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Show 1876.] MR. P. L. S C L A T E R O N LOBIOPHASIS B U L W E R I . 465 rock; at the bottom of the hole, and away from the reach of my arm, was a Land-crab, which, undismayed by m y presence, pounced on the unhappy Rabbit and killed it before I could come to its rescue. The earliest records of the island tend to show that the Land-crabs have always been troublesome, as a reward was and is now given for their destruction. I have only observed them going to the sea during the months of February and March. Their journey to the sea is only made at night or towards evening; on their return they come at all times. I do not know at what season they cast their shells; but I am led to think, from the number of old ones I have seen, that it is soon after their return from the sea. They are but seldom eaten on the island, although when properly cooked they form no mean dish; but they are not of nearly so delicate a flavour as the West-Indian Land-crab." Mr. Sclater exhibited skins of the male and female of the new Pheasant from Borneo, lately described by Mr. Sharpe (Annals of Nat. Hist. ser. 4, vol. xiv. p. 373) as Lobiophasis bulweri, and figured in Part 27 of Gould's * Birds of Asia.' A pair of these birds had been procured from Borneo in December last by Mr. Scheepmaker, of Sourabaya, agent to the Royal Zoological Society of Amsterdam. The male bird had died in Java; the female had been forwarded alive to Amsterdam, but had arrived in a weak condition and lived only a few weeks. Mr. Westermann's kindness had enabled Mr. Sclater to exhibit these fine birds, of which the female was previously unknown, and might be described as follows:- LOBIOPHASIS BULWERI, fern. (Plate XLIV.) Brunnea, subtus in castaneum vergens, fusco omnino minutissime vermiculata : capite minus rufescente et in gutture valde pallidiore : lateribus capitis lotis nudis, in ave viva carulescen-tibus, carunculis utrinque duabus minutis, altera ad latus menti, altera ad nucham sitis: remigibus et rectricibus saturate brunneis, unicoloribus: cauda rotundata, e rectricibus ut videtur xxviii. composita : rostro corneo, pedibus rubris : long. tota 20, ala 9, cauda rectr. ext. 3*7, med. 5*7, tarsi 3*5. Obs. There are slight indications of the tarsal spurs in the female. The tail is not perfect; but there appear to have been at least 28 rectrices (an extraordinary number) ; and in the skin of the male I make 15 on one side, so that 30 is probably the full complement. Mr. Sharpe does not give the number of tail-feathers in his specimen. Mr. Garrod, who kindly examined the body of the female, reports the gizzard as strongly muscular; the small intestine 5*4 in., the large 4 ft. 6 in. in length ; the caeca 6 in. in length ; the oil-gland nude or very slightly tufted. The sternum, which I exhibit, appears to be very like that of Euplocamus. |
