Rockingham Bay, shot in the Gowrie Creek scrub the only specimen of this remarkable bird as yet obtained, and whose name I wish it should bear; and I cannot do better than to give in the first instance publicity to the lucid remarks transmitted to me by that gentleman :- " - The Cassowaries for some time past have been known to exist in the country about Rockingham Bay, but from their extreme shyness and caution have up to this time managed to escape every attempt to catch or kill them. "' The specimen shot is a male bird, and closely resembles the Helmeted Cassowary, but is of smaller size, its greatest height when standing in a natural position being not more than 4\ feet. The head and neck are almost entirely bare of feathers, and the skin of different shades of blue and red. On the top of the head is a horny substance of dirty light-brown colour; the beak is black, the irides of rich light brown; the skin from the beak along the top of the head, and extending 5 inches down the back of the neck, marine-blue ; below this, still following the back of the neck down to the point at which the feathers become thick, a length of 5 inches, the skin is of a cinnabar-red tint, the underside of the head and throat, from the beak downward, being of ultramarine, and the small trian- PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1867, No. XVI. |