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Show 248 MR. 0. M. WOODFORD ON T H E [May 1, May 1, 1888. Professor Flower, C.B., LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Col. Irby, F.Z.S., exhibited, on behalf of Lord Lilford, of Aquila rapax from Southern Spain, being, as he believed, the first positively authentic specimen of this species of Eagle obtained within the limits of the Peninsula. Prof. Flower, C.B., LL.D., F.R.S., exhibited and made remarks on a specimen of a Japanese Domestic Cock, with enormously elongated tail-coverts, the longest of which measured nine feet in length. The specimen had been presented to the British Museum by Mr. F. D. Parker. The following papers were read :- 1. General Remarks on the Zoology of the Solomon Islands, and Notes on Brenchleyi Megapode. By C M . W O O D FORD, F.Z.S. [Received April 30, 1888.] The Solomons are a group of large islands situated about miles east of New Guinea, and are included by Wallace in his Austro- Malayan subdivision of the Australian Region. Zoologically they are most interesting, as they form the extreme eastern limit of the extension of Marsupials. As might be expected, the group is not particularly rich in Mammals ; but several species of frugivorous and insectivorous Bats occur. Many of these are peculiar to the group, my own collections having added three new genera and five species to the list, besides three new species of Mus. Marsupials are represented by one, and perhaps two, species of Cuscus, Cuscus orientalis being common. I was once told by a native, who had been to Queensland, and who consequently should have known Wallabies when he saw one, that Wallabies are to be found in the mountains of Guadalcanar ; but I am inclined to doubt the information, and my offer of a very large amount of " trade " for the whole or any part of a Wallaby from that island met with no response. The Birds of the Solomons are extremely interesting. Several species of fruit-eating Pigeons and of the smaller Ptilopus occur commonly. The wide-ranging Nicobar Pigeon (Calcenas nicobaricus) is frequently met with, and is not afraid to venture considerable distances from land. On my last visit to the group one flew on board and settled for some seconds, when we were distant forty miles to the westward of Renual Island-an outlying island that can |
