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Show 1874.] MR. J. GOULD ON A NEW PARROT. 499 is reason to believe that the animal is distributed (though not abundantly) throughout the upper course of the Rejang, Kapuas, Koti, Baluiigan, and, perhaps, all the larger streams of the island. Both horns and teeth are brought to Sibu by natives arriving from the above district for purposes of trade; and these articles being valued by Chinese and Malays for their supposed medicinal properties, at once command a ready sale, so that they disappear generally beyond hope of recovery. " The Kayans call the animal ' Temadu ;' and the country at the head of the Rejang, i. e. for the last five days of its course, would seem to be well suited to be the habitat of this bulky herbivore, being described as destitute of any settled human population, and as affording stretches of tolerably level and grassy country which affords pasture to herds of a species of wild Ox. The horns of the latter are often to be purchased at Sibu; but I have never seen a skin or a skull. The general close affinity between the faunas of Borneo and Sumatra suggests that a Bornean Rhinoceros would be found to be furnished with two horns ; and, in fact, natives describe it as being so. " It is very long since I have seen the horns of any species of Rhinoceros; but, so far as m y memory serves, the large one I send is unlike that of the R. sumatrensis." Mr. Bartlett exhibited a similar horn, but a larger example, which he had obtained from a friend, along with some Dyak weapons twenty years ago, and which was stated to have been received from Borneo. Mr. Bartlett remarked that these specimens left no doubt of the existence in Borneo of a Rhinoceros which was probably allied to R. sondaicus, but of smaller dimensions*. The following letters were read :- " 26 Charlotte Street, Bedford Square, London, October 30, 1874. " D E A R S I R , - A s I a m still too unwell to attend the scientific meetings of our Society, I shall feel greatly obliged if you will state on m y behalf, at the next Meeting of the Society on the 3rd of November, that I have received positive evidence of the existence of a fine undescribed Parrot on the east coast of Australia. " This must be a magnificent bird, as will be seen from the enclosed drawing, which is said to be an exact representation of it, both as to size and colour. "This drawing was kindly forwarded to m e by M r . Waller, and was made by his son from the specimen (unique) procured near Jim-bour, which is a few miles north of Dalby, a small town on the Darling Downs in Queensland. " Mr. Coxen writes m e that the bird was in the possession of a working man, who guarded it jealously. Mr. Coxen carefully com- * Cf Busk, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 409. |
