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Show 554 MR. G. A. BOULEXGER ON POLYPTERUS CONGICUS. [May 2, only difference in the coloration between the sexes being that, whilst the underparts of the body are bright bay in the male, they are reddish-grey in the female *. The specimens were obtained by Crossley, and came, according to the Eegister, from the Betsi-misaraka Country, which is rather a vague definition. I have myself collected specimens of what I consider to be the same as Gray's species in four different forest-districts, from 900 to about 1300 metres above the sea-level, viz. at Ampitambe, N.E. Betsileo (at the confines of the Betsimisaraka country) ; at Ambohimitombo and Ivobimanitra, farther to the south, in the Tanala country (the Tanalas, " foresters," are part of the Betsimisaraka tribe); and, lastly, at Vinanitelo, Southern Betsileo, on the confines of the Tonalas of Ikongo. The coloration varies slightly from one locality to the other; especially the specimens from the lowest district, Ivohimanitra, are of a lighter coloration, and in the females the throat is white; in young specimens the whole of the underparts being of this coloration. From my material I am disposed to agree with Schlegel2, who considered Gray's " Prosimia rufipes,, to be the.same as Is. Geoffroy's Lemur rubriventer and L.fiaviventer3, the latter based on the two female specimens held by Schlegel, rightly as I think, to be females of the former. M y collections contain about a dozen individuals, 8• 2 • anfl young; but I have never met with a black male. At first sight it would appear quite possible that in the most northern parts of Madagascar the males of one species of Lemur might have a different coloration from those in more southern districts. Unfortunately, neither the type of L. nigerrimus, which, as said before, lived at the Society's Gardens, nor any other black Lemur, apart from L. macaco, is in the Natural History Museum. I should not attach great weight to the colour of the iris, stated to be greenish-blue in both male and female L. nigerrimus, if this coloration were not such a very exceptional occurrence in Lemurs. All my supposed specimens of L. rufipes had a dark yellow iris, nor have I ever met with bluish eyes in any species of Lemur. Of more importance still is the difference iu the skulls, those of L. nigerrimus figured in Grandidier's work4 being different from Gray's and m y specimens of supposed L. rufipes. So that, in conclusion, until better evidence is forthcoming, I am not inclined to admit the specific identity of the two forms. Mr. G. A. Boulenger exhibited a specimen of the fish Polypterus congicus, measuring 22 centimetres long, from the Eiver Congo (Bangala Country), remarkable for the retention of the right opercular gill, the axis of which measured 34 millimetres and the 1 Dr. J. E. Gra\. •' On a new Species of Lemur from Madagascar" &c., Ann Nat. Hist. [4] vol.' viii. p. 339 (1871); id. P. Z. S. 1872, pp. 852, 8.33, pl. Ixix. (coloured figures in accurate). 2 H. Schlogel, Monographic des Singes, p. 311 (187t>). 3 Is. GeotfrovSaiut-Hilaire, Catal. meth. Coll. Mamimf. &c. pp. 71, 72 (18.31). * Hist. Madag., Mainin. Atlaa, ii. 1890, pl. |