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Show 1887.] MR. P. L. SCLATER ON TWO SPECIMENS OF SNAKES. 639 except the wings, which are black, 1 inch (2^ cm.) long, and somewhat curved. The small feathers of the throat on the under jaw are whitish, with a darker spot in the middle ; there begins on the throat the crimson-red bilateral beard, which is composed on both sides of three rows of very small feathers, these becoming somewhat larger in the middle of the beard and terminating with two ranges of feathers in the exterior half. Many of these feathers are shining metallic green in certain positions. A white spot behind the eyes descends from there to the breast, which is also whitish, but with a dark spot on every feather, causing a greyish appearance in the middle of the breast." The hinder half of the breast and the belly are black, but the anal portion is white, and also the sides of the body except the thighs, which are black. The inferior feathers behind the anal region are clear yellow-brown, but those in the middle have a green metallic spot. The tail is composed of eight feathers ; the two exterior on each side are more than an inch long, very small but of equal size in the whole extent, and rounded at the tip, not pointed. The exterior rectrix is entirely black ; the second has a clear brown stripe on the inner border. The third rectrix of each side is very short, only half an inch long, and more than eight lines shorter than the exterior ; its colour is entirely black. The two middle tail-feathers are shorter than the third pair, and partly covered by the coverts; they are of a metallic green colour like the coverts. "Hab. A single specimen obtained in the mountains of Tucuman (Valle de Tafi) is in the National Museum of Buenos Aires." Mr. Sclater exhibited a drawing of this bird sent by Dr. Burmeister, and stated that, after consulting Mr. Salvin and Graf v. Berlepsch, he had come to the conclusion that it must belong to a new species, for which he proposed the name Chatocercus burmeisteri. The Secretary exhibited, on behalf of Major Yerbury, F.Z.S., a pair of horns of the Oorial (Ovis cycloceros) which formerly belonged to the Royal Artillery Mess at Fort Attock, and were stated to have been originally obtained in the Chitta Pahar Range a ievi miles south of Attock. These horns were of unusual size, and, although they came from the mountains on the left bank of the Indus, appeared to belong to the form described by Mr. A. O. H u m e as Ovis blanfordi (J. A. S. B. vol. xlvi. part 2, p. 327, 1877). The Secretary read an extract from a letter received from H . M. Phipson, Esq., C.M.Z.S., of the Bombay Natural History Society, relating to living specimens of two Snakes lately received at Madras. 1. .A Trimeresurus erythurus, which had been caught on board a timber-ship from Moulmein in Bombay Harbour. 2 An Ophiophaqus bungarus, from the Canarese Jungles, which 42* |
