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Show 1892.] MR. G. A. BOULENGER ON TESTUDO GRANDIDIERI. 581 them are examples of the Puisa Ichneumon (Bdeogale puisa), the Black Gallinule (Limnocorax niger), the Madagascar Pratincole (Glareola ocularis), Grant's Francolin (Francolinus granti), and of other species new to the Society's collection. 4. T w o Ypecaha Rails (Aramides ypecaha) from Brazil, purchased Oct. 24, new to the Society's collection. The Secretary exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Thomas Ground, a specimen of the Siberian Pectoral Sandpiper (Tringa acuminata), shot by that gentleman on Breydon mudflats, in Norfolk, in August last1, and read the following letter addressed to him on this subject:- " School Lane, Moseley, Birmingham, Nov. 14th, 1892. " DEAR SIR, "I have sent you to-day by L. & N . W . passenger train the specimen of Tringa acuminata for exhibition at the meeting of your Society tomorrow evening. " I shot the bird on the 29th August last on Breydon mudflats ; it was in company with a Ringed Plover and three or four Dunlins. The boatman picked it up and threw it into the punt, saying it was a Dunlin. On reaching home I examined the bird, and having never seen a Dunlin with so fine and short a bill, I took it to the stuffers and was agreeably surprised to find a few days afterwards that it had been pronounced to be an example of T. acuminata. "Yours faithfully, " THOS. GROUND." For the purpose of comparison with this specimen Mr. Thomas Southwell had, with the permission of the Trustees of the Norfolk and Norwich Museum, kindly sent up the specimen of Tringa acuminata purchased by the late J. H. Gurney in 1848, and at first referred to Tringa pectoralis1. Mr. Southwell wrote that since the specimen was recognized as Tringa acuminata it had been restuffed for the Museum by Mr. Roberts, w ho was decidedly of opinion that the specimen had been originally (that is when stuffed by Knights) set up from the flesh. It had been badly shot in the neck and legs. Mr. G. A. Boulenger, F.Z.S., read a paper describing the remains of an extinct gigantic Tortoise from Madagascar (Testudo gran-didieri, Vaill.), based on specimens obtained in caves in South-west Madagascar by M r . Last, and transmitted to the British Museum. The species was stated to be most nearly allied to Testudo gigantea of the Aldabra Islands. This memoir will be published entire in the Society's ' Transactions.' The following papers were read :- 1 See 'Zoologist,' 1892, p. 356 et p. 405. 2 Cf. 'Zoologist/ 1892, p. 405. |
