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Show 6.*V._ DR. A. CUNTHER ON NEW FISHES [Nov. 21, Cayenne. Mr. Sclater remarked that this gave a still wider extent of range to this Spider Monkey than had been indicated by himself and Mr. E. Bartlett in recent remarks upon this species*. A communication was read from Professor Owen, F.R.S., containing the third of a series of memoirs on the osteology of the Marsupials. In this communication Professor Owen entered at full length into the modifications observable in the cranium of the three known species of Wombats (Phascolomys). This paper will be published in the Society's 'Transactions.' The following papers were read :- 1. Report on several Collections of Fishes recently obtained for the British Museum. By Dr. A L B E R T G U N T H E R, F.R.S., F.Z.S. [Received Oetober 27, 1871.] (Plates LIII-LXX.) In the course of the present year several important collections of Fishes have been obtained by the Trustees of the British Museum :- 1. A collection of 255 examples from the Museum of Hr. Caesar Godeffroy of Hamburg. The majority of the species represented in this collection were desiderata to the British Museum, whilst the remainder of the specimens had been obtained at localities hitherto ichthyologically unknown, and consequently important for our knowledge of the geographical distribution of the species. Thus we have received the first examples from the Ellice, Cook's, and Pelew Islands, further considerable additions to the fauna of the Tonga and Samoa Islands, and several new species from localities on the north coast of New Holland. This collection contained also several desiderata from the coasts and fresh waters of California, Chile, and the Chincha Islands. 2. Dr. A. Bernhard Meyer, immediately after his safe arrival at Manado, proceeded to despatch some very extensive collections, and sent several thousands of examples of fishes alone. Of these about 200 were selected for the British Museum, which had scarcely any fishes from the Island of Celebes. W e might have expected that but few novelties would be contained in a collection made at a place to which Dr. Bleeker's attention had been directed for a number of years, and from which he has enumerated some 760 species. Yet Dr. Meyer's researches have been rewarded by the discovery of a relatively considerable number of interesting forms, among which is a true Gadoid ; the occurrence of a representative of this family in the East-Indian archipelago (see p. 669) is a most important fact. * See antea, pp. 217 et 224. |