首 ​資 ​2 HAMAM EXTENDIMUS FACTS George Siton Veitch a . EX LIBRIS WWE alexander Ruthies SEN sh ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ZOOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICA; CONSISTING CHIEFLY OF FIGURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTED DURING AN EXPEDITION INTO THE INTERIOR OF SOUTH AFRICA, IN THE YEARS 1834, 1835, AND 1836; FITTED OUT BY " THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE ASSOCIATION FOR EXPLORING CENTRAL AFRICA.” BY ANDREW SMITH, M.D., DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF ARMY HOSPITALS ; DIRECTOR OF THE EXPEDITION. Published under the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. Μ Α Μ Μ Α LIA. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO. 65, CORNHILL. MDCCCXLIX. Museums QL 336 ,564 W. 1,4-5 LONDON: PRINTED BY STEWART AND MURRAY, OLD BAILEY Museums Library से Pres. Alexander Puthaen 3.21-58 v. 1,3 = added epies + 8-3-5-7 a v.2, 4-5 PRE FACE. “The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa,” which was established in Cape Town in 1833, found itself (on the return from the interior, in December 1836, of an expedition which it had despatched eighteen months before) in possession of an extensive and varied collection of objects of Natural History, many of which were new to science, and many others, though not new, comparatively little known. The Society, mindful of its original object,—the promotion of knowledge,-immediately resolved that descriptions and figures of the new and other objects of particular interest should, if possible, be published; the more especially as beautiful representations of all had been made by Mr. Ford, from specimens either living or recently dead. Desirable as this appeared, the Association saw little prospect of its being effected without some pecuniary assistance; they therefore determined to seek the support of the Home Government, and authorized me to wait on Lord Glenelg, on my arrival in England, and represent to his Lordship the views of the Association, and how desirous its members were that the ample stores they possessed should be employed in the advancement of knowledge. His Lordship, after having satisfied himself that the publication contemplated might fairly be expected to promote the interest of science, recommended the Lords of the Treasury to aid the ii PREFACE. a colonists in their laudable enterprise. The proposition of the Right Hon., the then, Secretary for the Colonies was favourably entertained, and ere long I was informed that a portion of the expense of the projected publi- cation would be defrayed by Government, in order that it might be sold at a price which would place it within the reach of the generality of naturalists. On the receipt of this information, I proceeded to make arrangements with a publisher; and, on the approval by Government of the terms proposed, the materials for the first part were placed in the hands of Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co. At this time I expected to be able to com- plete a part of the work every second month ; but scarcely was the second part commenced, when serious disease rendered me unequal to almost any exertion, and no sooner was I differently circumstanced, than I was appointed to fill a highly responsible and onerous position, which required so much time, that little leisure could be devoted to the publication I had undertaken. I think it necessary to state these facts, in order that the Subscribers to the work may understand why it has been extended over so long a period. All the illustrations, with a few exceptions, have been executed by Mr. Ford, who, it has already been stated, made the drawings; and I feel confident that purchasers will not regret his having been selected. A cursory survey of the plates will, I think, convince any one that they are the production of a master's hand—a hand that depicts nature so closely as to render the representation nearly, if not equally, as valuable as the actual specimen. In describing colours, I have almost invariably had reference to the little but useful work of Mr. Syme, of Edinburgh,* and always employed his “ Werner's Nomenclature of Colours.” Second Edition, 1821. PREFACE. ili m a a nomenclature, so that the reader, with this publication in his hand, will understand exactly what are the colours indicated. Some of the objects described were collected in the Cape Colony; others in Kaffirland, a district of country lying along the sea-coast to the eastward of the colony; others near Port Natal ; but the majority on the belt of country which was explored by the expedition already mentioned, which was in breadth nearly 3 degrees, and in length 7}; or, in other words, the country lying between 25° and 27° 58' east longitude, and 31° and 23° 28' south latitude. Considering that the Association contributed not merely the princi- pal but the greater part of the novelties, and that its members incurred great expense to acquire them, without any prospect of individual advantage, I feel it a duty to embrace this opportunity of not only recording that fact, but also the names of those, who, though residing in a distant part of the globe, are not indifferent to the promotion of discovery and the advancement of science. In doing justice to them, however, I must not fail, at the same time, to discharge a like duty to a resident of this country, who contributed in a greater proportion than any other individual to whatever success attended the exertions of the Association, -I allude to Mr. Jameson, of Liverpool, who spontaneously transmitted to the Society, through Mr. MʻQueen, the sum of two hundred pounds, to be employed in furtherance of African discovery. The plates, as it will be observed, have been published in five divi- sions, viz., Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Pisces, and Invertebratæ. Those of each division have been numbered independently, and the letterpress descriptions left unpaged, in order that they may be arranged according to the particular view of purchasers. An index to each division is given, so 6 iv PREFACE. . that zoologists may, if disposed, have the plates arranged in four volumes :—Volume 1, Mammalia ; 2, Aves ; 3, Reptilia ; and 4, Pisces and Invertebratæ. The necessity of bringing this work to a close without containing more than one part on the Annulosa of South Africa, from the pen of my friend, W. S. Macleay, Esq., will, I am aware, cause deep disappointment to naturalists. The rapid sale of the only part he was able to furnish before he left this country for a distant colony, and the impossibility of now procuring a copy of it, affords not only the strongest possible proof of its great merit, but also an evidence of the estimation and respect in which its author is held. ANDREW SMITH, M.D. 30th November, 1849. MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR EXPLORING CENTRAL AFRICA. Albertus, A. Abercrombie, Dr. Ansdell, T. Adamson, Rev. Dr. Ebden, J, B. Elliott, J. W. Elliott, T. Eager, E. Elliott, Hon. John Fairbridge, Dr. Faure, Rev. A. Fitzgerald, Captain (H.C.S.) Foster, Captain (H.C.S.) Fairbairn, J. Billingsley, W. Borcherds, P. B. Buck, J. T. Bailey, Dr. S. Brink, P. M. Breda, P. (Az.) Bance, J. Breda, M. Burton, C. Berrange, D. F. Brink, J. G. Brand, P. B. Brehm, Joachim Burrow, Rev. Dr. Bam, A. G. Greig, G. Gregory, D. Graham, Captain (72nd Regiment) Grant, Dr. J. (H.C.S.) Gie, J. C. Gadney, W. Cole, His Excellency Sir G. L., G.C.B. Chiappini, A., sen, Caffyn, T. Cadogan, G. Cloete, Lieutenant-Colonel Carey, James Christian, Ewan Collison, F. Cloete, P. L., sen. Cloete, P. L., jun. Chase, J. C. Coke, W. Cheap, Major (H.C.S.) Clarence, R. Cuyler, Major-General Hawkins, W. (H.C.S.) Hutton, J. Hough, Rev. G. Harris, Lieutenant (72nd Regiment) Herron, H. W Heideman, W. Hodgskin, G. Hertzog, D. W. Herbert, G Hartley, Major Harrington, -- (H.C.S.) ( Hutchins, M. Henderson, Captain (H.C.S.) Harding, W. Hitchcock, J. Hudson, H. - Innes, J. R. Deneys, J. Dickson, W. Dashwood, Captain (H.C.S.) During, Lieutenant-Colonel (A.D.C.) Dyce, R., M.D. Jardine, A. J. Judge, Rev. E. Jarvis, H. C. Kekewich, Hon. Judge Edie, Major (98th Regiment) King, James MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR EXPLORING CENTRAL AFRICA.-(Continued.) Kift, B. G. Ross, M. Korsten, Frederick Rogerson, R. Rutherfoord, H, E. Leisching, Dr. L. Riet, J. W. van der Leisching, W. Ludwig, C. F. H. von Smith, Dr. A. Lushington, J. D. (H.C.S.) South African Literary and Scientific In- Levick, James stitution Lees, Dr. Stoll, Hon. J. W. Steedman, A. Mackrill , W.J. Silberbauer, G. W. Murray, Dr. Smidt, A, de Michell, Major Smith, Captain J. Malcolm, Sir C., R.N. Scott, R. H. (H.C.S.) M‘Kenzie, c. Smuts, J. M. Menzies, Hon. Judge Skirrow, J. Muntingh, H. G. Smith, Rev. A. Maynard, J. M. Smith, Captain (H.C.S.) Moore, E. Staveren, Rev. J. M. Kloek van Mackay, W.M. Marshall, J. Tredgold, J. H. Merrington, S., sen. Thornhill, J. McArthur, Captain (H.C.S.) Twycross, G. McDowall, Dr. (H.C.S.) Thompson, G. Thalwitzer, M. Neethling, J. H. Thomson, Watson, and Co. Nicholson, Dr. S. (H.C.S.) Truter, Hon. Sir J. Newnham, T. (H.C.S.) Tübingen, the University of, per C. F.H. von Ludwig Oliphant, Hon. A. Thompson, W. R. O'Flinn, Dr. Okes, T. Verreaux, J. P. Osmond, J. Villet, C. M. Vaughan, Colonel (98th Regiment) Pillans, C.. , Watermeyer, F. S. Prince, G. W. Wade, Hon. Colonel Parbly, Major Wicht, H. Polemann, F. Wylde, Hon. Sir J. Philipps, Thomas Wilmot, G. F. Williamson, R. H. (H.C.S.) Reitz, F. W. Ward, Joseph Ross, H. Watermeyer, F. G. MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION. Dr. A. Smith E. Tennant Major Edie (98th Regiment) Corporal McKenzie Mr. Charles Bell John Mintern Mr. George Ford Henry Lowe Mr. John Burrow James Terry Mr. Kift H. Cockkrell C. Haswell And Twenty Hottentots. S.H Ford RHINOCEROS KEITLOA (Mammalia --Platel) RHINOCEROS KEITLOA.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.— PLATE I. (Male.) Rh. pallidè brunneo-flavus ; cornubus duobus longitudine subæqualibus; anteriore cylindrico, posteriore compresso ; labii superioris parte anteriore productâ acuminatâ. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 11 ped. 14 unc., caudo 26 unc., cornuorum 21 unc. - ALTITUDO 5 pedes. RHINOCEROS KEITLOA—Rep. of Exped. page 44. June 1836. - Colour.–Pale brownish yellow, the brown most distinct upon the head ; the inner sides of the extremities towards the body and the groins somewhat flesh-coloured ; the inner sides of the knee joints and the hinder part of the thighs immediately above the joints pale livid black. Eyes dark brown. Horns dark greenish brown. FORM, &c.- Figure nearly that of Rhinoceros Bicornis, Auct. Skin desti- tute of hair, rough and slightly irregular, the surface exhibiting a reticulated appearance, arising from the number of waved or angular fissures by which it is every where impressed, but more particularly upon the shoulders and outer surfaces of the hinder extremities. The lower portion of the neck is marked by several wide vertical furrows, which admit of the head being turned to either side with greater facility ; several of a much smaller size also occur towards the extremity of the muzzle and around the eyes, evidently for the purpose of admitting the upper lip and the eyelids to be moved with greater freedom. Head moderately slender; the eyes very small, and sunk in the orbits ; the nostrils are situated near to the extremity of the muzzle, of a somewhat oval form, and rather oblique in relation to the axis of the head. The anterior horn nearly cylindrical, the basal half directed forwards, the distal half slightly curved backwards; the posterior horn towards its base nearly cylin- drical, with the distal two-thirds laterally compressed, and having the hinder- most edge thinnest. Ears somewhat acuminated, edged with short hair towards their tips; legs rather short ; knee joints very large; scarcely any hunch on the shoulders ; the neck rather long. Tail cylindrical till RHINOCEROS KEITLOA. 4 within a few inches of its extremity, then laterally compressed and margined above and below by strong, short and wiry hair. DIMENSIONS. Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches. Length from the tip of the nose to the Length of the anterior horn, following base of the tail 11 1} the curve 1 91 of the tail .... 2 2 of the posterior horn.. 1 9 from the tip of the nose to the Height at the shoulder 5 0 hinder edge of the occiput.. 2 171 at the crupper 10 from the hinder edge of the Circumference at the middle of the nostril to the eye 0 111 belly ... 9 8 from the eye to the ear......... 0 111 The only species yet known with which the present could be confounded, is the Rhinoceros Bicornis of authors. Between them, however, many well marked differences are to be discovered ; but as it is our intention to enter more at length on that subject in the Appendix, we shall only here particu- larise a few of the external and more palpable ones. In the Rh. Keitloa, the two horns are of equal, or nearly equal length; in Rh. Africanus, the pos- terior, in neither sex, is ever much beyond a third of the length of the anterior horn ; the length of the head, in proportion to the depth, is very different in the two. The neck of the new species is much longer than that of the other, and the position and character of the cuticular furrows, destined to facilitate the lateral motions of the head, are very different. Besides these, many other diagnostic characters might be instanced ; such as the black mark on the inside of the thigh of Keitloa,—the distinctly produced tip of the upper lip; and the comparatively few wrinkles on the snout and parts around the eyes, when compared with those on the same places in Rh, Bicornis, as will be seen by comparing the representation of the present spe- cies with the next plate. Considering the acumen which savages display in detecting differences between animals nearly related, we may, with propriety, infer that the Keitloa has not, at least for many years, been in the habit of generally extending his range higher than about 25° south latitude.* The natives at and around Latakoo are only acquainted with two species, viz. Borili (Rhinoceros Bicornis, Auct.) and Mohoohoo (Rhinoceros Simus, Burch.); and those who were in our employ declared, when they first saw the Keitloa, that it was not an animal of their country; and at once enlarged upon the points in which it differed from Borili. During the discussion, an intelligent Moharotsi, who was well acquainted with the animal, approached,-called him by his name, and referred us to districts where we should find specimens in abundance. As he stated, it happened ; * That individuals of this species have approached Latakoo, or rather the country some sixty miles to the north of it, we have sufficient evidence in the fact that Mr. Burchell, whose merits as a traveller can be best appreciated by those who follow him in the same field, is at present in possession of the horns of an individual which was killed by his hunters. RHINOCEROS KEITLOA. though every where the species appeared rare when compared with the others; and, after several months' wanderings, it was found that only sixty-eight individuals had been seen, eight of which in one herd, (two of them, not more than half grown,) were disturbed by myself when feeding near to the banks of a river we were descending. According to the evidence of the natives, the Keitloa is of a very savage disposition, on which account it is more feared than Borili, which has also a character for ferocity. Its food consists of small shrubs, or the more delicate branches of brushwood, in collecting which, the prolongation of the anterior ex- tremity of the upper lip proves a useful assistant. For a more detailed account of the manners and habits of this species, we may refer to the Appendix hereafter to be published. While in the neighbourhood of the Tropic, we heard of two other species of the genus, which exist still farther to the northward ; but, unfortunately, could not obtain any very circumstantial evidence concerning them, as the persons who had seen them were only on a visit in the country they inhabit. One of them was stated to approximate the Keitloa ; the other was de- scribed as very different to any species previously seen by them, and to have only one long horn towards the forehead. Now, though descriptions of objects furnished by such persons are often inaccurate, from the circumstance of their not having been favourably situated for making correct observations, as well as from a deficiency of language calculated to convey the informa- tion they actually possess, I have always remarked that even a hasty examination seemed to supply the savage with more accurate notions of the general characters of animals than it did the civilized man, and therefore I do not despair of species such as they mentioned being yet discovered. It is in regard to the species with the single horn, that we experience the greatest hesitation in receiving their evidence as credible, and, therefore, it is agreeable to have it corroborated by the testimony of a man from a very different part of the country, as obtained and published by a missionary of great research who resided a long time in Madagascar. The individual who furnished Mr. Freeman with the account of the Ndzoo-dzoo, was a native of the country northward of Mozambique, and if we admit certain portions of the descriptions to be tainted with errors, we can recognise in the remainder the genuine habits of a Rhinoceros, and probably one of the species, with which our informants were slightly acquainted. “ It appears,” observes Mr. Freeman, “ that the Ndzoo-dzoo is by no means rare in Makooa. It is about the size of a horse, extremely fleet and strong. It has one single horn projecting from its forehead, from twenty-four to thirty inches in length. This is flexible when the animal is asleep; it can be curled like the trunk of the Elephant, but becomes perfectly firm and hard when the animal is excited, and especially when pursuing an enemy. Its disposition is ex- tremely fierce, and it universally attacks man if it sees him. The usual method of escape adopted by the natives is, to climb up a dense and high tree, so as to avoid, if possible, being If the animal misses his sight of the fugitive, he immediately gallops off to his haunt ; from whence it may be inferred that he is not endowed with the power of a keen scent. Should he, however, espy his object in the tree, woe to the unfortunate native —he begins to butt with his horns,—strikes and penetrates the tree, and continues piercing it till it falls, when his victim seldom escapes being gored to death. Unless the tree is of a large girth, he never fails in breaking it down. Having killed his victim, he leaves him without devouring the carcase. The male only is provided with the horn. The female has not anything of the kind.”* seen. * South African Christian Recorder, Vol. i. p. 33. . RHINOCEROS KEITLOA. With respect to the other Rhinoceros which was said to exhibit a resemblance to the Keitloa, it may probably be found to belong to a species which has its principal habitat in northern Africa, a conclusion to which we have been led from an examination of a pair of horns con- tained in the museum of the College of Surgeons of London, and which were obtained in Abyssinia, by Mr. Salt. These horns differ considerably from the horns of Rh. Bicornis, while as regards form, they approximate those of Rh. Keitloa. Another pair of horns, probably of the same species, is preserved according to Spaarman,* in the cabinet of the Royal Academy of Sciences, the foremost of which is twenty-two inches in length, and the hindermost sixteen. The distance between these horns is scarcely two inches. They differ likewise, he adds, “ from the horns I saw in Africa, and from those I brought with me, in being of a lighter colour, and straight, and at the same time flat on the sides; so that the hindmost horn in particular, has pretty sharp edges on the upper part, both before and behind. These horns most probably came from the northern parts of Africa, as they were purchased at Naples,” &c. Different again from the above, and from all Rhinoceros horns I have yet seen are two, contained in the British Museum, which were obtained by Major Denham during his journey in Northern Africa; and if they do not prove to have belonged to young individuals of Rh. Simus, they will require to be referred to a species not yet characterised; they are of a lighter colour than any horns which I have had an opportunity of examining, and along with a peculiarly corneous aspect, they have a considerable degree of semi-transparency. The horns of Rh. Simus possess more of the above characters than any others yet known, which circumstance, together with the fact of which I have been informed by R. Owen, Esq. F.R.S. that clubs of Rhinoceros horn, about three feet in length have been obtained from Western Africa, (Kingdom of Dahomy) would lead to a supposition, that either the species discovered by Burchell, or one with certain of its characters, inhabits Northern Africa. Now, though I am not prepared to maintain that the horns of each individual of the same species of Rhinoceros are found to be uniform, as regards size and form, or even that the rela- tive lengths of the first and second horns are constant in different animals, yet from what I have observed in the South African species, I do not think we are justified in believing the horns of the same species to be subject to any great variations in respect to relative length. When the Rhinoceros of Abyssinia shall have been minutely examined, it will probably be found to be distinct from Rhinoceros Bicornis, Lin., and be identical with the animal stated by the natives who communicated with us near the tropic of Capricorn, to be like the Keitloa. The other species of which they spoke'will possibly be identical with the Ndzoo-dzoo and a nondescript: while the one, from which were obtained the horns referred to as in the British Museum, may prove either the Rhinoceros Simus, or a third undescribed species. * Voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, by A. Spaarman, M.D. 4to. vol. ii. p. 100. RHINOCEROS BICORNIS (Mammalia Plate 2.) RHINOCEROS BICORNIS.-LIN. MAMMALIA.—PLATE II.—(FEMALE AND Young.) R. pallidé flavo-brunneus, cornubus longitudine inæqualibus; collo ad caput sulco circumdato; oculis brunneis. LONGITUDO 10 ped. 11. unc. RHINOCEROS AFRICANUS, Cuv. Reg. Animal. Colour.—Pale yellowish brown, with tints of purple upon the sides of the head and the muzzle ; the groins flesh-coloured; eyes dark brown; the horns livid brown, clouded with green; the hair on the tip of the tail and the margins of the ears deep black. Form, &c.—Head rather deep in proportion to its length, which gives it an appearance of clumsiness beyond either of the other South African species ; the anterior horn directly over the extremity of the nose, the first half nearly perpendicular, the last half slightly curved backwards; the pos- terior horn conical, and often exhibiting an appearance as if the point of a smaller sized cone had been fixed upon the section of a larger one, which observation to a certain extent might also be applied to the front horn; towards their bases both are rough, and more or less distinctly fibrous ; towards the points hard, smooth, and finely polished. Eyes small; the skin surrounding them as well as that in front of the ears and on the muzzle and the upper and lower lips, deeply cut by narrow wrinkles; the extremity of the upper lip scarcely produced. The neck is thick, short, and at its junction with the head encircled by a deep furrow formed in the skin; the shoulder with a rudimentary hunch ; the body round and heavy ; limbs rather shorter in proportion than in R. Keitloa. Tail flattened towards the extremity, elsewhere somewhat cylindrical; the upper and lower edges near the tip fringed with thick wiry hair. The surface of the skin rather rougher than in the species last described, owing to its being intersected by a greater number of wrinkles. DIMENSIONS. Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches. 11 ...... 10 .. 1 17 0 4 10 Length from nose to root of tail Length of anterior horn...... Height at the shoulder ...... of posterior horn 61 The relative lengths of the horns vary a little in different individuals, but the hindermost one in both sexes is invariably much the shortest, and in RHINOCEROS BICORNIS. young specimens it is scarcely visible when the other is several inches in length. In the Rhinoceros Keitloa, again, the young have both horns of equal length. The present species, under the name of Rhinoster, has been familiarly known to the colonists of the Cape of Good Hope ever since 1652. In that year, when the Dutch first formed their settlement on the shores of Table Bay, this animal was a regular inhabitant of the thickets which clothed the lower slopes of Table Mountain. The abandonment of those spots by this animal as a measure of safety, probably constituted the commencement of a forced migration, which has continued to extend ever since, and which has led not only to the disappearance of the species from the districts within the present colonial limits, but also in a great measure to its removal from countries beyond those limits, as far as hunters efficiently armed are accus- tomed to resort. If a system, such as has hitherto prevailed, continues to exist, and the larger animals persevere in flying to avoid the effects of fire-arms, the time may arrive when the various species which formerly may have been scattered, each, in a peculiar locality of a large continent, will be huddled together; and indeed an advance towards that period is in progress, as may be inferred from the concentration which is at present taking place in the interior of South Africa. Though many of the individuals which inhabited the countries where now not a single Rhinoceros is to be seen, were doubtless destroyed, yet it is equally certain that many others escaped, and thereby assisted in adding to the accumulation which is in progress in other localities. Until lately the present was the only species of the genus which was known to be receding from its native country, but of late another has been led to a like course; and the Rhinoceros Simus which but a few years ago was common in the neighbourhood of Latakoo, has, since the more general introduction of fire-arms into that country, almost entirely ceased to approach within a hundred miles of it. From a consideration of the various facts which we have collected in relation to the species now under consideration, and which we shall detail more at length elsewhere, we feel disposed to regard it to a certain extent as a prisoner in the country it now inhabits, and are inclined to believe the southern extremity of the continent, and the country along the western coast towards Benguela to have once formed its favourite residence. Like the Keitloa, this species feeds upon brushwood and the smaller branches of dwarf-trees, from which circumstance it is invariably found frequenting wooded districts, and in those situations its course may often be traced by remarking the mutilations of the bushes. As it feeds but slowly, and besides passes much of its time in idleness, it must be regarded as a very moderate eater, and considering it appears to be fastidious in the choice of its food, it is fortunate for its comfort that it does not require more nourishment. Of the many shrubs which exist in the localities in which it resides, few comparatively appear formed for its choice, as it is to be seen approaching many and leaving them again without either injuring a branch or plucking a leaf. This evident nicety in the selection of its aliment makes it difficult to ima- gine how so many large animals as are sometimes congregated together within a very limited space can find sufficient for their consumption. Even admitting that the reproduction of the parts which the Rhinoceros may devour takes place with uncommon rapidity in the climates they inhabit, and consequently the shrubs are comparatively soon in a condition to supply ano- ther meal, yet nevertheless, if these animals consumed in proportion to their bulk, they would of necessity be forced to be less particular in the choice of their food. ERINACEUS FRONTALIS (Mammalia Plate 3.) ERINACEUS FRONTALIS. -SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE III. (FEMALE.) . E. ovatus; spinis varié intertextis ad basin et versus apicem albis, in medio purpurascentibus, apicibus quibusdam brunneis reliquis albidis; pilis rigidis subnigris aut griseis ; fasciâ frontali albâ; auriculis oblongis pilis brevibus obtectis. LONGITUDO 7} unc. ERINACEUS FRONTALIS, Smith, South African Quarterly Journal, No. 5. Oct. 1831. ERINACEUS FRONTALIS, Bennet, Proceedings Zoological Society, Dec. 1832. Colour, &c.—The head and the sides of the neck and of the body blackish brown, slightly variegated by an intermixture of greyish white hairs; the forehead and the sides of the neck, immediately under the ears, pure white; the quills of the back white, each annulated towards the middle with purple, the points of many of them light brown. The under surface of the neck, the middle of the breast and belly, and the lower half of the limbs dusky white; tail black; eyes very deep brown ; claws horn-coloured. Form, &c.—Body oval, broadest behind and wider in proportion to its length than in the common Hedge-hog. Muzzle slightly elongated ; incisors of upper jaw much separated, those of lower jaw nearly contiguous; ears moderately long, and both surfaces thinly covered with short hair, the tips somewhat rounded. The back and the upper part of the sides densely covered with spines from an inch to an inch and a half in length, the rest of the body, the legs and the head thinly coated with bristly hair; tail slender; limbs very long; toes short; claws blunt and slightly curved. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the nose to the Distance between the tip of the nose base of the tail and the eye 1 3 of the tail the eye and the ear... 0 9 Height at the middle of the back...... 0 5 The male, as regards the colours, is like the female. a Inches. Lines. ng 6 0 6 ERINACEUS FRONTALIS. This little hedge-hog was first obtained in the districts around Old Latakoo, and on leaving that place, no additional specimens were acquired. Even where it was best known only a very few individuals were procured, and according to the natives it was every where rare. It has all the habits of the common hedge-hog, (Erinaceus Europæus, Lin.) and like it, when surprised, rolls itself up into a globular mass, in which state it will often remain for hours together while the object creating its fears continues near it. Some individuals however, are less timid, and soon attempt to escape. HERPESTES BADIUS (Mammalia _ Plate 4) HERPESTES BADIUS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.--PLATE IV. (FEMALE.) H. badius, subtus pallidior, ad fulvum transiens, dorsi, caudæque pilis sordide flavo et nigro-annulatis ; caudæ apice nigro ; oculis rubris. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 12 unc., caudo 12 unc. 4 lin. ICHNEUMON RATLAMUCHI, App. to Rep. of Exped. page 42, June 1836. COLOUR.-Above bright bay, beneath lighter, inclined to fulvous; extremity of the tail shining black. On the head, upper part of the neck, and limbs and tail, the colour is darkest; on the back and upper part of the sides it is slightly variegated by a fine pencilling of dull yellow and black; each, or at least most of the hairs being annulated with these two colours in addition to the bay which is the prevailing tint. Towards the root of the tail the hairs are marked after the same fashion, only the quantity of brown is greater; whiskers black. Ears coloured like the body ; eyes red; nails a dark horn colour. Form, &c.—Figure very slender; head short, broad between the ears and slender towards the muzzle ; ears very short; legs of moderate length ; nails nearly straight. The hair is slightly rigid; on the head it is short, on the body considerably longer, and on the posterior portion of the back, outer surface of the thighs and the tail it is longest, on some places measuring fully three inches. On the tail it is laid close, so that though long, this part of the animal is nevertheless moderately slender. On the ears the hair is very short, and on their posterior surfaces is almost wanting: DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the nose to the Distance between the point of the nose root of the tail 12 0 and the eye 0 10 of the tail ... 12 between the eye and the upper Height at the shoulder 4 2 extremity of the ear......... 0 10 4 HERPESTES BADIUS. a The adults of both sexes are nearly alike in regard to colour and size. In the young animal there is a distinct reddish cast over the whole body, but it is much broken by the yellowish and brownish rings which occur on each hair and which appear in this age upon the head and thighs as well as the back. At one time I was disposed to regard our animal as identical with Herpestes ruber, Desm.,* but upon comparing it with the description of the latter as furnished by the author just quoted, I found it to differ in many points. In our species, the body, as will be seen by a reference to the measurements, is shorter than the tail; in that of Desmarest, the tail is four inches shorter than the body; in ours, the tip of the tail is deep black; in his, that part is not described as being of a different colour to the rest of the animal. The first specimen of this species we obtained was killed near Old Latakoo, and several others were seen between that and Kurichane, which lies about 120 miles more to the eastward. The animal appeared restricted to dry sandy districts abounding in brushwood, and in these, was occasionally seen running from one copse to another. It is extremely shy, and flies on the approach of man to its hiding places with great rapidity; hence only a very few specimens were obtained. Nothing except the remains of insects were found in the stomachs of those we procured; but if the natives are to be believed, it feeds with avidity also upon lizards, snakes, mice, &c. In addition to this and another new species which we shall hereafter figure, five others inhabit the South of Africa, namely, Herpestes Pharaonis, Desm., H. griseus, Desm., H. urinator, Smith, H. tenianotus, Smith, and H. albicaudis, Smith.† Before long, however, there is every reason to expect additional species will be added to the preceding, as the Bechuanas I described to us several little quadrupeds clearly differing from any of the fore- going, yet doubtless belonging either to this genus or to Cynictis of Ogilby. Encyclopedie Methodique, (Mammalogie, fol. 213.) + South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, No. 2, part 1, March 1834. $ The native tribes (not including the Hottentots) immediately north of the colony. Bechuana is the term which has been invented by themselves to indicate all the clans in that direction who resemble each other in external appearance, and speak the same language. The import of the word proves the propriety of its application, bechuana being the plural of chuana, signifying alike or similar. সরকাশ SCIURUS CEPAPI. (Mammalia Plate 5) SCIURUS CEPAPI.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE V. (MALE.) S. supra ochreus, brunneo-nigro leviter marmoratus; corporis lateribus pedibusque ochreis; labio superiore, striâ superciliari, corporisque partibus inferioribus albis, ventre flavo-tincto; caudâ dis- tichâ, ochreâ brunneo-nigro variegatâ; auriculis brevibus, apicibus obtusis, margine externo versus apicem emarginato; oculis brunneis. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 7. unc., caudo 7 unc. SCIURUS CEPAPI, App. to Rep. of Exp. page 43, June, 1836. Colour.-Face ochry yellow, pencilled with black; the upper part of the head and neck, the back and the flanks grizzled light ochre-yellow and brownish black, each hair being brownish black at the base, then ochry yellow, then brownish black, and finally ochre-yellow; some have their extreme points blackish brown; the upper surface of the tail is also grizzled in the same manner as the back, only the proportion of the brownish black colour is greater, and hence the dark colour is there more conspicuous, and gives rise in some specimens to the appearance of a number of irregular dark bars ; the upper lip, a short stripe over each eye, the chin, the throat, the breast, the belly, and the inner sides of the legs white, sometimes faintly tinged with yellow; the sides of the head, neck and body, and the outer and hinder sides ; of the legs ochre-yellow; the hair of the hinder legs deep black at its base; anterior surface of ears pale yellowish white; posterior surface dull white; incisor teeth reddish orange; eyes dark brown ; whiskers black; nails deep brown.* FORM, &c.—Figure rather slender ; head small; the anterior molar of the upper jaw very small, subcylindrical with the crown entire; the remaining four concave, the crowns towards the outer sides divided each into two por- tions by a fine transverse groove; the anterior molar of the lower jaw semi- cylindrical, the crown divided into three tubercles; the other three molars on each side nearly similar to those of the upper jaw; ears short, with a slight emargination in the outer edge a little below their points; the latter * The tints vary a little in different specimens. SCIURUS CEPAPI. obtuse; legs long; tail depressed, narrow, slightly distichous and pointed at its extremity; two centre toes of equal length, those of the hinder feet but little longer than the toe on each side of them; the difference is greater on the fore feet; nails strong and much curved. The hair is slightly rigid, and shortest on the head and feet; on the back and under parts it is rather longer, while on the outer sides of the hinder legs, particularly towards the base of the tail and on the tail itself, it is much longer still. 2 3 DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the nose to the Length of the fore legs to the tip of base of the tail 7 9 the toes.. of the tail 7 0 the hinder legs to ditto..... 3 0 of the cranium 1 9 the tarsus of fore foot 0 Breadth between the hinder extremities the hinder foot 0 10 of the zygomatic arches... 0 11 6 The female, as regards colour and size, resembles the male, and like the latter is liable to some variation in respect to tints. The first specimens of this squirrel were observed upon the immediate banks of the Lim- popo river, in about 24° 20' south latitude. The species was occasionally discovered upon the ground, but more frequently upon trees; and when it happened to be surprised in the former situation, it invariably endeavoured to reach the latter, and if successful, either attempted to conceal itself in the forks of the branches, or in holes, if any existed, in the trunks, or other parts. Its flight, when on the ground, was effected with amazing rapidity, and the perpen- dicular ascent of the tree was accomplished with equal facility. It feeds by day, and, according to the natives, also by night, and in all the specimens we obtained, the stomachs were fully distended with berries, &c. HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS Mammalia_Plate 6) HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS.-LIN. MAMMALIA.—PLATE VI. (FEMALE, AND Young.) H. capite, colli partibus superioribus, dorsoque brunneo-rubris ; corporis lateribus artibusque pallidè brunneo-purpureo-rubris; abdomine, labiorum lateribus, palpebrisque pallidè flavo-brunneis; caudæ auriumque pilis nigris; nasi pilis flavo-brunneis. Oculis aurantio-brunneis. LONGITUDO 11 ped. 4 unc. HIPPOPOTAMUS CAPENSIS, Desmoulins. BEHEMOTH of the Hebrews. a Colour, &c.—The anterior and lateral parts of the head, and the upper parts of the neck and body brownish red, the former rather lightest. The brownish red of the back passes insensibly into a light brownish purple red, which is the colour of the sides and limbs; the belly, the sides of the lips, and the eyelids light wood-brown, with a faint flesh-coloured blush; the hinder parts of the body and the belly are freely freckled with small spots of the same hue as the ground colours, only of darker tints; hairs of tail and ears black; pencils of hairs on lips, &c., yellowish brown; eyes a clear orange- coloured brown : hoofs dark horn-colour. Form, &c.—Figure massive and very heavy, and the entire contour of the animal suggests to the observer the idea of a form intermediate between an overgrown pig and a high-fed bull, without horns and with cropped ears. The head appears broad, compared with its length, and the expression of the face is singular and unlike that of any other animal, arising principally from the high position of the eyes. The lips, especially the upper one, are thick and bulg- ing, particularly their sides, so that when the mouth is shut even the longest of the teeth are concealed; the nose is broad, and inclined to truncated, and the gape is very wide; the head immediately behind the angles of the mouth is considerably contracted, and the forehead is broad, flat and high ; the eyes and ears are very small, and the former are placed before, and but little below the level of the latter; the ears are extremely short, and their tips rounded, appearances which insensibly lead to the idea that some portion of them must have been cut off; their edges are fringed with fine hair, and their inner surface is thinly coated with a similar material; the eyelids are promi- nent and pulpy, which makes the eyes appear as if they were deeply seated, though, as regards the orbit, they are not in reality so. The neck is short, thick, and rounded; the line of the back is slightly arched and rather undu- a HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS. a lated towards the tail. The body almost cylindrical, and the nates are very full, and behind slightly arched ; the legs are remarkably short, so that when the animal is standing, the most depending part of the belly almost touches the ground; the tail is short and moderately robust,--towards the point, ver- tically compressed and edged above and below with wiry hairs,—towards the base, nearly cylindrical ; teats two, placed close to each other, and pendent from the udder nearly on a line with the anterior edge of the hinder leg. On the lips there are a number of small tufts of fine hair, resembling pencils, each of which, on emerging from the skin, generally consists of four or five hairs that afterwards split into several others; a few tufts of the same description also occur on the sides of the head ; the remains of single hairs also occur on the sides of the neck and body; in young specimens, the number and length of the latter are greater than in adult ones; the hairs fringing the upper and lower edges of the tail are rigid and short, and many of them fully half a line in diameter at the base. Feet rather small for the size of the animal, slightly depressed in front, and terminated anteriorly by four short, clumsy, and unconnected toes, each furnished with a small hoof; behind the roots of the toes, the skin of the foot is loosely connected with the parts beneath, and is rather pliant and usually marked with several transverse furrows. a DIMENSIONS. Feet. Inches. Length from the edge of the upper lip to the tip of the tail ........ ...... 11 4 of the tail 1 1 1 of the fore legs to the breast 1 10 of the head 2 41 Feet Inches. Length of the ear... 03 Height of the shoulder 4 8 Circumference of the thickest part of the body.... 10 6 The male and female, as far as colours are concerned, are nearly alike, but in regard to size they differ materially ; the male is always considerably larger than the female. Previously to the establishment of the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope, Hippopo- tami existed in abundance in all the larger rivers of South Africa; but no sooner did the colonists direct their attention to the hunting of them, than their numbers began to diminish, partly from the destruction which was effected by the dexterous employment of fire-arms, and partly from many individuals having soon migrated, owing to the fear which was excited by the newly introduced weapons. At present, scarcely one exists in any of the rivers of the Cape colony, and even but very few in streams within a moderate distance of it. On the Expedition arriving in latitudes too remote to be readily reached by hunters furnished with fire- arms, every large river was found to abound in specimens, and in those the animals appeared, as they probably did some two hundred years ago much nearer to the southern extemity of the continent, familiar, comparatively fearless of man, and generally prepared to survey, with curiosity, any intrusion upon their haunts. To convey some idea of the numbers in which they , HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS. were found in several of the rivers towards the tropic of Capricorn, it may suffice to state, that in the course of an hour and a half a few members of the Expedition-party killed seven within gun-shot of their encampment; several other individuals were in the same pool, and might also have been killed had it been desirable. One of the survivors was observed to make his escape to an adjoining pool, and in accomplishing that, he walked with considerable rapidity along the bottom of the river, and with his back covered with about a foot of water. The Hippopotami feed chiefly upon grass, and for that purpose resort to situations near the banks of rivers which are fitted to supply their food. In districts fully inhabited by man, they generally pass the day in the water, and seek their nourishment during the night; but in locali- ties differently circumstanced, they often pass a portion of the day as well as the night upon dry land. In countries in which the night-time constitutes the only safe period for their leaving the water, they are generally to be seen effecting their escape from it immediately before dark, or are to be heard doing so soon after the day has closed, and according to the state of the surrounding country; they then either directly commence feeding, or begin a journey towards localities where food may exist. When, previous to nightfall, they may have been in pools of rivers, they are generally at once enabled to commence feeding on reaching the dry land; but when they may have passed the day in the sea, they require commonly to proceed some distance after leaving it before they find the grass which appears congenial to their palate. It is not every description of grass that Hippopotami seem to relish ; they often pass over, in search of food, luxuriant green-swards, which would strongly attract many other animals which feed upon grass. Besides having a peculiar relish for the grasses of certain situations, they appear to have a predilection for districts supporting brushwood; and owing to the latter peculiarity, they are often to be found wandering in localities on which but little grass exists, when they might have it in the neighbourhood in great abundance, but without the accom- paniment of wood. The whole of the night is probably not more than is necessary to admit of the Hippopotamus acquiring sufficient food for its wants; but if that be otherwise, it certainly prefers to pass what portion of the night may be unnecessary for procuring nourish- ment upon the dry land, rather than in the water, being generally only seen to retire to the latter upon light returning. It is difficult to decide, whether the Hippopotamus prefers the pools of rivers, or the waters of the ocean for its abode during the day. When an opportunity of exercising a choice exists, some individuals embrace the one, and some the other. During a journey I some years ago made to Port Natal and the country beyond it, I had numerous opportunities of observing the footsteps, as made by these animals while entering and leaving the sea; and on one occasion my party had an opportunity of opposing a female accompanied by a young one, on their way to the sea, in which attempt the party proved unsuccessful. The excrement of the Hippopotamus, in common with that of the Elephant and the Rhino- ceros, is voided in immense cylindrical masses ; and these masses, when examined in the case of the Hippopotamus, seem principally to consist of comminuted grass, apparently but little altered by the process it must have undergone, and certainly in a drier condition than it could possibly have entered the stomach. With regard to the disposition of the Hippopotamus, that may be described as peaceable and inoffensive. When the animal is wounded, however, or when it happens to be accompanied in its excursions upon dry land by young ones, it manifests no trifling degree of ferocity, and instantly gives chace if in any way interrupted in the course it may be pursuing. The one which my party . HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS. a endeavoured to intercept immediately became the assailant, on discovering the object of the party, and with open mouth rushed towards the man nearest to her ; the display of her enormous mouth, armed with formidable teeth, caused the most advanced of the hunters to retreat, and those in the rear to pause. The flight of the hunters seemed to encourage the animal in pursuit, and though the direction they took led her, in pursuing them, to retire from the sea, which she had intended to enter, yet she persevered in giving chase, until one of the party who, from his situation, had not had occasion to fly, fired a bullet into her mouth. Immediately after the wound was inflicted, she, for an instant, stood still, and then retreated with precipitation to the sea, in which she was afterwards shot, having, contrary to the usual custom of her kind, manifested a disinclination to retire into deep water, a disinclination, no doubt arising from sensations expe- rienced from the wound she had received. The sagacity of the Hippopotamus, though it is no doubt inferior to that of the Elephant, is nevertheless very considerable. The habits of the animal are opposed to our becoming inti- mately acquainted with it-yet, from what has been noticed of its adroitness in guarding against assailants, in avoiding pits dug purposely to entrap it, in conducting its young both in and out of the water, and in migrating from localities which it may have discovered are not to be longer held without serious danger, to others not exposed to such inconveniences,-even though to reach those it may require to make long journeys, are all evidences that it is far from the stupid animal it has been frequently described. Its memory may be considered tenacious, certainly superior to that of the Rhinoceros, and possibly equal to that of the Elephant. When once a Hippopotamus has been assailed in its watery dwelling, and injured from incautiously exposing itself, it will rarely be guilty of the same indiscretion a second time; and though its haunts may not again be approached by hunters till after a long period has elapsed, it will survey such approaches, and perform the movements necessary for its respiration with a degree of caution, which clearly shows, that it has not forgotten the misfortunes to which an opposite course had exposed it. The European colonist, not less than the native of South Africa, hunts the Hippopotamus with great determination and perseverance; the former trusts entirely to fire-arms for its destruction; the latter again trusts principally to stratagem, as with his weapons alone he is unable to kill it under common circumstances. The high estimation in which the fatty material that lies between the skin and the muscular parts of the Hippopotamus, and which is known in the Cape colony by the name of “ Speck,” is held, is perhaps the principal incitement which urges the white man's perseverance, while that, as well as the parts beneath it, are equally objects of desire with the Native. To acquire the incisors and canine teeth, which are valuable as articles of trade, has also long rendered its capture an object desirable to hunters. The skin of the animal is likewise an article of profit, as, when cut into stripes and shaved into tapering cylinders of some feet in length, a ready market is found for them in the colony, where, under the name of “ Sambucks,” they are employed as substitutes for riding-whips. MANIS TEMMINCKII (Mammalia _Plate 7) MANIS TEMMINCKII.--SMUTS. * MAMMALIA.—PLATE VII. M. suprà pallide flavo-brunneus; infrà rubro-brunneus ; dorsi squamis versus apices strigâ subflava notatis; caudâ latâ, suprà, versus basin squamarium seriebus quinque, versus apicem quatuor, caudæ apice obtuso ;-oculis brunneis. LONGITUDO 2 ped. 5 unc. Colour.-Scales pale yellowish brown, the colour lightest towards their points, many of which are marked with a longitudinal yellow streak; parts not covered with scales dusky brownish yellow. Eyes reddish brown ; muzzle black. Nails of the fore feet a pale, dull yellow; those of the hinder ones brownish yellow. FORM, &c.-- Thick in proportion to its length. Head, anteriorly, some- what cylindrical; posteriorly, subquadrangular, the sides and under surface being rather flat, the upper surface slightly convex. Eyes small, situated far back on the head, and a little below the lower edge of the scales. Ears rudimentary; the meatus auditorius large, and somewhat ovate. Neck very short, Body and tail robust, and nearly semi-cylindrical; extremities, particularly the anterior ones, slender and short; claws five; the three middle ones of the fore-feet are thick at their bases, slender towards the points, strongly curved, and beneath longitudinally channelled; the outermost claw is thick and short, the innermost rather longer than the last, slender and slightly curved; the claws of the hinder feet are short, flat, strong, and in close contact with the soft parts, beyond which their points do not project. The scales covering the upper surface of the head are oval and distinctly imbricated; those composing the marginal row, on each side of the tail, are long, divergent, and form a considerable angle with the axis of the animal, in consequence of which arrangement the sides of the tail appear strongly serrated. All the scales are finely marked towards their bases by delicate longitudinal furrows and intervening ridges ; but towards the points they are level and smooth On the thickest part of the body the scales are commonly in fourteen rows; on the upper surface of the tail they are, including the marginal rows, five towards the base, and four towards and at the point. The scales covering the under surface of the tail, particularly towards its extremity, are large, and disposed in two rows; towards the base there а a * Dissertatio Zoologica enumerationem mammalium Capensium continens auctore Johanne Smuts, Leidæ, 1832. MANIS TEMMINCKII. are three. So far as the five rows exist, the central row appears a regular continuation of the central row of the back ; but when the change to four takes place, the continuity is broken. DIMENSIONS. Ft. Inch. Lin. Ft. Inch. Lin. 2 1 0 ත ර ත ත ට the eye 0 3 0 6 Length from the tip of the nose Breadth of the under surface of to the point of the tail... 5 0 the tail at the base..... ... 0 5 3 of the tail 0 6 Distance between the nose and of the head 3 6 ... 0 1 7 of the fore legs..... 0 2 3 Distance between the eye and of the hinder legs...... 6 the ear 0 0 10 Height at the shoulder 6 Manis Temminckii is readily to be distinguished from any of the other species of the genus yet described, simply from the central row of scales upon the upper surface of the tail terminating some way behind its point. From Manis pentadactyla, Lin., the species to which it bears most similarity, it is moreover to be distinguished by all its scales being proportionally larger, and by those on the head being shaped and disposed differently. The greater breadth of the tail, and the more divergent character of its marginal plates, also afford marked characters by which the species is easily to be recognised from Manis pentadactyla. Only one solitary specimen of this species was obtained by the expedition before reaching 26° south latitude, and but two more between that parallel and the tropic of Capricorn, though others were known to have been captured in the latter tract while the travellers were actually traversing it. It is very questionable if the animal be so rare in nature as the result of our expe- rience might incline us to believe. Its extreme scarcity probably arises from its having long been zealously sought after by the natives, who cherish a belief that it either has some influence upon cattle, or at least that certain observances in respect to it have an effect upon them. Whenever a specimen, therefore, is secured, it is immediately burned in some cattle pen, which, according to the opinion of the sacrificer, tends to increase the health and fertility of all cattle who may afterwards enter the fold. Not many years ago a specimen was captured in the northern part of the Cape colony, which circumstance renders it probable that the species was at one time scattered over the whole of South Africa, and that its almost total disappearance from the more southern districts has arisen from causes such as are now operating to effect a similar result in the interior. When discovered, Manis Temminckii never attempts to escape, but instantly rolls itself up into a globular form, taking special care of its head, which is the only part that is easily injured. Ants constitute its chief and favourite food, and these it secures by extending its projectile tongue into holes which may exist in the habitations of these insects or which it may itself form; and when, by means of the glutinous matter with which its tongue is covered, a full load has been received, a sudden contraction of the retractor muscles carries both into its mouth, after which the little animals are immediately swallowed. GALAGO MOHOLI (Mammalia. Plate 8.) GALAGO MOHOLI.-SMITH. - MAMMALIA.-PLATE VIII. G. suprà murinus infrà albus ; artibus externè flavo-tinctis; strigâ inter frontem et nasum, labiis, capitis lateribus infrà et post oculos albis; caudâ rufo-brunneâ; auribus carneis ; oculis aurantiis. LONGITUDO e naso ad caudæ apicem 16 unc. GALAGO MOHOLI, Rep. of Exped. App. page 42, June, 1836. Colour.— The upper parts of the head and neck, the back, the sides of the body, and the outer and hinder surfaces of extremities intermediate between pearl and yellowish-grey ; the back is finely brindled from the dark colour of the basal portion of the fur being here and there seen through the surface tints; the extremities are of a lighter hue than the other parts enu- merated, and their outer and hinder surfaces are distinctly tinted with yellow; the middle of the face, the lips, the sides of the head, below and behind the eyes, the chin, throat, abdomen, and the upper surface of the fingers white; inner surfaces of extremities white tinged with yellow. Tail glossy, the colour intermediate between yellowish-brown and cochineal red,—the fur is, throughout, of the same colour, that of the other parts is a dark slate colour except at and near its surface. Ears flesh-coloured, and the down which is very sparingly scattered over their outer surface is pure white. Eyes deep topaz yellow; the palms of hands and under surface of the fingers are of a flesh-colour tinged with brown. FORM, &c.— Figure slender and elegant. Head broad, subglobular, and anteriorly terminated by a short, high and almost pointed nose. Teeth 18 in each jaw, viz. incisors , canines 1=1, false molars =ỉ, true molars 1. Ears large, bare, and patulous, their tips rather narrow and slightly rounded; the outer margin of each ear has two faint emarginations and the internal or anterior surface of each is distinctly marked with four or more transverse furrows, between which are corresponding transverse ridges; the eyeballs and the pupils large; anterior extremities short and slender; posterior ones long, rather robust, and each is terminated by four fingers and an opposable thumb, the tips of which are dilated and depressed, the nail of the fore- finger of each of the hinder extremities is narrow, convex, considerably elongated beyond the soft parts, and obtusely pointed ; all the other nails both of the anterior and posterior extremities small, thin, flat, roundish or ovate in form, and not extended to the points of the fingers. Tail cylindrical, а. GALAGO MOHOLI. slender towards the base, much thicker towards and at the tip, which arises from the fur being longer on these parts. On the head, body, and extremi- ties, the covering consists of a very fine, short, woolly fur; on the tail, and the upper surface of the fingers, rather harsher. Palms of the hands and under surface of the fingers naked. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. 0 9 0 52 4 6 1 1 Inches. Lines. Length from the nose to the point of the tail 16 0 of the tail 8 0 of the head 1 6 of the ears 1 4 Breadth of the ears 1 11 Length of the anterior extremities 2 6 of the thumb 3) of the fore finger 6 of the middle finger 81 Length of the third finger of the little finger of the hinder extremities of the tarsus of the thumb of the fore finger of the middle finger of the third finger of the little finger 5 6 8 8 7 The male and female are of the same size, and the prevailing colours are alike in both; the yellow tint is rather strongest in the male. As no correct figures of the internal parts of any of the species of Galago have yet been published, and as none of the species of that genus are to be readily procured, and consequently the opportunities of becoming acquainted with their anatomical characters must rarely occur, I have thought it advisable to avail myself of the materials which I possess, and furnish representations of the more important and interesting organs of Galago Moholi. These organs are represented in Plate 8 (bis.), and are - Fig. 1. A front view of the skull, of its natural size. Fig. 2. A back view of the skull, of its natural size. Fig. 3. A lateral view of the skull, of its natural size. Fig. 4. A front view of the anterior portion of the upper jaw, of its natural size. Fig. 5. A lateral view of the lower jaw, of its natural size. Fig. 6. The under or basal aspect of the skull, of double the natural size. The incisor teeth are disposed in pairs ; each tooth is linear, convex in front, grooved behind towards the point, and the apex is compressed transversely and formed for cutting. The canines are slightly curved, the convexity directed forward, and each tooth is provided with a heel or obtuse denticulus behind, near to the alveolus. The first, or false molar, is longitudinally compressed, and its apex tridentate, the anterior and posterior denticuli very small; the true molars are crowned with several distinct points which are separated from each other by deep depressions, and these points are disposed, when all the teeth of the side are in situ, in two longitudinal rows, the one row upon the outer, and the other upon the inner, edge of the dental phalanx : the latter row is slightly us 7 அது 5 6 С a b V 10. 9 8 a 11 C 12 o be D d а а € a 13 d. d 7 9 d 17 b h 16 15 14. GALAGO MOHOLI. Mammalia _Plate 8. (bis) GALAGO MOHOLI. waved, owing to the points of each tooth being disposed rather obliquely. The first and fifth are tricuspidate, two points on the outer, and one on the inner edge; the second, third, and fourth quinquecuspidate, two points on the outer, and three on the inner edge; the anterior point of the inner series of each tooth very small. Fig. 7. The lower jaw of double its natural size. The incisors nearly horizontal, the four middle ones very slender, laterally compressed and disposed in pairs, the lateral ones much stronger, and each slightly removed from the centre-series; the canines are slightly curved, the convexity directed forward, the false molar is nearly of the same form as the canines, only shorter, and with a heel or obtuse denticulus behind near the alveolus ; the first, second, and third true molars, quadricuspidate, two points on the outer and two on the inner edge; the fourth, quin- quecuspidate, two points on the outer and two on the inner edge; the fifth directly behind. Fig. 8. The trachea, and thoracic viscera,--a the heart, in situ ; b the right lung, consisting of three lobes ; c the left lung, consisting of two lobes. Fig. 9. The stomach :-a the æsophagus, b the duodenum, c the biliary duct. Fig. 10. The coecum :-It is slight, sacculated on one side, and about seven inches in length: a the termination of the small intestines ; b the commencement of the large intestines : the total length of the former is 141, and of the latter 15 inches. Fig. 11. The spleen. Fig. 12. A view of the anterior or convex surface of the liver. This viscus consists of three lobes; the right lobe, a, is entire, the middle one, b, is divided into three, and the left, c, into four lobules-one of the latter set is bicornate. Fig. 13. The posterior or concave surface of the liver :-a the gall bladder ; b the gall duct. Fig. 14. The penis. It is pendent from the pubis, and supplied with an os penis; a the prepuce ; b the glans, covered with a delicate smooth skin; c the orifice of the urethra ; d the body of the penis, which is depressed, spatuliform, and with the skin forming irregular longi- tudinal rugæ, each of which is beset with slender, retroverted, horny spines. Fig. 15. The testis ; the epididymis and vas deferens distinctly shewn, the latter proceeding from the inferior lobule of the former. Fig. 16. The urinary and genital organs:-a the bicornute uterus, as it appears in the gravid state ; b b the ligamenta lata ; c c the ovaria—thin, and of a circular form; d d the Fallopian tubes ; ee the kidneys; ff the ureters; g the bladder; h the urethra; i the vagina. Fig. 17. The uterus laid open, and the foetus and membranes of the right side exposed : a the inner surface of the uterus, covered with delicate spongy points or villi ; b the foetal mem- branes; c the isthmus, by which the membranes of the one foetus is connected with those of the other; da portion of the outer surface of the chorion. This membrane is covered externally with minute spongy points, similar to those which exist upon the inner surface of the uterus, and among these points occur a number of somewhat circular bodies like rudimentary cotyledons. Several of the latter, particularly those which exist upon the isthmus c, are distinctly cup-shaped ; e the amnion, through which, near to the umbilical cord, are seen the rudimentary cotyledons ; f the umbilical cord attached to the inferior and posterior part of the membranes ; g the fætus. In June 1836, when I first published at the Cape of Good Hope, a description of this little animal, my principal reason for regarding it as distinct from Galago Senegalensis, was, all the ; GALAGO MOHOLI. а. specimens we possessed (nine) had four incisors in the upper jaw, while all the descriptions I had an opportunity of consulting gave to the Senegal species only two. Should G. Moholi eventually prove distinct from the latter, there is reason to believe that it occurs in Western as well as Southern Africa, at least there is a specimen from the Gambia, in the museum of the Zoologica Society of London, which, as far as size and external appearances are concerned, so closely resembles ours, that it is difficult to distinguish the one from the other: the upper jaw of the specimen in question, unfortunately, is slightly damaged, and only one incisor remains. But admitting that the Zoological Society's specimen and ours are of one species, that species, in my opinion, is not the true Galago Senegalensis :-a conclusion to which I have been led by the recent observations of my friend Mr. Waterhouse, while in Paris. He found in the museum of the Jardin des Plantes, two specimens ticketed Galago Senegalensis ; the one is certainly of the same species as that in the Zoological Society's Museum, and measures to the base of the tail eight inches and a half; the other differs from it not only in size, but also in colouring. According to Mr. Waterhouse’s notes the latter is seven inches long; the upper parts are greyish-yellow; the sides yellow with a brownish tinge, and the under parts yellow; the hands are a dirty yellow-white; a line between the eyes and the muzzle yellowish ; the tail is pale rusty yellow, the fur of the belly, both at base and apex is of the same colour; the ears are apparently larger than those of the other specimen, and the fingers longer.” Now, as only one specimen appears to have existed in the museum at the time the G. Senegalensis was described by Daubenton, and as his description nearly corresponds with that of the second individual examined by Mr. Waterhouse, and whose colouring is given from his notes, I think we can have no hesitation in agreeing with him, that the above is the animal which Daubenton intends to describe when he says—“length seven inches; the hairs tolerably long and woolly; the lips and top of the nose is yellow-white; this colour extends between the eyes and the forehead. The back is yellowish-brown; this colour becomes paler on the flanks, the arms, and the thighs, and is yellow-white on the fore-arms, the legs, the belly, and the , chest.” If so, the second specimen mentioned in the Paris collection, is the true Galago Senega- lensis; and ours, as well as the specimen in the Zoological Society's Museum, and the other which is in the Jardin des Plantes, is distinct; and consequently Galago Moholi, and is readily to be distinguished from G. Senegalensis, by having the fur of the belly of two colours--white towards the surface, and a dark slate colour towards the base. The first specimens we observed were upon trees close to the Limpopo river, in about lati- tude 25° south, and from that parallel we continued to observe others as far as we travelled. During their movements, they evince great activity; they spring from branch to branch, and even from tree to tree, with extraordinary facility, and always seize with one of their fore feet the branch upon which they intend to rest. In their manners they manifest considerable resemblance to monkeys, particularly in their propensity to the practice of ridiculous grimaces, gesticulations, &c. According to the Natives, G. Moholi is a nocturnal animal, and is rarely to be seen during the day. The latter it spends in the nests which it forms for itself in the forks of branches, or in the cavities of decayed trees; and in these nests the females also produce and rear their young, which are generally two at a birth. Its food consists principally of pulpy fruits, though there is reason to believe it also consumes insects, as the remains of the latter were discovered in the stomachs of several individuals we examined. 7.For CHRYSOCHLORIS VILLOSA (Mammalia. - Plate 9.) CHRYSOCHLORIS VILLOSA.—SMITH. MAMMALIA.-PLATE IX. C. suprà lucidè flavo-brunnea ; corporis lateribus, partibus inferioribusque griseo-brunneis; labiis, mento strigâque ex angulo oris porrectâ albis ; unguibus flavo-albis ; vellere villoso. LONGITUDO 5 unc. CHRYSOCHLORIS VILLOSA, Smith, South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, Vol. I. page 81, 1833. Colour.—Above shining yellowish brown, faintly brindled with a dark brown, each hair is slate-coloured towards and at the base, yellowish brown in the middle, and brown at the point; sides of body and belly greyish brown. Upper and lower lips, chin, and a well marked oblique stripe between the angle of the mouth and the sides of the neck yellowish white, the latter in particular slightly pencilled with brown; upper surface of snout flesh-coloured ; nails yellowish white. FORM.-Typical ; muzzle rather elongated, semicircular at the apex, flat- tened above, and for some distance behind the point is denuded of fur,—the bare space is nearly semicircular. Body rather massive; fur long and rigid- its length great when compared with that of the other South African species of the genus. The outermost claw of the fore foot strong and considerably curved, the second smaller, the third delicate and short; all the claws of the hinder feet long, slender, and but slightly curved. No eyes visible. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the nose to Length of the outer claw of the fore the angle of the mouth...... 0 foot 0 6 Length of the hinder legs...... 0 6 Total length of the animal Height 2 3 6 No o 5 0 The genus Chrysochloris, as far as we yet know, is purely an African form; and until the discovery of the present animal it contained only two species. When Chrysochloris villosa became known it formed a third species, and latterly a fourth has been described by Mr. Ogilby, under the name of Ch. Damarensis ;* all four are natives of South Africa. The two species a Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 1838, page 5. CHRYSOCHLORIS VILLOSA. first discovered, and the one lately added by Mr. Ogilby, resemble each other as regards the characters of their fur, and it requires some attention to the individual characters of each species, to enable the naturalist to distinguish them from each other. Chrysochloris villosa, however, is so very unlike the other three, that no labour is required to discover its differences. Chrysochloris aurata and Ch. Hottentota differ materially from each other as regards their habits, and they form their burrows after a different manner. Of the habits of the present species we know nothing. It was discovered near Port Natal, and at that time it was wandering apparently at random upon some meadow ground, which was covered with long grass. In its stomach were found the remains of insects and their larvæ. The species described by Mr. Ogilby was obtained on the west coast of South Africa, some four or five hundred miles north of Cape Town, and bears a considerable resemblance to Chrysochloris aurata. The following are the species at present known. Chrysochloris aurata. Desm. Chrysochloris Hottentota. Smith. Chrysochloris villosa. Smith. Chrysochloris Damarensis. Ogilby. . MACROSCELIDES TYPICUS. ( Mammalia_Plate 10) MACROSCELIDES TYPICUS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE X. M. capite, dorso, lateribusque pallidè flavo-brunneis, dorso parcè brunneo-rubro penicillato; subtus albus flavo-tinctus; auribus latis, rotundatis, anticè pilis albis vestitis; lineâ rubro-brunneâ suprà basin proboscidis, versus frontem prolongatâ. LONGITUDO corporis 5 unc.; caudæ 4. unc. MACROSCELIDES TYPICUS, Smith, Zoological Journal, Vol. IV., 1829.* Colour.—The prevailing surface-colour of the fur of the head, back and sides is intermediate between light yellowish brown and wood-brown; the colour of the back being slightly broken by an intermixture of some reddish brown hairs. The under parts are white with here and there a faint tinge of yellow; the legs are rusty white ; the toes clear white ; the upper surface of the tail is greyish brown, the lower surface yellowish brown except towards the tip, where both the one and the other are reddish black; the fur coating the inner surface of the ears and a pencil of long hairs in front of meatus auditorius pure white, the fur on the outer or hinder surface is of the same colour as the back ; proboscis rusty brown, with a more or less distinct reddish brown stripe above at its base, which occasionally extends along the middle of the face towards the forehead. Immediately below the surface the fur is a dark slate colour, and the surface-tints are modified according to the dis- tinctness with which that tint is seen. The latter also vary with age and season, &c.; thus in some specimens we find the prevailing colour to be mouse-grey. Form, &c.- Figure squat; head behind eyes broad and bulky, before eyes slender, subcylindrical and terminated by a delicate cylindrical and flexible snout or proboscis, the diameter of which is nearly everywhere equal; nostrils small, circular, situated at the point of the proboscis and separated from each other by a narrow vertical groove; eyes large and prominent, nearly mid-way between the base of proboscis and ears. Ears rather short, broad and , patulous, the circumference almost semicircular ; with a faint rudimentary emargination below the most prominent point of the semicircle ; a tuft of long hair immediately in front of meatus auditorius. Anterior extremities rather * Professor Lichtenstein has invented a new title for this genus; but as that was proposed long after mine was generally adopted throughout Europe, his of course cannot be admitted. Surely such a mode of proceeding ought to be discountenanced in every country. MACROSCELIDES TYPICUS. 18 short; posterior extremities long and the tarsi bare beneath. Toes short and all nearly of the same length, the inner toe of the hinder extremities consi- derably removed from the others ; nails short, slender and strongly curved. Tail cylindrical, slightly tapered, and closely covered with short rigid hairs. Fur long, soft and silky, very dense, and but slightly recum- bent. For the form of the skull, and the characters of the teeth and of some of the viscera, vide Plate XV. 1 a, 1b, 1c, 1d, Te, 1f, 1g, 1 h, 1 , and li. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the point of the proboscis Length of the hinder legs 3 3 to the extremity of the tail 9 6 of the tarsus 0 101 of the head including the pro- of the toes.... 0 21 boscis ..... 2 2 Distance between the base of the of the proboscis proboscis and the eye... 62 of the tail ... between the eye and the of the ears base of the ear....... 71 of the fore legs 4 Height when standing on all the feet Inches. Lines. 0 6 0 4 6 0 8 0 1 2 8 The colours of both sexes are nearly alike. The shape, breadth and shortness of the ears, together with the comparatively dense coating of fur by which both their inner and outer surfaces are covered, enable us readily to distinguish this species from any of the others which have yet been discovered in Southern Africa. It is found inhabiting open, arid plains, particularly such as bear a thin coating of brushwood. It lives in burrows under ground, the passage to which is usually for some distance below the surface, almost perpendicular; it vacates these during a great portion of the day, and is employed either in seeking its food or basking in the solar rays. To the latter it is very partial, and for the purpose of insuring the greatest quantum of heat, it usually sits erect upon its hinder legs, and facing the direction from which the heat proceeds. When disturbed while occupied in either of the ways mentioned, it flies immediately to its subterranean retreat, and its progress is effected with such rapidity, that it is impossible to discover anything either of the form or the real nature of the animal as it advances. On this account I was familiar with the general appearance it presents on such occasions long before I had any idea of its real character. It feeds upon insects. The discovery of this little animal in 1828, rendered the institution of a new groupe of Insectivora necessary. When its characters were indicated in 1829, M. typicus was only known; at present the number of described species are seven, six of which belong to Southern Africa and one to Algiers. MACROSCELIDES RUPESTRIS , (Mammalia _ Platell. MACROSCELIDES RUPESTRIS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE II. - M. capite, dorso, lateribusque pallidè fulvus, nigro-penicillatis ; infrà albus, ochreo-tinctus ; caudâ flavo- brunneâ, nigro-penicillatâ ; cruribus fulvo-albis ; labio superiore, circuloque oculario albis ; nuchâ, maculâque post aures vividè fulvis ; proboscide fulvo-albo, suprà lineâ longitudinale nigrâ versus basin; oculis subnigris. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite, 6 unc.; caudæ 4} ad 5 unc. MACROSCELIDES RUPESTRIS, Smith. --Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 1830 ; p. 11. Colour.— The surface-colour of the upper and lateral parts of the head and of the back and sides of the body intermediate between wood-brown and sienna-yellow,—the tint darkest on the head, brightest on the back, and palest on the sides, and on all, more or less distinctly brindled or broken by the presence of fine black hairs, which are freely intermixed with the fur. The upper lip, a ring round the eyes, the lower part of the sides and the whole of the under parts of the body white, faintly tinted with ochry yellow. Legs and feet tawny white. Tail yellowish brown, darkest above, and pencilled with black, particularly towards the point. The pape of the neck and the fur immediately behind the base of the ears bright rufous-yellow; the fur coating the inner surface of the ears, and the long tuft which guards the meatus auditorius white; on the outer surface it is partly yellowish brown and partly dusky white. Proboscis rusty white, with a longitudinal black-brown stripe above towards the base; whiskers black, some of the bristles white at the base ; eyes almost black ; nails a dark horn-colour. Form, &c.- Figure rather robust, yet better proportioned than that of M. Typicus. Head behind the eyes broad and flat; proboscis considerably thicker at its base than at its apex ; eyes large and situated nearer to the ears than to the base of the proboscis; ears erect, rather long and of a some- what oval shape, their inner surface tolerably coated with short fur, their outer surface almost bare. Tail cylindrical, much thicker at the base than the apex, and closely covered with coarse hair which, except at the apex, is very short; inner toe of hinder extremities but little removed from the other toes. a MACROSCELIDES RUPESTRIS. Fur long, soft, silky, and more recumbent than that of M. Typicus. For the form of the skull and the characters of the teeth, vide Plate XV. 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c. DIMENSIONS. 6 Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines Length from the tip of the proboscis Length of the tarsus 1 1 to the point of the tail...... 10 of the toes 0 3 of the head... 2 0 Distance between the base of the of the proboscis 0 61 proboscis and the eyes....... 0 9 of the ears... 9. between the eye and the ear. 0 5 of the fore-legs. 1 6 Height when standing.......... 2 9 of the hind-legs... 6 The colours of both sexes are nearly alike. 0 3 The shape of the ears, the position of the eyes in relation to the proboscis and ears, the white ring encircling the eyes, the rufous spot behind the base of each ear, the figure of the proboscis, , the more recumbent direction of the fur, and the greater size of the animal, are external characters by which this species is readily distinguished from Macroscelides Typicus. Like the last named species, the range of M. Rupestris is rather extensive: both animals are scattered over a great portion of the more southern parts of South Africa. The positions it selects for its habitats are very different to those chosen by M. Typicus : it is invariably found among rocks, and it seeks its hiding-place either in the caverns of these, or under detached blocks of stone. Insects consti- tute its food, and during most of the day it wanders in search of them over the rugged surfaces which characterise the localities it inhabits, and when so occupied, the slightest cause of alarm drives it instantly to a place of concealment; to attain which, it moves with that extraordinary rapidity which we have mentioned when speaking of M. Typicus. When uninfluenced by fear, this as well as the other species appear to walk regularly, but when frightened they seem to advance by successive leaps. MACROSCELIDES INTUFI (Mammalia Plate12. MACROSCELIDES INTUFI.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—Plate XII. و M. capite, dorso, lateribusque pallidè subochreis, nigro parce penicillatis ; subtus albus, flavo-umbratus ; caudâ ochreâ, brunneo penicillatâ ; cruribus fulvo-albis; oculis subnigris. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 5} unc. ; caudæ 4 unc. MACROSCELIDES INTUFI.—Rep. of Exped. App. June, 1836. a a Colour.—The surface-colour of the upper and lateral parts of the head and of the back, and the sides of the body, is intermediate between sienna and cream-yellow, the tint being slightly broken by the presence of a number of black hairs which are intermixed with the fur; the upper lip, ring round the eye, and all the under parts white, with here and there a faint yellowish tint; legs pale rusty white. Tail as if pencilled sienna-yellow and dark-brown. The fur on the anterior surface of the ears, and the tuft in front of the meatus auditorius white, the down coating the outer surface of the ears sienna-yellow ; proboscis rusty white ; eyes almost black ; whiskers black, a few of the bristles whitish towards base; the nails a dark horn colour. On the upper and lateral parts of the head and body the fur below the surface is a dull slate colour, and the same tint is just discernible, close to the skin, upon such parts as are described to be white at the surface. Form, &c.—Figure rather slender ; proboscis robust, and considerably thicker at the base than the apex; eyes large and situated much nearer to the ears than to the base of the proboscis; ears erect, long, broad at their base, but much narrower towards the tips, which are rounded, each has a consi- derable emargination in its outer or hinder margin about the middle; their inner surfaces towards the outer margins are coated with short fur, elsewhere nearly bare; their outer surfaces have a very thin sprinkling of short fur. Tail rather slender, slightly thicker at the base than the apex, and closely covered with short rigid hairs ; inner toe of hinder extremities but little removed from the other toes. Fur rather short, slightly harsh, and rather MACROSCELIDES INTUFI. strongly recumbent. For the form of the skull and the characters of the teeth, vide Plate XV. 3 a, 3 b, and 3 c. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the proboscis Length of the tarsus 1 0 to the point of the tail 9 0 of the toes 0 2 of the head 2 0 Distance between the base of the of the proboscis 5 proboscis and the eye 0 9 of the ears 0 9 between the eye and the ear.. 0 4.1 of the fore-legs 3 Height when standing 2 of the hind legs 3 0 1 4 0 Nothing is known of the male. The comparatively slender figure of this species and the peculiar colour of the back and sides, are characters by which it is readily to be distinguished from any of the others which have yet been discovered in South Africa. To M. Rupestris it makes the nearest approach, but it differs from that species not only in regard to colour and figure; but also in having that portion of the head situated behind the eyes much narrower, and its proboscis, particularly towards the base, thicker. For further differences vide Plate XV. and expla- nations. Of the habits of this species we know nothing. Only one specimen, which was obtained upon the banks of a river near to the Tropic of Capricorn, has come under our observation. The stomach contained comminuted insects, MACROSCELIDES BRACHYRHYNCHUS Mammalia __Plate 13.) MACROSCELIDES BRACHYRYNCHUS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XIII. ; M. capite supra dorsoque inter rubro-aurantium et flavo-brunneum, nigro penicillatis; capitis, corporisque lateribus pallidè flavo-brunneis, brunneo-penicillatis; labio superiore, oculi circulo, corporisque parti- bus inferioribus albis; proboscide fulvo-albâ, base lineâ nigro-brunneâ traversâ; oculis subnigris. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite, 4. unc.; caudæ, 31 unc. MACROSCELIDES BRACHYRYNCHUS, Report of Exped. App. June, 1836. Colour.—The surface-colour of the upper parts of the head and back is intermediate between reddish orange and yellowish brown, but broken or obscured by a profuse intermixture of blackish brown hairs, which exist among the fur; sides of head and body pale buff orange slightly pencilled with brown. Upper lip, ring round the eyes, and all the under parts white. Tail, above, deep brown pencilled with ochre-yellow, below, ochre-yellow pencilled with brown; legs rusty white; fur of ears and tuft in front of meatus auditorius yellowish white; whiskers partly black and partly ochrey yellow; proboscis rusty white and crossed at its base, above, by a blackish brown bar; eyes nearly black; nails black. The fur on all parts of the body, towards the skin, is a deep slate colour. FORM, &c.—Figure rather squat; head rather slender; proboscis short and slightly thicker at base than apex; eyes large and prominent, rather nearer to the ears than to the snout; ears erect, long, and oval, their tips rounded; their inner surfaces with a thin sprinkling of fur towards the outer margins, elsewhere bare, their outer surfaces almost entirely destitute of covering. Tail cylindrical and fully coated with short rigid hair, that at apex rather longest; legs slender; inner toe of hinder extremities consider- ably removed from the other toes; nails slender and much curved. Fur long, a MACROSCELIDES BRACHYRYNCHUS. rather rigid and strongly recumbent. For form of skull and characters of teeth, vide Plate XV. 4 a, 4 b, and 4 c. . S 0 DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines, Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the proboscis Length of the hind-legs. 2 8 to the point of the tail ...... 0 of the tarsus.. 0 10 of the head 1 8 of the toes ... 2 of the proboscis 0 3 Distance between the proboscis and the of the tail 6 eye..... 08 of the ears 7 between the eye and the ear. 47 of the fore-legs..... 1 2. Height when standing 1 10 3 0 As regards colour, both sexes are nearly alike. The present is the smallest species of the genus which has yet been found in South Africa, and by its inferiority of size it is readily to be distinguished from the species already described ; the shortness of its proboscis also furnishes a good diagnostic character; and should more be required, they are to be found in the form of its ears, texture of its fur, &c. Its Its range does not appear to extend much to the southward of the Tropic of Capricorn; at least, we did not find many specimens much to the south of that parallel. Like M. Typicus, it appeared to inhabit open plains, and as no specimens of the species just named were found in the latitudes where M. brachyrynchus occurred, we may perhaps with propriety regard it as holding the place on the more northerly plains which M. Typicus holds on those more to the southward. No opportunity occurred of discovering the nature of the positions in which this species secretes itself when alarmed or enjoying repose; but judging from the nature of the localities in which the animal was generally discovered, we little doubt that they consisted of subterranean burrows, similar to those inhabited by the species we have just surmised it may probably represent in the more northern latitudes. It feeds upon insects. . MACROSCELIDES EDWARDII (Mammalia_Plate 14) MACROSCELIDES EDWARDII.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XIV. (Male.) M. capite suprà dorsoque pallidè flavo-brunneis, nigro-brunneo effusè penicillatis ; capitis corporisque lateribus cinereis; infrà sordido-albus; cruribus fulvo-albis; caudâ flavo-brunneâ nigro penicillatâ ; annulo oculos cingente labiisque albis; maculâ ad basin aurium extùs fulvâ. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 6 unc.; caudæ 5 unc. COLOUR.—The surface-colour of the centre of the face, the forehead and the back light yellowish brown, profusely pencilled with blackish brown; the lateral parts of the head and the sides of the body, below a line carried back- wards from the base of the ears, ashy grey tinted with pale tawny; the lips, chin, ring round the eyes, and the under parts of the body white; legs tawny white; tail yellowish brown freely pencilled with black. The fur which exists upon the ears, together with the pencil of long hairs destined to protect the meatus auditorius pale rusty white; the base of each ear externally is margined by a bright rufous blotch, which colour also tinges, though less deeply, the back part of the neck; whiskers black; proboscis black above and white on the sides ; eyes nearly black. FORM, &c.-Figure moderately robust; size intermediate between that of M. rupestris and M. intufi. Proboscis long, slender, and rather thicker at the base than the apex; eyes large, prominent, and much nearer to the ears than to the proboscis. Ears erect, long, narrower than in the other South African species, of a somewhat oval form, and rounded at the points, the outer margin of each distinctly emarginate a little below the apex; hinder toes of hinder extremities considerably removed from the other toes. Tail very long, cylindrical, and densely covered with short, rigid hairs, which increase in length towards its tip, where they form a thin rigid and divergent MACROSCELIDES EDWARDII. brush. Fur, long, soft, silky, and strongly recumbent, particularly on the head, back, and sides. 2 DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines, Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the proboscis Length of the hind legs 4 to the point of the tail 10 8 of the tarsus 1 11 of the head 2 2 of the toes. 0 1 of the proboscis 0 5 Distance between the proboscis and the of the tail 5 3 eyes 0 112 of the ears. 011 between the eyes and the ears 51 of the fore-legs....... 2 0 Height when standing. 2 4 . 0 Nothing is known of the female. For the specimen which has enabled us to figure and describe this new species, the Cape Association is indebted to the liberality of the Messieurs Verreaux, of Cape Town, all zealous and useful members of the Association. It was killed by M. Edward Verreaux, after whom we have named it, in one of the central districts of the colony, near to the Oliphant's river, and in a locality bearing little or no vegetation, except a few dwarf shrubs. In the stomach were contained comminuted insects. The ears are narrower in proportion to their length than those of any of the other South African species; and the difference between the colours of the back and sides is so palpable, and the boundaries of the colours so well defined, that by these characters alone the species is readily to be distinguished. ce 4.a. 3.A 2. a 1. mo aja) สตาง 2.b 1. b 4.7 3.2 4.0 3.0 2.c 1.0 vi 1.e 1.d 1.9 1h 15 GENUS_ MACROSCELIDES (Mammalia Plate 15 GENUS-MACROSCELIDES. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XV. On the plates intended to represent the various species of Macroscelides having been completed, and the artist prepared to proceed with the plate of anatomical illustrations, it was discovered that the preparations, which had been collected to furnish the figures, had either been mislaid or by accident left at the Cape of Good Hope. It became therefore necessary either to abandon our original intention, or adopt the only other course open to us, and furnish representations of such mutilated specimens as we might still be able to command. Those we found to be very imperfect, yet they neverthe- less appeared calculated to afford considerable assistance towards illustrating the diagnostic characters, and therefore of sufficient importance to warrant us in figuring them. The skulls we possess are so imperfect, and the sutures so indistinct, that it has not been found practicable on the present occasion to indicate the forms of their individual bones. Something like the remains of a longitudinal suture is to be seen towards the middle of the frontal bone of M. typicus, and an indication of a like division is also to be noticed in the parietal bones. The division between the parietal and temporal bones is scarcely if at all indicated. The latter bones exhibit a peculiarity of structure, or at least the structure in question is developed to a degree which I do not recollect to have noticed in any other animals. The two tables of these bones throughout their whole extent recede greatly from each other, and both in the squamous and petrous portions, form large caverns, which, taken together, are not inferior in size to the cavity of the skull. It is the great convexity of the outer plate of the squamous portion which produces the lateral projections which exist above the auditory openings, and which are most strongly developed in M. typicus, and are well shewn in its skull, figure 1 a. A similar kind of structure also appears to exist in a portion of the sphenoidal bones. The cavities, of each side, formed by this arrangement of the plates, communicate freely with each other, but of their contents in the living animal we cannot speak, owing to the loss already mentioned. The nasal bones are long, linear, and apparently divided by a longitudinal suture. The nasal processes of the maxillary bones form towards the orbits almost the whole of the sides of the face, while, anteriorly, the face consists entirely of the intermaxillary bones which lodge six of the front teeth. The orbits are large, and not separated from the temporal fossæ ; the zigoma is nearly straight, and vertically is of considerable width ; it appears to consist of a malar bone lying between the malar process of the maxillary and the zigomatic process of the temporal bones. The lower jaw is nearly of the same length as the upper ; its horizontal rami are rather slender, slightly tapered anteriorly, and at their points are firmly connected by synchondrosis ; the ascending rami thin, and each furnished with a projecting and convex articular condyle and two coronoid processes ; the anterior process is in the same line as the condyle, and separated from it by a deep emargination ; the posterior one extends from the angle of the jaw, is slightly curved upwards and terminates in a point. GENUS-MACROSCELIDES. The corresponding teeth in all the South African species agree in very many points, and thus the general resemblance may be said to be very strong. Minute examinations, however, divulge many well-marked differences which are more easily perceived than described. Each jaw contains twenty teeth, ten on each side. In the upper jaw, the series of one side is separated from that of the other at the anterior point of the intermaxillary bone ; in the lower jaw no division exists, the two anteriormost teeth being in juxta-position. For the sake of convenience, we may consider the teeth of each jaw under three divisions, viz. incisors, false molars, and true molars. The incisors are six in number, and in the upper jaw are lodged in the intermaxillary bones; the false molars are two on each side ; the remainder are classed as true molars. In M. typicus the teeth of each side are continuous, but in the other species several of the anterior ones are more or less apart from each other. With respect to form, the incisors of the upper jaw differ but little from each other, they are all laterally compressed, the inner surface of each is distinctly concave, and the outer slightly convex, the two anterior- most ones are slightly longer than the other four, and all have an oblique cutting edge, the most projecting point of which is at the front of each tooth. The false molars are very short, compressed, and slightly bicuspidate, the one point immediately behind the other. The true molars are quadricuspidate, two points on the outer edge and two on the inner, but the latter never reach the level of the former; hence the crown of each tooth exhibits an inward slope ; in the hindermost molar the two posterior points are always but imperfectly developed. The incisors of the under jaw are more compressed than those of the upper; the two false molars resemble closely those of the upper jaw, the first and second true molars have more the appearance of false than true ones ; indeed, they might with more propriety be ranked with the former than the latter; they are strongly compressed and faintly tricuspidate, the points being disposed in a longitudinal line : the three hindermost molars are quadricuspidate, and the external and internal points attain the same level. The following are the parts represented 1 a The upper surface of the skull of M. typicus of the natural size. 1 b The lateral parts of do. do. do. 1 с The lower jaw of do. do. 1 d The under surface of the skull of do. of double the natural size. 1 е The lower jaw of do. do. 1 f The stomach of do. 1 g The cæcum of 9 do., together with a portion of the large and small intestines. 1 h The liver of do., consisting of four very unequal-sized lobes. 1 i The left kidney of do. 2 a The upper surface of the skull of M. rupestris, of the natural size. 2 b The lateral parts of do. do. do. 2 c The lower jaw of do. do. 3 a The upper surface of the skull of M. intufi . do. 3 The lateral parts of do. do. do. 3 с The lower jaw of do. do. The upper surface of the skull of M. brachyrynchus. do. 4 b The lateral parts of do. do. do. 4c The lower jaw of do. do. 4 a CYNIC TIS O GILBYII. (Mammalia_Plate 16.) CYNICTIS OGILBYII.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—Plate XVI.-MALE. C. supra ochreo-flavus, nigro-brunneo alboque sordido penicillatus; infra sublactifloris; mento gulâque ad album transientibus; caudâ patulâ fortiter depressâ et ferè distichâ, apice acuto, albo; auribus externe rubro-brunneis, interne subalbis ; oculis rubris ; unguibus livido-brunneis, versus apices pallidis. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 15 unc; caudæ, 91 unc. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, neck, body, and tail, and the outer surfaces of the thighs ochre-yellow, freely and delicately pencilled with blackish brown and dirty white. The latter colours are all that exist to produce variegations on the parts mentioned, and both occur upon each hair, —the dirty white at the point, and the blackish brown some short distance behind it. On the hinder part of the back and upper aspect of the tail, the blackish brown is most strongly displayed, and produces on both an irregular, chequered, or brindled appearance. The under parts of the neck, body, and tail, as also the tip of the latter, and the parts of the extremities not already mentioned, dull cream-yellow; the chin, upper part of the throat, and lips, towards the angles of the mouth, dusky white. The hair and fur of the head and body towards the skin, a rusty slate colour. Ears externally rich red- dish brown, internally dirty white. Muzzle black; eyes red; nails livid brown toward their bases, light horn-coloured at the points; soles of the feet brownish red. Form, &c.- Body rather slender; extremities delicate; tail narrow, sub- cylindrical, and tapering to the point, in which particulars it exhibits a greater resemblance to Herpestes than Cynictis. The hairy covering is of two descriptions, fur and hair; the fur constitutes a considerable proportion of the covering of the head, body, and extremities, but is entirely wanting on the tail; it is shorter than the hair, and is only to be seen distinctly by sepa- rating the latter. The hair is long on the back, thighs, and tail, where it gives rise to a shaggy appearance; it is every where rigid, on the body strongly recumbent, and on the tail divergent, thereby giving to the latter a somewhat distichous form. It is in the hairy portion of the covering that the diversity of colours occur, and which produce the brindled appearance CYNICTIS OGILBYII. already mentioned. The ears are short and semicircular; the head is broad and bulky behind the eye, but slender and subcylindrical towards the muzzle, which is bare and prominent. The nails are long, slender, and slightly curved; the curvatures most developed in those of the fore-feet. Besides the rigid bristles which occur upon the upper-lip, there are also a few of a similar description upon other parts of the head, such as the cheeks, forehead, com- mencement of the throat, &c. For the characters of the teeth, and the con- figuration of the skull, see Plate XVIII. and its letter-press description. a Inch. Lin. and the eye 1 1 0 7 5 0 2 9 DIMENSIONS. Inch. Lin. Length from the nose to the base of the Distance between the tip of the nose tail 15 0 of the tail 9 3 Distance between the eye and the ears of the head Height at the shoulder In the female the ground-colour is not quite so bright as in the male, nor is the brindling so distinct. The grizzly appearance of the back, and the great villosity of the tail furnish characters by which this species is readily distinguished from the others which occur in South Africa. It inhabits open country, and specimens are frequently to be seen on the barren plains which exist immediately to the northward of the Cape Colony. Over these they wander during the greater part of the day, in search of their food, which consists of mice, small birds, insects, &c. and they only retreat to the subterraneous burrows, in which they are accustomed to pass the night, when alarmed by the approach of man. They delight to bask in the sun, and when the calls of hunger are not urgent, they are to be seen, especially in the early part of the day, seated upon their hinder legs, with their bodies erect, and so placed, as that the greatest degree of heat shall be enjoyed. They assume the same position when their fears are excited, , by which their range of view is considerably increased. Their common pace is a walk; but when retreating from real or imaginary danger , they move with great speed; their pace then is a sort of gallop, now and then broken by bounds or springs, which they commonly take when the surface over which they have to retreat, is either broken or coated with brushwood. Inde- pendently of their being extremely wild and cautious, they are also very savage, and when secured alive, they display a great desire to bite their captors, and it is not till after they have been a long time subjected to the sufferings of hunger, that they can be brought to tolerate the approach or even appearance of man, near to the place where they are confined, without evincing their savage and pugnacious propensities. When their spirits however are once subdued, they are tolerably docile; yet they are never to be trusted, inasmuch as they continue to manifest a treacherous disposition, and will often bite with severity, when only indications of kindness might be expected. CYNICTIS LEPTURUS (Mammalia_Plate 17) CYNICTIS LEPTURUS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.-.PLATE XVII. C. subfulvus, ochreo brunneoque penicillatus; dorso, corporisque lateribus pallide subrufo-tinctis ; caudæ supra dimidio ultimo pilis brunneo-annulatis vestito ; labiis, mento, caudæque apice subalbis ; oculis rubris ; auribus extus rubro-brunneis, intus subfulvis; unguibus livido-brunneis. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 15 unc.; caudæ 9 unc. 3 lin. Colour.–Pale buff-orange, the back and sides, particularly towards the tail, tinted with Dutch-orange, and very faintly pencilled with cream-yellow and dusky brown. The back and the sides of the neck are also delicately pencilled with the same colours, which seems to be produced by many of the hairs of these parts being ringed with pale brown towards their points. The first third of the tail above is of the same colour as the hinder part of the back, the other two-thirds are fulvous, grizzled with dull chesnut-brown,- the latter being the colour of the middle portion of each hair; the under surface is pale buff-orange verging to cream-yellow. The sides of the head and the point of the tail are pale cream-yellow, the former sparingly pencilled with brown. The lips and chin nearly pure white; the edges and inner surfaces of the ears are buff-orange, the outer surfaces pale chesnut-brown. Muzzle, whiskers, and ciliæ black: eyes red: nails dark horn-coloured. Form, &c.-Typical. Figure rather slender and elegant. Head behind eyes broad and slightly depressed, before eyes slender and nearly cylindrical; muzzle naked; nostrils opening laterally ; ears short and semicircular, with the auditory opening protected by a tuft of coarse hair. Tail long, narrow, slightly flattened, and pointed; nails slender, slightly curved, and channelled beneath towards their points. Head ornamented with several tufts of long rigid bristles, one series on each side of the upper lip, a second on each cheek, a third behind the angles of the mouth, a fourth about midway between the angles of the mouth at the commencement of the throat, and a fifth over the inner canthus of each eye. The covering of the animal consists partly of fur and partly of coarse hair; the fur, except on the tail, predominates, and CYNICTIS LEPTURUS. is considerably shorter than the hair; the latter on the head, body, and anterior extremities is strongly recumbent, but on the outer surface of the posterior extremities and the tail it is more or less divergent, and on these is considerably longer than elsewhere; on the head it is very short. The colour of the fur is uniform, and the slight variegations which appear depend upon the markings of the hair. For the characters of the teeth and the form of the head, see Plate 18, and its descriptive letter-press. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the nose to the root of the tail ...... 15 11 Length of the tail 9 Height at the shoulder 5 3 Inches. Lines. Distance between the point of the nose and the eye 1 2 Distance between the eye and the base of the ear superiorly... 0 6 3 The almost uniform colour of this species enables us easily to distinguish it from the other two found in South Africa--the comparative shortness of the hair with which it is covered, and the slenderness of the tail, in which respect it is more akin to Herpestes than Cynictis, are also available diagnostic characters. What has been said touching the habits of Cynictis Ogilbyii will equally apply to the present animal. It inhabits arid plains towards the Tropic of Capricorn, and, like its congeners, passes some portion of its time under ground. It feeds upon small quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, insects, &c. Though but a few years have elapsed since the genus Cynictis was established, we have already four well-marked species, belonging to it, all of Africa. The species which fur- nished Mr. Ogilby with the characters of the group, had, for years, been known as an inhabitant of South Africa, under the name of Herpestes penicillatus, but the peculiarities which demanded its removal from Herpestes were only discovered by the above named able naturalist in 1833. The other three have been discovered since, two of them in South Africa and the other in Sierra Leon. Of the four, Cynictis Ogilbyii is perhaps the most typical species; after that C. Steidmanii, then C. lepturus, and, lastly, C. melanurus, Martin.* The two last, , except in the essential characters, present considerable resemblance to Herpestes, particularly in the character of the hair and the size and figure of the tail. FORT PITT, CHATHAM, 30th August, 1839. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 1836, p. 56. RHINOCEROS SIMUS ) (Mammalia Plate 19) RHINOCEROS SIMUS.-BURCHELL. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XIX. R. pallidè brunneo-griseus, flavo-brunneo tinctus ; aurium marginibus versus apicem, caudâque suprà infràque ad extremitatem pilis, rigidis, nigris vestitis; ore bovino; cornibus duobus, anteriore multò longiore ; oculis flavo-brunneis. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite, 12 ped. 1 unc; caude, 2 ped. 2 unc. COLOUR.--Pale broccoli-brown, the shoulders, buttocks and belly shaded with brownish purple ; hair edging the ears and the tip of the tail inferiorly and superiorly black; eyes yellowish brown; horns and hoofs intermediate between broccoli and wood-brown,—the hoofs darkest. Form, &c.—Figure massive. Head longer but more delicate in proportion than in the other African species ; face concave; forehead prominent and gibbous. Ears rather long, ovate and pointed, their edges towards the tips margined with rigid hair. Neck longer in proportion than in the other species, with three well-marked wrinkles on the nape, two of which continue visible almost to the throat. Shoulders elevated into a convex massive hunch; line of the back slightly undulated. Legs stout and the joints strongly developed and clumsy. Tail vertically compressed at the point, and above and below fringed with short wiry bristles. Horns situated close to the anterior extremity of the head, the foremost directly over the point of the nose, and the second immediately behind it; the first is very long, tapered to a point, and slightly curved, the concavity backwards, the second is short, conical, and obtuse at point. Nose truncated, and the mouth shaped like that of an ox, the upper lip being perfectly square, and without the least in- dication of a rudimentary proboscis. Nostrils rather small, opening laterally. a Ft. Ft. 0 In. 10 12 DIMENSIONS. In. Length of the second horn 1 Height at the shoulder 2. at the crupper 11 Circumference of the body 5 Length from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail....... of the tail of the first hom ..... 7 NNN er er 2. 3 2 .... 12 1 RHINOCEROS SIMUS. The female is coloured like the male, and her horns, though less powerful, are generally longer, especially the anterior one. а. Mohoohoo, the name of this species among the Bechuanas, is considered by them to be one of the original animals of their country, and to have issued from the same cave out of which their own forefather proceeded : in this respect they make a difference between it and Keitloa, with whose origin they do not profess to be acquainted. Too much attention cannot be paid to the traditions of savages: what in them often appears calculated only to excite ridicule, may, properly considered, be often made to furnish the most valuable information. Thus, for in- stance, by attending to what has been termed a useless tradition, we get to know, not merely that the Bechuanas believe the founders of their own nation and the animals of their country originally escaped from a large cave, but also facts of interest touching the geographical dis- tribution of animals, inasmuch as we may rest satisfied, after being aware of the prevalence of the tradition referred to, that all the animals we now find in their country, to whose progenitors the aforementioned birth-place is not assigned, have immigrated thither since the tradition became current. Every portion, however, of such traditions must not be literally re- ceived, else we shall find travellers who may hereafter visit South Africa propagating errors not less detrimental to the progress of true science than those which were circulated by Kolben, one of the first Cape historians, whose indiscreet credulity led him, to relate most extraordinary fictions, inter alias, one relative to the powers the Rhinoceros exercised over his horns,-powers which, had he ever examined into the manner in which these bodies were connected with the parts around and below them, would have been too clearly imaginary to have warranted even the greatest lover of the marvellous in believing them. When Mr. Burchell, who first added Rhinoceros simus to the African Fauna, visited Latakoo, he found it common in that district, and we have been told by the aborigines that it was not unfrequently found even further to the southward. Of late, however, it has almost ceased to exist even in the situations where its discoverer met it, which is accounted for by the danger to which it is exposed being now much increased from the general introduction of fire- arms among the Bechuanas. The facility of discriminating this species is great: the extraordinary length of the first horn and the hunch on the shoulders are sufficient, even in the distance; but on a nearer view additional characters are at once visible; among those the peculiar configuration of the mouth is the most palpable. The form of the latter at once suggests the kind of food upon which the animal probably subsists, and an examination of the contents of the stomach, which are princi- pally grass, confirms the accuracy of the inference. Localities abounding in grass are there- fore the haunts of the Mohoohoo, and to enjoy them throughout the year he is necessitated to lead a more wandering life than the two species already figured. 2013 MAX This e 33 PETROMY S TYPICUS. Mammalia.Plate 20 PETROMYS TYPICUS.-SMITH. * MAMMALIA.-Plate XX. P. capite, cerviceque supernè, etiamque corporis lateribus anticè brunneo-griseis, flavo-brunneo delicate penicillatis ; regione nasali, dorsoque rufis; corporis lateribus partibusque inferioribus, flavo-brunneis griseo admixtis; mento, regionibusque ad oris cingula subochreis; caudâ mystacibusque nigricantibus. Oculis subnigris. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite, 7 unc. 6 lin. ; caudæ, 5 unc. 9 lin. PETROMYS TYPICUS, Smith. South African Quarterly Journal, No. 5, page 2. و Colour.— The upper and lateral parts of the head and neck, together with the sides of the body, anteriorly brownish grey, delicately pencilled with yellowish brown; the space under each ear finely grizzled with white. The extremity of the nose, the back, and the base of the tail, superiorly, inter- mediate between reddish orange and chesnut-brown, sparingly pencilled with black; sides of body, lower surface of neck and belly, light yellowish brown, mixed with brocoli-brown. Upper lip, angles of mouth and chin, dark cream- yellow. Tarsi yellowish-brown. Tail, whiskers, and hairs on margin of ears, rusty black. Eyes brownish black. Nails a dark horn-colour. Incisor teeth of both jaws, dark sienna-yellow. Hairs near to the skin, generally a dirty ash-grey. Form, &c.—Figure long, and moderately robust. Head rather long; nose - rounded and full—its apex bare and black; the forehead, and upper part of the head, slightly convex. Ears rather small, semi-circular, and sparingly covered with short, rigid hair. Eyes moderately large, and rather prominent. Whiskers long and rigid ; and on each cheek, immediately behind the eye, * For the generic characters of Petromys, see South African Quarterly Journal, No. 5, page 2, (1831); and Id. second series, vol. i. page 146. PETROMYS TYPICUS. a there is a small tuft of bristles, similar to those forming the whiskers. Legs rather short; the soles of the fore feet, and the tarsi of the hinder ones, bare, and of a brownish-black colour. The toes are rather short; and, as well as the claws, fully covered with fur; the two middle ones of each foot nearly of equal length, and slightly longer than the lateral ones. Claws short, slender, and slightly curved. Tail slender, cylindrical, and every where fully covered with rigid hairs; those towards the tip, much the longest. The fur of the head and body, is rather long and recumbent, closely set, and rather harsh. The skull posteriorly very broad; above, between the hinder edges of the parietal and the apices of the nasal bones, flat. The parietal bones are divided by a longitudinal suture, as are also the frontal ones; the latter are very broad, so that the breadth between the eyes is unusually great, when com- pared with other rodents of the same size. The orbits are rather small, and their circumference, internally, irregular and broken. The malar bones are well developed, somewhat triangular in shape, and each externally with an obtuse carina along its middle; the point of the triangle joins the zygomatic process of the temporal bone. Infraorbital foramen very large. Tympanitic bullæ large, subglobular, and semi-transparent. Foramina incisiva double. The incisor teeth of the upper jaw are long, and semicircular; the basal two- thirds concealed in the intermaxillary bone; the apex of the exposed third of each, with a sharp cutting edge anteriorly ; behind which is a deep notch, formed to receive the point of the corresponding tooth of the lower jaw. The incisors of the lower jaw are laterally compressed, and more wedge-shaped at the points, than those of the upper jaw. The molars of both jaws are eight in number, four on each side, of nearly the same form in both, and without true fangs. They are all nearly of the same size; and the crown of each is crossed by two transverse fosse, formed by the projecting enamel. The margin of the crown externally entire, and arched ; internally notched ;-and where this notch occurs, the enamel, with which it, as well as the rest of the tooth is edged, sends off, in the teeth of the upper jaw, a thin lamella, which proceeds nearly across the middle of the crown of each, in its course dividing and leaving a minute oval opening, about half-way between the notch and outer edge of the tooth. In the teeth of the lower jaw, neither the transverse lamelle of the enamel, nor the openings, are visible. The rami of the lower jaw, posteriorly, or those parts which, when they ascend, are distinguished by the name of ascending rami, highly divaricated. The superior coronoid process delicate and very small; the inferior one long, pointed, projecting behind the line of the articular process. The configuration, &c. of certain of the abdominal viscera, will be understood from an examination of Plate XXI. 7 d Ta 7.6 1.e 7. Com 1.9 f 1 h 7.k 7.7 7 i 26 2.a 2. c. 2.1 que PETROMVS and DENDROMYS. (Mammalia_Plate 21) PETROMYS TYPICUS. 1 a. 1 c. A view of the upper surface of the skull, of its natural size. 1b. A lateral view of the skull ditto. A lateral view of the lower jaw ditto. 1 d. The under or basal aspect of the skull, of double the natural size. 1 e. The lower jaw ditto. 1 f. The liver, consisting of two lobes, the left deeply trifid. 1g. The stomach, the smallest tube, the oesophagus. 1 h. The cæcum, the longest tube, entering at the small intestines. 11. The spleen. 1 k. The right kidney. 11. The impregnated uterus. This organ is bicornute, and two ova were contained in the left cornu. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the nose to the base of the tail... 7 3 of the tail 5 3 of the head 1 10 Inches. Lines. Distance between the tip of the nose 0 10 Distance between the eye and the ear 0 41 Height at the shoulder. 2 9 and the eye The colours of the female are not quite so clear as those of the male. This little animal is found upon the rocky hills which occur towards the mouth of the Orange River; and it lives under the loose stones which are strewed over the surface, or in the crevices of rocky precipices, where such exist. It seems to feed principally upon vege- tables, and the flowers of certain synganesious plants, particularly those of a species of Senecio, which, at the time I visited the district in which the animal appears only to exist, formed its favourite diet. To obtain those flowers, it was frequently observed seated upon rocks or stones, near to where they were growing; and by means of its fore feet, bringing them into positions in which they could be conveniently consumed. When feeding, it showed little fear of man; and unless closely approached, continued actively devouring flower after flower, although it could not have been insensible to its being observed and watched. When frightened, however, by too close an approach, it immediately fled to its hiding place; which, as already mentioned, was either under a loose stone, or in the crevice of a rock; and when it took to such, under the circumstances mentioned, it seldom left them again, until the object which had excited its fears had disappeared. a . EURYOTIS IRRORATUS. (Mammalia. Plate 22. EURYOTIS IRRORATUS.-BRANTS. - MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXII. E. suprà aurantio-ruber densè brunneo aut nigro-brunneo-penicillatus; capitis, corporisque lateribus etiamque pedibus similibus sed pallidioribus et lineis minus distinctis; subtus sordidè griseo-flavus livido-umbratus; caudâ suprà brunneo-rubrâ, subtus flavo-albâ; auribus rufo-flavis brunneo-penicil- latis; oculis brunneo-nigris; villo subrigido. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad basin caudæ 8 unc. 1 lin. ; caudæ 3 unc. 5 lin. EURYOTIS IRRORATA, Brants. Het. Geslacht der Muisen Berlyn, 1827. MUS IRRORATUS, Licht. Colour.—The surface colours of the upper parts of the head, neck, and body, are orange red, and umber or blackish brown nearly in equal proportions, and most intimately mingled, the one colour as if profusely pencilled with delicate lines of the other. The lateral parts of the head and the body, together with the extremities, are similarly coloured, only the tints are duller and paler, and the limits of the different colours not so distinctly defined. The under parts, from the chin to the tail, dusky greyish yellow, and clouded by the dark colour which prevails on the deeper portions of the fur. Toes superiorly dark umber-brown ; the point of the muzzle reddish orange. Ears pale sienna-yellow, freely pencilled with brown. Tail superiorly brownish red, inferiorly dusky yellowish white. Eyes brownish black; whiskers red- dish brown. The inner or concealed portion of the fur a dark slate colour. Incisors of upper jaw yellow, shaded with reddish orange. Form, &c.—Head rather narrow, flat behind, anteriorly slightly arched ; muzzle rather compressed, and the hair on its point superiorly quite erect ; nostrils opening laterally; the tip of the nose about two lines in advance of the anteriormost portion of the upper lip, the latter divided vertically. Ears moderately large, rather long, rounded at the points, and slightly fleshy. Body long and moderately robust; legs short ; tail cylindrical and tapering to the point, thinly beset with recumbent rigid hair, through which the cu- ticular scales, arranged in rings, are distinctly visible, the tip with a slender pencil of rather long and rigid hairs. The three middle toes of hinder feet a EURYOTIS IRRORATUS. nearly of equal length, the two others much shorter ; the two middle ones of the fore-feet equal, the inner one shorter, but slightly longer than the outer- most. The hairy covering generally moderately dense, strongly recumbent, slightly rigid, and longest on the back and sides of the body. The incisor teeth of both jaws, each with a strong longitudinal groove on its anterior sur- face, the grooves nearest to the outer edges. For further details relative to the teeth and viscera, see the letter-press for Pl. XXV. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines Length from the point of the nose to the tip of the tail ..... 11 6 of the tail...... 5 Distance from the nose to the eye 0 9 eye to the ear...... 0 81 Length of the fore-legs hind-legs. tarsus of hind-legs Height when standing Inches. Lines. 1 23 2 5 1 2 2 8 3 The colours of the female are similar to those of the male. This is the species which the collector, who commences his labours near Cape Town, will first acquire. It ranges more to the southward than either of the others, and is even found in marshy spots close to Cape Point. In such situations it is usually seen near the roots of bushes or clumps of rushes, and to the densest parts of these it flies for concealment when its fears are excited. On the other hand, if hunted or more than usually alarmed, it seeks safety by entering the subterranean burrows with which it is always provided, and which exist beneath the vegetation in which it generally secretes itself. These burrows are commonly short and tortuous, and in them the female generally forms her nest and produces her young. The roots of rushes and other vegetable products appear to constitute the principal food of this animal, at least such may be inferred from the character of the substances with which the stomachs of those were filled which I examined. In some, however, something like portions of insects were also discovered. The colour of this species is much darker than that of the other two species which inhabit South Africa, and by that peculiarity it may be readily recognised. In addition to that diag- nostic character, others, more important and less liable to vary, are furnished by the cranium and teeth, as will be seen, in detail, by reference to Plate XXV. and its letter-press. The existence in this species of a longitudinal groove in each of the incisor teeth of the lower jaw serves to distinguish it from E. unisulcatus, Cuvier, in which they are plain, and the breadth and depth of the grooves, besides their being more remote from the outer edges of the teeth, indicate a specific difference between E. irroratus and E. Brantsii. In the former the grooves are very delicate, particularly in the lower incisors, and close to the external edges of the teeth ; in the latter they are strongly developed in all, but more especially in those of the lower jaw. EURYOTIS UNISUL CATUS (Mammalia Plate 23) EURYOTIS UNISULCATUS.-F. CUVIER. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXIII. E. suprà flavo-rufus, brunneo penicillatus; capitis corporisque lateribus sordido-cinereis, flavo-rufo um- bratis; subtus pallidè griseo-albus, ochreo tinctus; auribus magnis, patulis, apicibus semicircularibus, externe et interne flavo-albis, brunneo penicillatis ; villo lanuginoso. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad basin caudæ 7 unc. ; caudæ 3 unc. 6 lin. OTOMYS UNISULCATUS, F. Cuvier. Colour.— The prevailing colour of the upper and lateral parts of the head, neck, and body, intermediate between sienna-yellow and buff-orange, — the tint much broken by a number of fine umber-brown striæ resembling delicate lines formed by a pencil. The lateral parts of the head and body dusky ash grey, tinged with the predominant colour of the back ; the under parts, from the chin to the vent, together with the upper lip and the extremities pale cream-yellow. The ears internally and externally pale sienna-yellow, pen- cilled with brown. Tail superiorly dull brownish red, inferiorly dirty rusty yellow. Whiskers reddish brown; eyes brownish black; incisors dull orange yellow FORM, &c.—Head moderately large, sides bulging; muzzle narrow, laterally compressed; tip of nose bare; upper lip divided anteriorly. Whiskers long, bushy, and slightly rigid ; ears large, patulous, semicircular, thin, and with a moderate coating of short rigid hair. Body robust; legs and toes short ; claws nearly straight, pointed and freely covered with rigid hair. Tail cylindrical, tapered, and thinly coated with short bristly hair, the cuticular scales visible in rings. The fur consists of two sorts; the one—the predominant-slightly rigid, particularly on the back; the other which is scanty, is soft, woolly, and scattered among the latter towards the skin. The first is longest and densest on the back and sides, and in all situations slightly recumbent. The incisors of upper jaw, each with a longitudinal curve anteriorly, near to the outer - EURYOTIS UNISULCATUS. edge of the tooth; those of lower jaw plain. For further details, see letter- press to Pl. XXV. Inches. Lines. 1 1 DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the point of the nose to Length of the fore-legs.. the tip of the tail............ 10 hind-legs of the tail....... 6 tarsi of hind-legs Distance between the nose and the eye 9 Height when standing ..... between the eye and the ear 0 9 6 2 1 3 1 ..... 0 6 0 N The surface colours of the female are rather darker than those of the male. a This species does not occur so far to the southward and westward as E. irroratus ; its favo- rite resort appears to be arid localities in the central and eastern districts of the colony. Be- sides aridity and a certain quantity of soft sandy soil, the existence of a shrubby vegetation appears also essential, at least it is only found in situations so provided. Its existence or non- existence in a locality is readily ascertained ; if it exists, large hemispherical or irregular masses, composed of an aggregation of small dry twigs, will be seen, more or less, surround- ing the stems, of such shrubs as occur, and even often advancing high among their branches. These masses are formed by the animal, and are traversed in all directions by its burrows. Under such piles, and in the passages by which they are intersected, the animal seeks shelter and safety from danger, at the same time, like E. irroratus, it is moreover provided with deeper-seated retreats, into which it may retire should its comfort or safety appear to render the step necessary. The last-mentioned retreats consist of subterranean burrows, not extending beyond the area covered by the accumulated twigs, but much branched; and in all cases in which we have followed up individuals and secured them, we invariably required first to demo- lish the superincumbent mass, and then explore the underground burrows. In the latter, the female generally, though not invariably, produces her young, and these, when discovered, are enclosed in a nest consisting of soft dry grass. The general colour of E. unisulcatus is considerably lighter than that of E. irroratus, but decidedly darker than that of E. Brantsii. The incisors of the lower jaw, being without grooves, furnish one of the most available diagnostic characters; the great size of its ears, when compared with those of the other two species, also affords means by which it is to be readily distinguished from them. wie EURYOTIS BRANTSIL (Mammalia Plate 24) EURYOTIS BRANTSII.—SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXIV. 150. E. suprà pallidè isabellinus, nigro-brunneo-penicillatus ; capitis corporisque lateribus griseo-albis, brunneo- penicillatis ; infrà sordidè albus, subochreo-tinctus; pedibus isabellinis ; caudæ dimidio proximo nasique apice rufis ; caudæ dimidio ultimo brunneo-rubro; dentibus incisoribus flavis. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad basin caudæ 6 unc. 9 lin.; caudæ 3 unc. 9 lin. EURYOTIS BRANTSII, Smith.--South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, vol. i. page Colour, &c.— The surface colour of the upper and lateral parts of the head and body pale sienna-yellow, variegated with blackish or umber-brown -the variegations abundant and resembling delicate streaks made by a pencil. The sides of the head, neck, and body, are greyish-white pencilled with umber-brown, and the chin, throat, and belly, greyish-white, with here and there tints of cream-yellow. The extremities are pale cream-yellow clouded with sienna-yellow. The point of the nose and the first half of the tail are reddish-orange; the last half of the latter brownish-red. The ears externally and internally are a pale ochrey-yellow pencilled with black; whiskers brownish-red. Incisors of upper jaw dull gallstone-yellow, lower ones intermediate between saffron and sienna-yellow. Eyes blackish-brown ; nails a dark horn colour. The inner or concealed portion of the fur is of a dull slate colour, darkest on and towards the back. The delicate variegations arise from the hairs, individually, being blackish brown at the points and sienna-yellow or greyish-white between the black and the slate colours. Form, &c.—Figure squat; head rather large, above slightly convex, late- rally bulging, the muzzle rounded superiorly, laterally compressed; nose pointed; nostrils circular and opening laterally; upper lip anteriorly divided by a vertical groove; whiskers long and slightly rigid ; ears rather small, fleshy, and semicircular; body robust; legs short and strong ; nails slightly curved and pointed. Tail cylindrical, robust, and tapering from the base to the point, at the base, closely covered with short rigid hair; towards the tip the covering is less dense, admitting of the cuticular scales, which are arranged in circular rings, being seen through it; the very tip of the tail a EURYOTIS BRANTSII. а furnished with a slender pencil of long rigid hairs. The general covering of the animal is of two descriptions—the one, the predominant, a slightly rigid hair, the other a woolly fur, which is thinly disposed among the former, and from being shorter is concealed by it. The hairy portion is strong, recum- bent, and much longer on the back and sides than on the head and extre- mities. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Length from the point of the nose Distance between the eye and the ear 0 10 to the tip of the tail 10 6 Length of the hind-legs 2 7 of the tail 3 9 fore-legs.... 1 32 Distance between the tip of the nose tarsus of hind-legs .... 1 31 and the eye 0 10 Height of the animal when standing.. 2 9 ....... a The female is a little smaller than the male, and her colours are lighter and less variegated. In many the colour of the upper parts is pale but clear sienna-yellow faintly pencilled with brown, and the lateral and under parts , intermediate between cream-yellow and greyish white. This species is an inhabitant of the interior districts of South Africa, and is never found towards Cape Town, nor in situations resorted to by either of the others described, though both of them extend as far north as the country in which it abounds. It resorts to open arid plains, and is very common in certain places towards the mouth of the Orange River. It lives in burrows under ground, and these are always formed in situations where neither grass nor shrubs exist upon the surface; and, as many individuals are always congregated, the number of holes by which the subterranean abodes are reached is generally great and they are closely set toge- ther. In these underground retreats they seek their safety when alarmed, as well as their repose during the night, and in them the females also produce their young. During the daytime, if not employed in search of food, most of the inhabitants of these burrows are generally to be seen, sitting on their hind-legs, upon the edges of their holes, basking in the sun; and so great is their love of heat, that the utmost pains is taken to enjoy, in every possible way, the full influence of the sun's rays. They are extremely watchful, and from their effecting a retreat with great rapidity, it becomes very difficult to shoot them, which if practicable, is the way in which they are to be procured with least actual labour. To dig them out is a process of great toil, as the burrows, though not in general very deep, are so long, so branched, and so connected with each other, that an area of many yards will sometimes be turned over, and even then pos- sibly not a specimen be obtained. In their marked disposition to congregate, they differ both from E. irroratus and E. unisulcatus, but particularly from the latter, more than two of which are never found inhabiting the same spot, though many others may be distributed over the neighbourhood. For the characters by which this species is to be distinguished from E. irro- ratus, see the remarks on that species, and Plate XXV. 1a 3 a 11 h 2 31 20 Ic Id 22 30 TY M. ze le ze COCO 28 2 WD) dheid 18 11 38 acce 3 f lo a jo 3 h 11 a 3 m a bo 3k 3 h G 3i a a 3.1 GENUS EURYOTIS. BRANTS (Mammalia Plate 25. GENUS EURYOTIS.-BRANTS. MAMMALIA.-PLATE XXV. 1 a A view of the upper surface of the skull of Euryotis irroratus of the natural size. 16 A lateral view of the skull of do. do 16 A lateral view of the lower jaw of do. do. 1 d A front view of the incisor teeth of the upper jaw of do. do. le A front view of the incisor teeth of the lower jaw of do. do. 1 f The teeth of the right side of the upper jaw of do., of three times their natural size. a. The first or anterior tooth; b. second or middle tooth; d. third or bind-tooth. 19 The teeth of the left side of the lower jaw of do. do. a. The first or anterior tooth; b. second or middle tooth; d. third or hind-tooth. The skull is long and rather narrow, its length, from the anterior extremities of the ossa nasi to the hinder aspect of the occipital bone, one inch seven and a half lines; its breadth immediately behind the zigomatic arches eight lines. The frontal bones between and in front of the eyes are narrower than in the other species ; five and a half lines in length. The nasal bones increase suddenly in width towards their anterior extremities, the increase giving rise to a lateral bulge on each side, which commences about half way between their two extremities ; length of each bone nine lines. The molar teeth are six in each jaw, three on each side, and have true fangs; their crowns are inter- sected by, narrow, slightly prominent transverse ridges of enamel, which are separated from each other by intervening grooves. The first or anterior tooth of the upper jaw has — ridges; the second two; the third six, and a small elevated enamel ring which forms the hind-point. The first tooth of the lower jaw is the longest, and its crown is crossed by four ridges ; the second and third each by two. The incisors of the upper jaw are strong, and slightly arched, their points cut- ting; each is marked anteriorly, with a deep longitudinal groove near its outer edge. Where the groove terminates there is a slight emargination, in consequence the tip of each tooth appears more or less bifid. The incisors of the lower jaw slightly arched forwards, and their points bifid and cutting; the anterior surface of each tooth with a deep longitudinal groove near its outer edge. 1h The cæcum, &c., of Euryotis irroratus. a. The small intestines ; b. the large ; c. the apical portion of cæcum, without cells. 2 a A view of the upper surface of the skull of Euryotis unisulcatus of the natural size. 2 b A lateral view of the skull of do. do. 2 c A lateral view of the lower jaw of do. do. 2 d A front view of the incisor teeth of the upper jaw of do. do. 2 e A front view of the incisor teeth of the lower jaw of do. do. 2 f The teeth of the right side of the upper jaw of do. do. a. The first or anterior tooth ; b. second or middle tooth; d. third or hind-tooth. 2g The teeth of the left side of the lower jaw of do. do. a. The first or anterior tooth; b. second or middle tooth; d. third or hind-tooth. Length of the skull from the anterior extremities of the nasal bones to the hinder aspect of occipi- tal bone one inch five lines ; width at the hinder extremities of zigomatic arches seven and a half lines. The breadth of the frontal bones, between and before the eyes rather greater than in E. irroratus ; length six and a half lines ; the length of the nasal bones seven and a half lines, and they increase a little in width towards their anterior extremities, but there is not that sudden enlargement which is observed in the corresponding bones of E. irroratus. The first molar tooth of the upper jaw has its crown divided by three distinct transverse ridges of enamel ; the second EURYOTIS BRANTSII. by two, and the third has three ridges, and also a very irregular or deeply indented enamel ring behind the last. The first molar of the lower jaw with three ridges, the anterior of which is prolonged so as to constitute an edging to the whole of the portion of the tooth in front of it; the second and third with two ridges, each of which appears distinctly divided into two lamine, between which there is a portion of bony matter. The incisors of both jaws are slightly arched, and their points cutting ; each of those of the upper jaw with a slender groove near its outer edge, and the point slightly emarginate, those of the lower jaw plain, the points entire and nearest to the inner edges of the teeth. The molar teeth in the animals of this genus appears to consist of strongly compressed tubes of enamel, each inclosing a portion of bony matter. 3 c 3 a A view of the upper surface of the skull of Euryotis Brantsii of the natural size. 3 b A lateral view of the skull of do. do. A lateral view of the lower jaw of do. do. 3 d A front view of the incisor teeth of the upper jaw of do. do. 3 e A front view of the incisor teeth of the lower jaw of do. do. 3 f A view of the under surface of the skull of do. of twice the natural size. a. The first or anterior tooth; b. second or middle tooth ; c. third or hind-tooth. 39 A view of the lower jaw of do. do. a. The first or anterior tooth ; b. second or middle tooth; c. third or hind-tooth. The skull of this species, particularly towards its hinder extremity, is wider in proportion to its length than that of either of the other two, and the frontal bones between the eyes are broader. The length of the skull from the anterior extremities of the nasal bones to the hinder aspect of the occipital bone one inch five and a half lines, and its width immediately behind the zigomatic arches seven and a half lines. The length of the frontal bones are six and three quarters lines, that of the nasal bones six lines. The first molar tooth of the upper jaw with three transverse, slightly elevated ridges, the second with two, and the third with three, behind the last ridge of the latter there is a slight, somewhat circular, concavity edged by enamel forming the hinder portion of the crown of the tooth. The first tooth of the lower jaw with three transverse ridges, the anterior one continued forwards along the inner edge of the tooth after- wards curved, first outwards, and then inwards and backwards; the second tooth with two ridges, and the third with three. The incisors of both jaws slightly arched, their points cutting, and very slightly emarginate; each of those of the upper jaw distinctly marked with a narrow lon- gitudinal groove towards its outer edge, those of the lower jaw also grooved, the grooves so delicate however as only to be visible when examined with attention near to their outer edges. 3 h The liver of Euryotis Brantsii, consisting of four irregular shaped lobes, some of which are slightly subdivided. 3 The spleen of Euryotis Brantsii, slender and three-sided. 3 k The kidney of do. 31 The stomach of do. a. The cardiac orifice; b. the pyloric orifice. 3 m The cæcum, &c., of do. a. The small intestines; b. the large intestines; c. the situation of a gland the ducts of which open on the inner surface of the cæcum. The latter towards its apex, smooth, elsewhere with several rows of cells. 3 n The inner surface of the apical portion of the cæcum ;-a. the opening by which the secretion of the glands, already mentioned, is discharged. 30 The vagina and uterus. a. The vagina ; 6.6. the cornua of the uterus ; c.c. the ovaria. B A GERBILLUS AURICULARIS. (A Male, B Female.) (Mammalia-Plate 26.) GERBILLUS AURICULARIS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.-PLATE XXVI.-MALE AND FEMALE. G. suprà fulvus, infrà albus; capite supra, dorso, caudâque brunneo-penicillatis; cirro albo post aurem utramque. Oculis profundè brunneis. Caudâ brevi. LONGITUDO corporis cum capite 4 unc. 10 lin; caudæ 3 unc. 3 lin. GERBILLUS AURICULARIS.—Smith, South African Quarterly Journal, No. 2, New Series, March 1834. GERBILLUS BREVICAUDATUS, F. Cuv.-Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, Part ii. vol. 2, page 144 ; 1836. a COLOUR.—Male.—The upper surface of the muzzle and head reddish orange, deadened with a faint shade of brown; the back and sides of the body intermediate between ochre and sienna-yellow, the former distinctly, the latter indistinctly variegated with delicate short striæ of an umber brown hue; the fur of these parts is tricoloured, being of a dull slate hue towards the base, ochry yellow in the middle, and dark brown at the surface. The sides of the muzzle, the eyebrows, the sides of the head, the whole of the fore legs, the tarsi of the hinder legs, and the under surface of the neck and body, all pure white, except the tarsi, which are slightly tinted with grey. The tail and outer surface of the hinder legs, towards the body, the same colour as the sides, the under surface of the former rather lightest. Ears a pale flesh colour, and behind each a broad tuft of long white hair, most distinctly seen when on the animals being excited, the ears are erect. Whiskers brown- ish red. Eyes deep umber brown. Claws pale yellowish brown. Form, &c.—-Figure short and thick; muzzle slender, head moderately broad. Ears rather small, subovate, semicircular at the points, and nearly destitute of fur. Legs short, and rather slender. Tail robust, tapered from , the base, and thickly covered with short, recumbent, wiry hair. The incisors of upper jaw slightly arched, and each with a central longitudinal groove anteriorly; the incisors of the lower jaw compressed, slender, subhorizontal, or only slightly curved and without grooves. The first or anterior molar of each jaw largest, the last smallest ; the first of the upper and lower jaw are formed nearly alike, the crown of each consists of three distinct portions separated from each other by two deep transverse fosse, the first portion is somewhat cylindrical, with a cup-shaped cavity at its summit, round which is an edging GERBILLUS AURICULARIS. of enamel, the second and third portions have somewhat the form of the Greek letter ß, each portion with two rounded or oval cavities edged with enamel ; the , second molar of the upper jaw has the crown divided transversely into two parts, each of which is similarly formed to the two last described portions of the first molar ; the second molar of the lower jaw similarly divided, but not exhibiting a resemblance to the letter B; the anterior portion with a slight transverse fossa at the summit, the last portion convex : the third molar of the upper jaw, small cylindrical, and with a cup-shaped cavity at its apex, which is surrounded by enamel ; the third molar of the lower jaw consists of a simple transverse lamina, without any cavity at its apex which is convex like the last portion of the second molar of the same jaw. Temporal bulla large, hemispherical and semi-transparent. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. 0 4 . 0 3. Inches. Lines. Length from the point of the nose to the base of the tail 4 10 of the tail ...... 3 3 Distance between the tip of the nose 08 Distance betwen the eye and the ear. Length of the ear.. of the tarsus of hind legs.. Height when standing.. 0 7 2 1 and the eye a The female (figure B) differs a little in colour from the male ; the upper parts of the head, together with the back and sides, are intermediate between yel- lowish brown, and sienna yellow, and all of these parts are variegated as in the male with short delicate striæ but of a deeper colour ; the extent of white over the eyes is greater and the post-auricular tufts of white hair are smaller ; in other respects the two sexes appear much alike. The shortness of the tail and the tuft or fringe of white hair behind each ear constitute characters by which this animal is easily distinguished from the other species of the genus. It never occurs, so far as I know, within three hundred miles of Cape Town, and all the specimens which I have seen were procured in the western districts of the continent, principally north of the Orange river. It is said to be of migratory habits, and seldom to remain for any length of time in one locality; it fits generally, if not always, during the night, and forms its burrows in the new districts under cover of the darkness. It generally selects an open grassy plot for its residence, and if such a spot is to be found in the neighbourhood of brushwood, that appears to be invariably preferred. Its food consists of small insects, &c. hift AIGO CEROS EQUINA. (Mammalia Plate Male. AIGOCEROS EQUINA.-DESMAREST. MAMMALIA.-Plate XXVII.-MALE. 4 A. corpore extremitatibusque sublactifloribus, humeris, dorso, natibus, artubusque externe rubiginoso- aurantio-tinctis; capitis lateribus, fasciei medio, pectoreque rubro-nigris; superciliis, fasciâ ante oculos, mento, regionibusque circa angulum oris et rhenarium albis ; jubâ flavo-albâ supernè brunneo- rubrâ, aurantiâque marginatâ. Oculis aurantio-brunneis. LONGITUDO ab vertice ad basin caudæ 5 ped. 11 unc.; caudæ 2 ped. 41 unc, ALTITUDO ad interscapulium 4 ped. 6 unc.; ad prynam 4 ped. 41 unc. ANTILOPE OSANNE, Geoffr. Collect. du Mus. ANTILOPE EQUINA, Id.-TAHAITSIE of the Bechuannas. Colour.--The body and extremities rusty cream-yellow; the shoulders, back, buttocks, and outer surface of limbs darkened with rusty reddish-orange; neck pale cream-yellow, with a strong greyish tint; throat yellowish white; the sides of the head, between the base of the horns and the angles of the lower jaw, together with the middle portion of the face and breast, chocolate- red; the hairs of the face are chesnut-brown towards their roots. Belly dirty white. Tail brownish red. The sides of the head under the ears, the eye- brows, the anterior part of the lower jaw, the region around the angles of the mouth, and throat adjoining the muzzle white; from the eyebrow the white colour is prolonged obliquely downward for some inches towards the angle of the mouth, and partially divides the dark colour of the cheek from that of the face. The mane is yellowish white, and is margined with two darker colours; the external one, which tinges the tips of the hairs is rich brownish red; the inner one, which is less defined, is intermediate between orpiment and buff orange. Ears, externally, pale fulvous, tipped with dark brown, internally white. The inner surfaces of the thighs greyish white. The fore legs anteriorly, for about six inches above the knee joints, are chocolate-red, and a narrow stripe of the same colour descends from each knee to the pas- tern-joint; the true and the accessory hoofs are at their bases distinctly edged with hair of the same colour, and the whole of the covering of each AIGOCEROS EQUINA. - - pastern-joint posteriorly is of the same hue. Eyes deep orange-coloured brown. Hoofs liver-brown. Horns between yellowish and umber-brown. Form, &c.-Figure robust and elegantly proportioned. Head at and be- hind the eyes broad and deep, before the eyes comparatively narrow and delicate,—the transition from the one state to the other sudden. Neck very thick and powerful. Muzzle small and somewhat semilunar in shape, ante- riorly prolonged to the edge of the upper lip. Horns directly above the eyes and strongly recurved, the first two-thirds of each scabrous from elevated rings, the last third smooth and tapered. The number of rings varies according to the age of the animal, being generally in a well grown specimen from twenty to twenty-four, they are commonly most developed near where they cease to exist, and are generally very faint on the external aspect, probably from their being worn down by friction ; the animal being much addicted to the practice of rubbing its horns against trees, rocks, &c. The transverse section of a horn has a somewhat oval shape, the posterior portion being the broadest. The ears are situated about four and a half inches behind the horns, and are long, rather narrow and slightly falcated towards their tips; the tips slightly obtuse and somewhat truncated; internally they are lined with long soft hair, externally with a short and rigid sort. The crest of the neck is surmounted with a compressed thin mane which commences a few inches behind the ears, and terminates on the hollow of the back a short dis- tance behind the withers; it is highest where the neck joins the body, and lowest towards its origin and termination. For some inches behind the former the hair forming the mane, lies forwards, that of the other parts is nearly perpen- dicular. Withers a little elevated and slightly arched, not however to an extent to form a sensible hunch. Tail terminated by a small brush of long hair, the origin of which is sudden and well defined, above the brush the hairy covering is short, and on the under aspect of the tail very scanty, Hoofs rather small and each foot is furnished with an unguinal sinus ; in- guinal pores two; inguinal mammæ four. Hair covering the upper parts of the neck, the body and the extremities short, rigid and recumbent; that on the lower part of the neck long and rather shaggy. DIMENSIONS. a Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches. 0 101 11) 7 6 Distance apart at points between the eye and the nose Depth of the head about midway between the horns and the 0 2 1 Length from the nose to the base of the tail of the tail of the head of the ears of the horns, following the curve Distance apart at base 42 8 101 0 ears 0 10 Height at the withers 4 2 at the croup 6 43 3} 11 4 0 A AIGOCEROS EQUINA. The horns of the female are smaller than those of the male; the neck is much less robust, and the figure generally more delicate. The range of this species is very wide, and specimens have been found wherever Southern Africa has been explored. Not very many years ago the animal was frequently seen within the northern boundary of the Cape Colony, and if we are to credit the statements of the Abori- gines, there was a time when it occurred much more to the southward than even the locality alluded to, and from which it has now in a great measure, if not completely, disappeared. It is an animal which congregates, and commonly from six to twelve individuals are found asso- ciated together. Herds of this description are generally met in districts abounding with small hills or hilly ridges, and to such elevations they appear to resort in preference to the plains. The number of herds in any given tract is comparatively small, so that the animal, though generally diffused, is, nevertheless, no where abundant. Its pace is a gallop, which, in ap- pearance, is of a heavy character, but its progress is amazingly rapid. It is an animal ex- tremely vigilant, and always appears to be in fear of enemies ; hence, it comes seldom within the range of the hunter's gun. Aigoceros equina and A. niger are the only species of the groupe I have seen in South Africa. Aigoceros leucophæa and A. barbata, I am inclined to believe, are fictitious species constituted upon bad descriptions of A. equina. In consequence of its being said* that the only specimen of Antilope Leucopæa now known is in the Museum of Paris, I requested a friend of mine to apply for permission to take a drawing of it. The request was no sooner made than M. Geoffroy afforded every possible facility. After an examination of the drawing, which was made with great care, I had no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that the Paris specimen was a young male of A. equina ; the former differs from the latter only in wanting the chocolate-red colour on the face and breast; the same want is observed in young individuals of A. equina—the parts in question are light rufous instead of chocolate-red. The Aborigines are very acute in recognizing in drawings any of the animals with which they are acquainted; yet I could never find the man who would admit that he had seen any thing like the Tahaitsie of Daniels, though I showed his plate of the animal to many persons with hoary hair, who had been born and bad grown old in the very country in which it was said to exist. The Animal Kingdom, translated by Griffiths, &c. vol. iv. page 177, KOBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS. (Mammalia.Plate 28.) Male. KOBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS. * MAMMALIA.-PLATES XXVIII. AND XXIX. а K. flavo-griseus, aurantio-brunneo obscuratus ; maculâ longâ supra oculum, labiis, fasciâ gulari, ellipsique prynali albis; cornubus procurvis, annulatis; caudâ flocosâ. LONGITUDO ab vertice ad basin caudæ 5 ped. 6 unc.; caudæ 20 unc. ALTITUDO ad interscapulium 4 ped.; ad prynam 4 ped. 3 unc. AIGOCEROS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS, Ogilby, Proceedings Zool. Society, 1833, page 47. (Male. Plate XXVIII.) COLOUR.—The chaffron, the forehead, the body, the tail, and the anterior ex- tremities above the knee-joints, and the hinder ones above the houghs inter- mediate between yellowish-grey and ash-grey ; the tint in many places, parti- cularly on the back, much darkened and variegated with a dull orange coloured or russet-brown. The grey is the predominating colour, being the tint of the basal two-thirds of each hair, and the brown occurs at the tip of each hair, and also in the form of one or more rings behind the brown points. The eyebrows and a narrow space under each eye white, which colour is also observed on the upper lip and on the parts immediately adjoining the hinder and lateral edges of the muzzle. The sides of the neck and the throat immediately behind the head are crossed by a narrow white stripe, which extends nearly from ear to ear, and on the croup and nates, about four inches before the base of the tail, there is a broad and well-defined white band in the form of an ellipse. The sides of the head are yellowish-grey, which on the lower jaw is dark- ened with orange-coloured brown; the latter colour at the points of the hairs as already described. The outer surface of the ears and legs below the knees and houghs bright orange-coloured brown. Ears internally dirty white. Eyes yellowish-brown. The true and accessory hoofs liver-brown, the hair at their base dirty white. Horns between yellowish and umber-brown. Form, &c.—Figure rather robust and heavy ; limbs strong, but not inele- gant. Head rather long for its thickness, and gradually tapered from the forehead, having the sides before the eyes convex. Muzzle heart-shaped, the apex reaching the edge of the upper lip. Ears ovate, patulous and * Characters of Kobus. Horns in the male only, long, pointed and slightly flexuous; muzzle moderately developed, somewhat heart-shaped ; no suborbital sinuses nor glands ; stature large or rather large ; frame robust ; hair harsh and long or rather long; tail reaching to about the houghs. a KOBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS. a a pointed, internally coated with long soft hair disposed in longitudinal striæ, which are divided from each other by intervening naked spaces, externally thickly coated with close and short rigid hair. The hair generally is coarse and wiry, that which covers the chaffron, the lips, the outer surface of the ears, the anterior extremities and the hinder ones below the houghs, short and dense, that elsewhere long and shaggy; on the anterior parts of the body the hair is longer than on the hinder parts, and on the neck longest. On the middle of the back about a foot behind the shoulders, a small whorl exists, and in front of that all the hairs of the back are directed forwards, while those behind ex- tend backwards. Tail cylindrical and tapered, tip tufted with long hair, else- where the covering is short and dense. Groins nearly bare, no inguinal pores, scrotum densely covered with short white hair, no unguinal sinuses nor sub- orbital glands. Eye-balls full; the expression of the eyes fierce, and indica- tive of ferocity and determination. Horns placed upon the frontal crest over the posterior angles of the eyes ; the first half of each extends slightly backward and much outwards, the next half forwards and inwards with a uniform curvature, the concavity of which is in front; in form they are somewhat cylindrical, the first or basal half being marked with elevated rings, varying in number from twelve to twenty-three, and extending more or less upon the last half; the rings do not appear in general to be complete, or at least equally distinct upon the outer side of the horns, apparently from being rubbed down by friction; the extreme or distal portion of each horn smooth. Between the annuli the horns are marked with deep and regular stria, which observe a longitudinal direction. VISCERA.— The stomach consists of four pouches: the first is very large and nearly oval, the second, third, and fourth are comparatively small; the communication between the first and second is very small, between the second and third considerably larger. The first pouch especially adjoining the en- trance of esophagus is lined with numerous slender, but firm and pointed papilla, each about two lines in length; the second stomach is very muscu- lar and of a roundish form, internally furnished with loose membranous folds, each of which is edged with fine hard minute papillæ ; the third is thinner than the second, and like it is furnished internally with loose mem- branous folds, but without papilla. Cæcum smooth internally, and not saccu- lated. The stomach from the entrance of the æsophagus to its lower edge two feet in length, the greatest breadth of the first pouch 18 inches. Small intestines 60 feet long; large intestines 20; cæcum 15 inches. Spleen about a foot in length, firmly attached to the stomach, and deeply emarginate on the lower edge. Liver massive, broader than deep, and inferiorly partially Time KOBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS. (Mammalia Plate 29.) Female. KOBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS. divided into two lobes by a narrow fissure which extends nearly half way from the lower towards the upper edge, two small lobuli on its concave sur- face; gall bladder pyriform, and firmly attached to the concave surface of the liver, and its lower extremity descends a little below the inferior edge of the viscus. DIMENSIONS Ft. Inch. Inch. Lin. Length from the nose to the base of the tail 6 10 Length of the horns 24 0 from the nose to the base of the Distance between the horns at the base 2 0 horns 1 0 between the horns at the great- of the tail 1 8 est curvature outwards ... 11 11 6 of the ears. 0 9 between the points of the horns 6. Height at the croup 3 between the nose and the eye 6 shoulder 0 eye and the ear ...... 4 0 8 4 9 4 (Female. Plate XXIX.) The figure of the female is more delicate than that of the male, and the hair with which she is covered is generally longer. Her general colour is also paler, owing to there being less of the russet-brown to darken the yellowish- grey. She has four inguinal mamma. This animal, which has, from the time it first became known to the Cape Colonists, been designated by them under the name of “ The Water Bok,” was not seen by our party till after we had passed to the northward of Kurrichane; and if we are to trust the evidence of the natives, it is never met with to the southward of the high lands, which extend to the eastward of the locality mentioned. To the northward, however, it is a common animal, and is generally found associated in small herds of from eight to ten individuals, near the margins of streams. We were struck from the first with the small proportion of males in these herds, and on re- inarking upon the circumstance to the Aborigines, they gave their testimony in support of the accuracy of our observations. Rarely, in a herd of twelve, were there more than two or three males, and of these seldom more than one which might be regarded as mature. The natives were of opinion that the sexes were produced in about that proportion, and even made use of the assumed fact in support of the propriety of polygamy as it exists among uncivilized men, assert- ing that a like disproportion occurred in the human species. A marked disproportion between males and females I have also noticed in herds of other species of the Antilope tribe, both in the colony and much nearer to it; but the circumstance was always accounted for in a differ- ent way by persons with whom I conversed on the subject. It was affirmed that the great superiority in number of the one, arose from the adult males driving out the young ones from the society of the herds, and forcing them to live apart until they had acquired the strength necessary to enable them to hold their place in a mixed society, which was not probably before some proportion of the elder had ceased to exist, and left room for the few able-bodied to join company and become active agents in extending to others that line of discipline to which they themselves had been subjected. It is possible this may be the correct mode of ac- a a KOBUS ELLIPSIPRYMNUS. counting for the occurrence, but I must confess I have never had the good fortune to find herds of young males living by themselves; though I have been assured by credible persons, that such had often come under their observation. When Kobus ellipsiprymnus is feeding, it has the appearance of being a clumsy and unpre- possessing animal; but, on the contrary, when excited, it is elegant and stately; at such times it holds its head high, and assumes a lively and spirited position. Its pace is a gallop, and generally all the individuals of the herd brush off at the same time, each making the best of its way without endeavouring, as some other of the Antilopes do, to follow in the train of a leader. When disturbed they generally fly from the places where they are discovered towards the higher grounds of the neighbourhood, and if unable to reach them, without passing through water, they manifest neither fear nor disinclination to plunge into the stream—hence the origin of the name by which they are designated by the colonist. Their flesh is in little repute, even with the Aborigines, though it is not quite rejected; the dislike to it arises from its being of a hard and stringy texture, and from exhaling a strong urinous odour. The flesh of Aigoceros equina is also rather hard, strong, and somewhat unsavoury, its skin like that of Kobus ellipsiprymnus is thick, very compact and firmly attached to the muscles, and there are also various other points in which the two animals strongly resemble each other. In consequence of having found that I could not, upon satisfactory grounds, class Aigoceros ellipsiprymnus in any of the yet constituted groupes into which the Antilope family has been divided, I came at last to the resolution of establishing one to receive it. The value of the groupe, however, I have not ventured to surmise, being of opinion that in the present state of the science the naturalist is often hampered by difficulties created merely from an inclination to accomplish more than is to be done consistent with the knowledge we yet possess. In the groupe which I propose for the South African animal I feel inclined also to place two Antilopes of Western Africa, the Koba and Kob of Buffon. These, in consequence of the peculiarities of their characters, have been variously classed by different authors, and it clearly appears to me, that if our animal is not to be admitted into any of the already established forms, certainly the two above mentioned must be equally excluded, while they must be viewed as standing within the limits of the groupe we propose. The following, in our opinion, will be the species which will belong to it:- , Kobus ellipsiprymnus, Aigoceros ellipsiprymnus. OGILBY. Kobus senegalensis, Antilope senegalensis. DESM. Kobus Adansoni, Antilope, Kob. ERXLEB. BUBAI US CAAMA (Mammalia Plate 30) Male BUBALUS CAAMA.–OGILBY. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXX.-MALE. p. 199. a B. capite, cervice, corporeque subcinnamomeis ; fronte, facie, vertice, maculâ ad basin auris, lineâ cervicali extremitatibusque externè suprà genu brunneo-rubris griseo nitentibus; oculis pallidè rubro-aurantiis. LONGITUDO è naso ad basin caudæ 6 ped. 11 unc.; caudæ 1 ped. 41 unc. ALTITUDO ad interscapulium 3 ped. 10. unc. ; ad prynam 3 ped. 61 unc. HARTBEEST, Sparrman, Voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, vol. ii. ANTILOPE CAAMA, Schreb, Goldfuss, pp. 11. 74.; tab. 277 ANTILOPE BUBALIS, Pallas, Erxleb. Gmel. Bodd. HARTEBEEST of the Cape Colonists.-—KAMA of the Bechuanna. Colour.—The colour of the head, neck, and body intermediate between light brownish orange and yellowish brown; the back, the sides of the neck superiorly, the outer surfaces of the shoulder and the anterior edge of each haunch darkest, being nearly of a cinnamon-colour. The belly and the inner surface of the limbs towards the body rusty white. The forehead and chaffron, from a little below the eyes to the nostrils, are brownish red, and these two marks are separated from each other by a transverse band, about three inches in depth, of the same colour as the body. From the forehead the brownish red colour is continued between the horns, behind which it spreads out and forms the tint of the crown of the head. From each side of the dark colour of the crown, a broad stripe of the same hue proceeds down- wards and forwards, and forms an edging to the base of each ear interiorly, and anteriorly ; while another stripe of a narrower character and fainter hue proceeds along the back of the neck, and terminates either at the shoulder or at the croup. The same colour occurs also upon all the extremities, most abundantly on their outer surfaces, above the knees and houghs. At and for some inches above the joints, it extends almost completely round the limbs, but higher than that it is confined to the outer surfaces, and even does not occupy the whole of these, as a part of the thighs anteriorly and of the fore legs posteriorly, are of the same colour as the body; on both the anterior and posterior extremities, it terminates a little above the line of the belly ; on a a BUBALUS CAAMA. . the fore ones it is narrow and pointed superiorly, on the hinder blunt, rounded and arched obliquely backwards and upwards. The brownish red of the parts described is strongly glossed with grey. The extremities below the knees and houghs are light yellowish brown softened with grey, except in front, where each is marked with a narrow stripe of dark hair, most distinct on the fore legs ; the pastern-joints posteriorly are also of a dark brownish red colour. Lower lip pale reddish brown ; space behind muzzle rusty white. Ears externally light yellowish brown, internally white; tail above at base the same colour as back, below white, towards tip reddish brown ; horns between umber and yellowish brown; eyes light reddish orange. Form, &c.—Figure ill formed and ungainly, the hinder parts not developed in the same proportion as the fore parts. The height at the withers consider- ably greater than at the croup, which depends in some measure upon the greater length of the fore-legs, but chiefly upon the unusual elongation of the spinous processes of the first five or six dorsal vertebra. The head is long and narrow, the forehead prominent superiorly, and bearing the horns. The latter are nearly cylindrical and almost in contact at their bases. The first two-thirds of each horn is scabrous from a series of elevated rings con- nected by longitudinal grooves, the last third smooth. The number of the rings vary according to the age of the animal; thus they are found sometimes not to exceed ten, at other times there are from sixteen to eighteen: they vary much also in regard to their perfection, being found in many individuals not surrounding more than two-thirds of the horns, and in others forming complete circles, especially upon the first third. In full grown, but especially in aged individuals, many of these rings are broken and knotted anteriorly, more particularly those which occur upon the second third. The direction of the horns is at first backwards, and outwards, then forwards, and slightly inwards, in a regular curve, the concavity of which is forward; the last third of each horn is directed backwards and slightly outwards, and lies nearly at a right angle with the first two-thirds. Eyes large and soft. Ears ovate and patulous. Muzzle small and shaped somewhat like the head of an arrow. About two inches below the inner corner of each eye there is a large flat and nearly circular suborbital gland and the fluid it secretes, which is viscid and tenacious, is discharged externally by one simple orifice; by this secretion, the surrounding hair is agglutinated into a hard mass, the appear- ance and situation of which will be understood from a reference to the figure. Each foot has an unguinal sinus, and there are two inguinal pores and two inguinal mammæ. The tail is slender, the first third covered with short, and the last two-thirds with long hair, the latter is all turned backwards and . a a BUBALUS CAAMA. forms a compressed fringe or border posteriorly. The hair of the animal generally is soft, short, and recumbent. On the inner surface of the ears, it , is rather long. Towards the tip of the lower jaw there are a number of rather long fine bristles. DIMENSIONS. Ft. Inches. Ft. Inches. Distance between the eye and the 6 nose 0 11 41 1 0 Length from the nose to the base of the tail of the tail from the tip of the nose to the base of the horns of the horns of the ears 0 between the horns at the base between the horns at the tips Height at the withers croup 111 01 101 10 67 1 5 3 1 3 93 7 0 a The female is rather smaller in stature than the male, and the horns are less powerful, and neither so strongly ringed nor knotted. The colours are nearly similar. Wherever travellers from the Cape of Good Hope have reached, they have found the Hartebeest, and we, besides having actually killed specimens close to the tropic of Capricorn, have also heard of the animal existing much farther to the northward. At the same time that we had proofs of its residence in the latitude mentioned, we also had evidence that it does not occur so frequently there as it does more to the southward. In fact, from the parallel where Bubalus lunata began to occur, Bubalus Caama began to be rare, and from our observation we would be justified in pronouncing that the former took in a great measure the place of the latter in all the territory northward of 25° S. latitude. The circumstance of a species being restricted in its range, and of having its place in an ad- joining locality taken by a different one of the same genus, without there occurring at the time any deficiency of the food upon which the former is accustomed to feed, must ever afford a subject of interesting reflection to the field naturalist. That many species have limits beyond which they rarely extend, no one will doubt who has studied the animal productions of countries still favourably situated for actual observation; yet few, probably, will pretend that they have discovered the causes of such occurrences. Not many observers will be hardy enough to main- tain that the habitat of a species is limited purely in consequence of its food being limited, since the majority must know that the substitution of one animal for another often takes place long before that food fails to exist upon which the one which has ceased to occur is prone to feed. Can the cause then be the influence of habit? While considering the circumstance, with proofs of its occurrence actually under our observation, we have occasionally been disposed to ascribe it to such an influence; but, we always found the conclusion untenable when we recollected that in all probability many of the instances we had the opportunity of observing could not have re- sulted from the power of an established habit, such as we supposed, inasmuch as we had often met individuals out of the favourite range of the species, though these individuals, having all the peculiarities of their kind as seen within what may be denominated their proper domain, had pro- bably been produced and reared where we saw them. If, therefore, neither a want of special food, a . BUBALUS CAAMA. a nor the influence of habit, can be regarded as the cause which limits the range of a species, we must look for it in something else, and that something, I have no doubt, we shall find to be a law of the Creator, and that the animals who are under the influence of that law are kept within the districts destined for their abode, without any exertion of their own will. Many curious facts in corroboration of this opinion, may be acquired in South Africa, and much is to be found there calculated to incline us to an opinion that the movements, migrations, &c. of animals are the result of some imperative impulse, rather than the exercise of a free will. It appears to us that all species, whose ranges it is intended shall be circumscribed, are formed with dispositions and feelings suited to the localities which they are destined to inhabit, and that these, which are co-existent with life, regulate the movements of every individual of the species. As tend- ing to support this conclusion, we may instance what occurs in South Africa with two species of Catoblepus (Gnu). During a certain season of the year both species inhabit the same districts; but during the remaining portion, one of the species resort more to the southward in large herds, and there feed, though it is exposed to almost incessant danger from the colonial hunters. The latter, while advancing to the southward, is accompanied a part of the way by the other species, but on arriving at the southern branch of the Orange River, the one ceases to advance, while the other crosses the stream, and proceeds into the colony year after year to encounter the colonial hunters, and acquire a food exactly similar to that it might have secured without migrating. Numerous other instances of a like description we shall hereafter notice. The Hartebeest, by preference, inhabits an open country, and hence is generally observed upon the plains in small herds consisting of from six to ten individuals, and often where the plains are extensive, many of such groupes are to be seen within the range of the eye. It is a very wary ani- mal, and views with strong suspicion the advance of man, so that unless favoured by special cir- cumstances, he finds it an animal difficult to procure. When disturbed, the herd generally scam- pers off in the train of some acknowledged leader, and they are rarely seen when flying, except in a string, one animal upon the heel of another. Their pace is a sort of heavy gallop, and though they do not appear to move with rapidity, yet the ground over which they go in a given time shows that their progressive motion is far from slow. When first they start, they appear ex- tremely awkward, and generate in the observer an impression that to overtake them must be no very difficult task. After they have advanced a little, however, the apparent stiffness in the joints of the hinder extremities disappears, and even the indications of weakness of the hinder limbs becomes so indistinct, that he is soon satisfied of the inaccuracy of his first conclusion. This and the Bubalus lunata are the only antilopes of South Africa, which exhibit the peculiarity alluded to, and have led many to remark their resemblance in this respect to the Hyane and Proteles Lalandii. In all of these animals there is a disproportion between the development of the anterior and posterior parts of the body, and each of them appears when in motion as if its hinder extremities were too weak for the duties they were destined to perform. a BUBALUS LUNATUS. (Female) (Mammalia Plate 31) BUBALUS LUNATUS. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXXI. ; B. genis, cervice, corporeque subbadiis purpureo-griseo-lævigatis ; fasciâ verticali inter nasem verticemque brunneo-griseâ, nigro--brunneo-marginatâ ; artu singulo superne et externe faciâ verticali brunneo- griseo-notato; cornubus illis bovis subsimilibus. Oculis pallidè brunneo-rubris. LONGITUDO e naso ad basin caudæ, 6 ped. 10 unc.; caudæ, 151 unc. ALTITUDO ad interscapulium, 4 ped. 6 une.; ad prymnam 3 ped. 6 unc. 3 ACRONOTUS LUNATA, Hamilton Smith. SASSABY of the Bechuanna Kafirs. Colour.--The sides of the head below the eyes, together with the neck and the body, are of a tint intermediate between hyacinth, red, and reddish orange, and over that, the ground colour, there is a distinct gloss of pale brownish purple red which gives an appearance similar to that produced when a light coloured varnish is applied over a dark ground; on the sides of the head and first half of the neck, the purplish hue is more palpable than elsewhere, and on the outer surface of the buttocks the ground colour is lighter than on any other part of the animal. The centre of the forehead and face is a dark brownish grey, margined on each side with dull blackish brown; on the face the stripe is of considerable breadth, and its lower extremity, which is angular and pointed, reaches close to the centre of the muzzle ; on the forehead it is narrow, and above it terminates in the blackish brown hair of the vertex. The hair between the eyes and the base of the horns, as also that on each side of the facial stripe, and that which covers the upper lip intermediate between brownish and reddish orange; a narrow stripe on each side of nostrils light cream-yellow. The outer surface of the ears brownish orange; the inner surface white. A mark of a brownish grey colour, and of a similar character to that which exists upon the upper and outer portion of each leg of Bubalus Caama, also occurs in BUBALUS LUNATUS. this species. On each fore leg it descends almost to the knee joint, and for some inches above its termination is darker than elsewhere, and completely encircles the limb; above the point where the extension commences, the dark mark is restricted to a portion of the outer and anterior aspects of the leg, and under the same form in which it exists at the point of union between the body and limb it ascends upon the outer surface of the shoulder till it reaches within a few inches of the hunch, where it terminates in an indistinct point. Both anteriorly and posteriorly the upper portion of this mark is margined with a stripe of hair of the same colour as that which covers the upper lip; behind, the colour descends considerably lower than in front, its termination being not many inches above the knee joint. On the hinder leg the dark mark occupies the outer aspect of the thigh, and extends from the hough obliquely upwards and forwards till it disappears immediately above and outside of the groin ; towards its lower extremity it also completely encircles a portion of the limb. Below the knees and houghs, the colour is light reddish orange. The belly and inner surface of the legs towards the body are rusty white or dull cream-yellow. The hair of the first third of the tail is of the same colour as the body, that of the last two-thirds is cream-yellow at the root, and dirty umber-brown at and towards the point. Eyes, light brownish red; muzzle, black ; hoofs, blackish brown ; horns, light blackish brown. Form, &c.—Figure nearly similar to that of Bubalus Caama. The head is rather compressed, posteriorly it is of considerable depth, anteriorly it is narrow and attenuated; muzzle narrow and shaped somewhat like the letter V. Eyes large, and about an inch below the internal angle of each, there is a small bare spot, about four lines in diameter, with a narrow vertical fissure along its centre, from which exudes, upon pressure being applied, a thin glairy fluid. The chin and the upper and lower lips are sparingly sprinkled with rigid bristles. Ears ovate and pointed, their inner surface coated with long hair disposed in longitudinal bands. The horns are placed on the summit of the head, each upon a separate and slightly elevated peduncle ; they first extend outwards and slightly backwards, then outwards and upwards in a curve, and lastly, towards the points they form a curvature inwards : their appearance altogether is very similar to horns which are often seen upon oxen. The first half of each horn is encircled by a number of slightly raised rings ; the last half is quite smooth, and throughout the whole of their length they are nearly cylindrical. The neck is rather slender, and the hunch on the shoulder is arched and very prominent. The legs are rather slender, and the hoofs long and narrow. The outline of the back is waved, and strongly declivous towards the tail; the latter, towards its base, is covered with short BUBALUS LUNATUS. hair; the last two-thirds is fringed posteriorly with long hair, all directed backwards; the under surface of the tail is bare and the skin soft and delicate. Teats two, udder and groins covered with short fine hair; no inguinal pores. DIMENSIONS. Ft. Inch. Ft. Inch. 0 11 6 10 1 31 Length from the nose to the base of the tail of the tail from the tip of the nose to the base of the horns of the horns Distance between the eye and the nose between the horns at the base........ between the horns at the tip Height at the withers 0 3 1 1 1 32 4 0 1 1 at the croup 3 63 of the ears... 0 7 The colours of both sexes are nearly the same, and little discrepancy exists in point of size. The upper part of the neck of the male is generally broader than that of the female, a circumstance observed in most of the antelope tribe. Between the appearances of the horns of Sassaby and Caama there are such marked differences, that we must at once conclude no valid importance ought to be attached either to the form or direction of horns in the grouping of species. The subocular glands also differ materially in these two animals; in Caama, they are covered with short hair, similar to that of the other parts of the face; in Sassaby they are without covering. In Caama, the last portion of the tail is completely encircled with hair ; in Sassaby the sides and upper surface only are so furnished, the under sur- face being bare. In general appearance the two animals present a strong resemblance to each other. The Sassaby has rarely been known to advance to the southward of Latakoo, and at present but few individuals reach the latitude of that place, which the aborigines ascribe to the dread the animal has of fire-arms. To the northward and eastward of Latakoo, however, specimens are to be seen in tolerable numbers, yet not in the abundance in which they occur in the country northwards of Kurrichane. While B. Caama seems to prefer the open grassy plains for its feeding places, the Sassaby apparently delights to resort to situations in the vicinity of wood, or to such as are actually wooded, and in districts of the latter description large herds are often observed feeding among the dense brushwood without apparent concern. All the individuals we saw near to Latakoo were vigilant in watching our motions, and apparently little disposed to trust themselves within our reach; while those again on the other side of Kurrichane were comparatively tame, and though they did not actually resist our approach, yet they often continued in the situations in which we discovered them, until they were quite within the range of our guns, and even after being fired at they only retreated slowly, and rarely without frequently 6 BUBALUS LUNATUS. turning round as they retired to watch our movements. Their retreat, after each examination of the kind mentioned, was commonly preceded by some significant springs or strange gesticu- lations, such as are often made by common domestic cattle when they are put to flight by any object which excites their alarm. In point of manners, both the Sassaby and the real Hartebeest show a considerable resemblance to the bovine tribe, and, except the Gnu, Catoblepas, more than any of the other antelopes. M. CEPHALOPUS NATALENSIS . Mammalia Plate 32) CEPHALOPUS NATALENSIS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—Plate XXXII. C. rubro-aurantius, dorso natibusque externé brunneo-aurantio-umbratis; capitis cervicisque lateribus, gutture, abdomineque subochreis. Cristâ verticali rubro-aurantio nigro-brunneoque coloratâ; cornubus griseo-nigris ; oculis brunneis. LONGITUDO ab vertice ad basin cauda, 2 ped. 2. unc. ; caudæ 4 unc. Altitudo ad interscapulium 1 ped. 3. unc. ; ad prymnam 1 ped. 6 unc. CEPHALOPUS NATALENSIS, Smith.—South African Quarterly Journal, second series, vol. i. p. 217; 1834. Colour.— The face, the upper surface of the neck, the back, the sides, and the extremities, reddish orange; the back and outer surface of buttocks darkened with a shade of brownish orange. The sides of the head and neck, the throat and the belly a light buff-orange. The lower part of the face near to the muzzle, the upper surface of the neck, the posterior parts of the hocks, and the pastern joint of each leg strongly blushed with purplish brown. The sides of the lower jaw, at, and immediately behind the angles of the mouth, the space between the rami of the lower jaw, and the edge of the anterior portion of the upper lip, white. One portion of the long hairs composing the tuft on the crown of the head, the colour of the body, and the other, the central portion, dark blackish brown. Tail towards the tip dusky brown, with variegations arising from an intermixture of some dingy white hairs, towards the root it is of the colour of the body. The hairs on the inner surface of the ears dusky, on the outer surface purplish brown. Eyes dark brown. Muzzle black. Horns and hoofs greyish black. Form, &c.—Body slender and elegantly formed ; limbs long and delicate. Head rather long and much tapered towards the nose ; chaffron slightly arched. Under each eye there is a narrow longitudinal black line devoid of hair, and with a fissure about an inch and a quarter in length along its centre, through which in the living animal exudes a limpid glairy fluid. The crown of the head is surmounted by a dense tuft of rather long rigid hairs which conceals the horns; the latter, which are about an inch and a quarter in length, are inclined slightly backwards, and are rather thick towards their base, but CEPHALOPUS NATALENSIS. slender at the points. Ears broad, short, and pointed ; muzzle and outer edges of nostrils bare. Tail slightly tufted and bare underneath. Hoofs long, slender and pointed. DIMENSIONS. Ft. Inch. 1 33 2 0 Ft. Inch. Length from the nose to the base of the tail 2 87 of the tail 0 4 of the head 0 61 of the ears. 0 23 of the horns 0 11 of the fore legs 0 113 Length of the hinder legs. Distance between the eye and the ear... between the nose and the eye Height at the croup..... at the shoulder 0 3 1 6 1 3} .... Female unknown. Taking Antilope silvicultrix, Afzelius, and A. mergens, Blain., as the typical species of a group, we shall find no difficulty in extending it by an addition of several other species of African origin, which, both in respect of physiognomy and general characters, manifest such a striking similarity to the typical species, that persons the least accustomed to judge of resemblances, will scarcely even find a difficulty in indicating them. Hence Cephalopus must be regarded as a regular and natural group, and one likely to stand when those instituted upon characters, deduced from the mere modifications presented by aberrant species, will require to be discarded. The little animal we have here described, under the name of C. Natalensis, is clearly entitled to a place in the group in question ; and though both it and Antilope cærulea (H. Smith), have certain characters peculiar to themselves, yet they have all the requisites essential to rank them in the genus Cephalopus. In both of these species the female as well as the male is always furnished with horns, and in this respect they differ from the other species of the group which occur in South Africa,—the females of which are almost always found without horns, yet individuals are occasionally killed in which they exist; hence it would appear that their presence or absence ought not to be highly considered in establishing the generic characters. Both C. cærulea and C. Natalensis inhabit the African forests; the former towards the Cape of Good Hope, the latter to the eastward about and beyond Port Natal. They both feed partly upon the grass which occurs among the underwood, and partly upon the young leaves and shoots of the brushwood and small trees which exist in the situations they inhabit; and to obtain the latter they may occasionally be seen scrambling among shrubs, or ascending the stem of sloping trees, so as to reach what they cannot attain while they are on the ground. - OTOMYS ALBICAUDATUS. (Mammalia Plate 33.) OTOMYS ALBICAUDATUS.-SMITH.* - ; MAMMALIA.—Plate XXXIII. (MALE.) 0. supra brunneo-griseus, profundè brunneo-penicillatus; infra sordidè subcinereus ; caudâ ferrugineo- albâ ; pilis versus radicem schistosis ; oculis profundè brunneis ; auribus magnis. LONGITUDO ab nasi apice ad basin caudæ 5 unc. 9 lin. ; caudæ 2 unc. Otomys albicaudatus, Smith.—South African Quarterly Journal, vol. i. p. 148. 1834. Colour.-Head, back, and sides wood-brown, tinged with grey, and spa- ringly pencilled with umber-brown ; the grey tinge is strongest upon the upper and lateral parts of the head and neck, the pencilling of umber-brown is very distinct upon the centre of the face, the vertex, the back of the neck, and the superior parts of the body, on the upper portion of the sides it is less marked, and on the inferior portions nearly wanting. The lower parts of the sides, the belly, the fore-legs, and the inner surfaces of the hinder legs dusky ash- grey; outer surfaces of buttocks the same colour as the back; feet wood- brown, tinged with grey Tail rusty white. Chin and lips white. Ears internally flesh-coloured, with a purplish tinge, the few hairs which exist towards their outer edges dusky-brown, the outer surfaces the same colour as the back. Muzzle flesh-coloured. Eyes a deep rich brown. Teeth, ochry yellow. Whiskers partly black, partly silvery white. The colours of the head, neck, and body, as above described, are confined to the points of hairs ; behind the points each hair is of a pale blackish purple or slate-colour. The pencilled appearance is occasioned by there being a number of long dark hairs interspersed among the fur: in some specimens these hairs are in great numbers, and in them the dark colour is very distinct. Form, &c.-Figure rather robust. Head broad behind, slightly convex above; before eyes it is narrow and somewhat cylindrical; nose truncated. Eyes large and rather prominent. Ears large, patulous, ovate, and pointed, both their surfaces with a thin sprinkling of short and rather rigid hair. Legs * The group which we proposed, in 1834, to designate by the term Otomys is very different from that to which the same term has been applied by F. Cuvier. He employed Otomys as a substitute for Euryotis, Brants; hence exposed it to be classed as a synonym. a OTOMYS ALBICAUDATUS. a rather short; feet small; nails pointed, slender, and slightly curved; each has a tuft of long and stiff hair which originate behind its base, and extends forwards beyond its point, concealing its upper surface. Tail cylindrical and tapered, everywhere densely covered with short rigid hair. Whiskers long and feeble. The fur generally is rather long, soft, silky, dense, and slightly recumbent, on the anterior parts of the head and on the extremities towards the feet it is short and rather rigid. TEETH, &c.—Each of the incisors of the upper jaw has a superficial and rather broad groove along its anterior surface, nearer to the outer than the inner edge, the apex of the tooth is formed for cutting, and is slightly emar- ginate. The first of the molars is the largest, the last the smallest. The crown of the first consists of three transverse portions, which are connected by two short longitudinal processes, each of which, like the transverse portions, are margined with a narrow prominent rim of enamel: the second consists of two transverse portions and a longitudinal connecting process, all edged like the first: the third is undivided and completely edged with enamel. The incisors of the lower jaw are sub-cylindrical, pointed, and without grooves; the molars have their crown divided nearly in the same manner as those of the upper jaw, and the first and second have the same number of divisions. Length of skull 164 lines, breadth behind zygomatic arch 8 lines, breadth between the greatest convexity of the zygomatic arch of one side and the other 9 lines. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. 1 0 Inches. Lines, Length from the point of the nose to the tip of the tail ....... 5 9 of the tail....... 2. 0 of the head ...... 1 5 Length of the fore-legs of the hind-legs Height when standing...... 1 9 2 6 The colours of the Female are generally paler than those of the male. This animal, according to my experience, is confined to the interior of South Africa, and specimens even in the districts in which it lives are procured with difficulty. I have myself only met with it in the neighbourhood of Graham's Town, and in the districts north of the Orange river, but I have reason to believe it occurs here and there between these points. It inhabits grassy flats, lives in burrows in the ground, and seeks its food during the night. It is particularly active and bold during rainy weather, and if individuals be known to exist in any particular locality, some of them at least may be readily procured at such times by placing a lantern with a light in it upon the ground. They soon approach the light, and may, while occupied in regarding it or passing to and fro, be easily disabled with a horse-whip, or such like instrument. Fig. 2 Fig. 1. Fig. 1. DENDROMYS TYPICUS DENDROMYS MELANOTIS Mammalia Plate 34.) . Fig 2 DENDROMYS TYPICUS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXXIV. Fig. 1. D. supra subferrugineus, lineâ longitudinali nigrâ inter nucham et caudæ basin ; labiis, partibus inferioribus extremitatibusque interne albis, pallide rufo-tinctis; caudæ pilis superne brunneis, subtus subalbidis; oculis nigro-brunneis. LONGITUDO ab naso ad caudæ basin, 4 unc. 6 lin.; caudæ, 5 unc. DENDROMYS TYPICUS, Zoological Journal, vol. iv. page 439. 1829. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, neck, and body yel- lowish brown strongly tinged with saffron-yellow ; the lips, the lower portion of the sides, the chin, throat, breast, belly, and inner surface of extremities white, faintly tinged with rufous. The hair of the ears the same colour as that of the back. Whiskers brown. Hair on the upper surface of the tail brown, on the lower surface whitish. Between the nape and the base of the tail there is a narrow blackish line which follows the course of the spinal column. Eyes blackish brown; the upper incisor teeth pale ochre-yellow, the lower, whitish and semipellucid. The hairs of the head and body light blackish grey towards their roots ; those on the back and upper portion of the sides are of that colour till near their tips. Form, &c.— Figure slender and elongated. Head small and very narrow anteriorly ; the nose is almost pointed ; extremities slender, the fore ones very short, the hinder ones considerably more lengthened. Ears rather large and oval. The middle toe of the fore feet longer and stronger than the other two, the wart which supplies the place of the hinder toe small and obtusely pointed; the outer toe of the hinder feet shortest, the next to it longest, the third rather shorter than the second, and the inner one shorter than the third, but rather longer than the outer one; hinder toe very short, and consists of little more than the nail. Tail long, cylindrical, and rather smaller at the point than at the base, it is distinctly ringed and each ring consists of a series of small scales. Nails rather short and slightly curved. The fur of the head and body is long, soft, silky, and recumbent, that on both surfaces of the ears and on the lower joint of the leg short; on the tail the little which exists is short and rather rigid. a DENDROMYS TYPICUS TEETH, &c.—The incisors of the upper jaw are deeply grooved and their cutting edges slightly notched. The anterior portion of the first molar tooth is crowned with four robust, obtuse denticuli, the last third of the crown is flat and exhibits two small cup-shaped cavities ; the second tooth has the crown slightly concave, and marked with some small cup-shaped cavities; the last is very small, somewhat cylindrical, and with the crown is flat. The first molar of the lower jaw is crowned with four robust obtuse points, two towards its outer and two towards its inner edge, the second has two points near to the anterior margin of the crown, the remaining portion of the latter is dis- tinctly concave; the last molar has its crown occupied by two ill-defined points standing transversely. For views of the teeth, see Mammalia, Plate 21. Fig. 2 a, the upper jaw of the natural size ; 2 b, the lower of the same; 2 c, the incisors of the upper jaw, double the natural size ; 2 d, the teeth, &c. of the upper jaw, three times the natural size ; 2 e, the lower jaw and teeth magni- fied to the same extent. ܪ DIMENSIONS. Inch. Lin. Length from the point of the nose to the base of the tail .... of the tail ...... of the head... 3 9 Inch. Lin. 0 71 1 3 1 4 Length of the fore legs .... the hinder legs Height when standing 4 0 1 0 All the specimens of this little animal which have come under my observation were caught upon trees, shrubs, and vines, and many of them were procured in the immediate neighbour- hood of Cape Town. It is very active in its movements, and runs from branch to branch with great rapidity. DENDROMYS MELANOTIS.-SMITH, a MAMMALIA.—Plate XXXIV. Fig. 2. D. supra cinereus rufo-tinctus, infra griseo-albus ; lineâ longitudinali nigrâ, inter scapulas et basin caudæ, in medio dorsi ; maculâ parvulâ albâ infra aurem, et unâ ante oculum nigrâ. LONGITUDO ab nasi apice ad basin caudæ 3 unc. ; caudæ 2 unc. 6 lin. Dendromys Melanotis, Smith. South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, No. 2, p. 158. 1834. Colour.--The upper and lateral parts of the head, neck, and body and the outer surface of the extremities ashy grey with a distinct rufous or rusty tint, the latter colour is not so deep upon the hinder parts of the body as upon the head, neck, and anterior parts. The sides towards the belly, the upper lip, the lower portion of the sides of the head, the chin, throat, breast, belly, and inner surface of extremities greyish white; a blotch immediately in front of the eye brownish black. The hair of the ears is dull brown, and under each ear at its base there is a small tuft of white hairs. A longitudinal black line on the centre of the back, from the shoulders to the root of the tail. Whis- kers blackish brown towards their roots, dusky white towards their tips. The hair of the upper parts of the tail dusky brown, of the lower parts dull white. Eyes blackish brown; incisor teeth ochry yellow. The fur of the body and head slate-coloured towards the skin. Form, &c.—Figure rather more robust than that of Dendromys Typicus ; in other respects the form of the two animals are very similar. Ears broad, patulous and rounded at the points, both surfaces sparingly sprinkled with short hair. Toes long and slender, the inner one of the fore foot rather shorter than the other two, which are of equal length; nails slender, nearly straight and pointed. The tubercle which occupies the place of the thumb small and pointed. The outer toe of the hind-foot is rather short, the two next long and of equal length, the inner one is slightly shorter, the thumb is short and rudimentary. The thumb and outer toe are without nails, on the other toes the nails are like those of the fore feet, long, slightly curved, and pointed. The upper parts of the , tail are rather closely covered with hair, the under parts more sparingly, and on the latter the scaly rings which encircle the tail are distinctly visible. DENDROMYS MELANOTIS. The incisor teeth of the upper jaw each have a deep longitudinal groove, the cutting edge is slightly emarginate; those of the lower jaw are plain and pointed. DIMENSIONS. Inch, Lines. Inch. Lines. 08 3. 1 4 Length from the point of the nose to the Length of the fore-legs base of the tail 0 of the hind-legs of the tail Height when standing of the head. The colours of the Male and Female are nearly the same. 2 6 1 4 0 11 The only examples of this species which I have seen were procured about three hundred miles to the eastward of the Cape Colony, and all of them were upon underwood at the time they were obtained. Though it would appear that they are generally found upon shrubs, yet I am disposed to believe they also resort to the ground, and that probably they have their subterranean retreats to which they fly in case of danger, as one individual which I dis- covered upon a small shrub manifested a decided inclination to descend to the ground, and it would have accomplished its object, had it not been killed just as it was about to abandon the lowermost twig. GER BILLUS AFER. (Mammalia Plate 35.) GERBILLUS AFER.-GRAY. ; MAMMALIA.—Plate XXXV. G. capite, dorso, lateribus supernè extremitatibusque externè versus corpus cinereo-isabellinis; capite, dorso, lateribusque supernè brunneo - penicillatis ; partibus inferioribus artibusque internè albis ; oculis brunneis ; capite anticè attenuato ; vellere in capite rigido et breve, in corpore longiorè et lævigato. Longitudo ab apice nasi ad basin caudæ 6) unc.; caudæ 52 unc. GERBILLUS AFER, Gray, Spicilegia Zoologica, p. 10; 1828. MERIONES SCHLEGELLI, Smuts, Dissert. Zoolog. enum. Mam. Capen. p. 41 ; 1836. GERBILLUS AFRICANUS, F. Cuvier, Transactions of the Zoological Society, vol. ii., p. 143; 1836. . Colour, &c.—The ground colour of the head, the back, the upper portions of the sides, and the outer surface of the extremities towards the body inter- mediate between reddish orange and wood-brown, the head, back and higher parts of sides pencilled with deep umber-brown ; the hairs towards their roots dull lavender-purple ; tail coloured like the back, only not so freely pencilled. The lower parts of the sides, the belly, the chin, the throat, and the inner surface of the limbs towards the body white; the line of demarcation between the superior and inferior colours of the sides clearly defined. Tarsi rusty white. Ears internally a light flesh colour, except towards the margin, where there is a thin sprinkling of hair of a light umber-brown tint; externally they are thinly coated with hair of the same colour as that on the back. Eyes deep brown; claws of hinder feet towards their points horn- coloured, towards their base wood-brown, which is also the colour of the claws of the fore feet. Incisor teeth of upper jaw white, of lower jaw pale reddish orange. FORM, &c.—Figure slightly robust, and moderately elongated; head rather lengthened, broad posteriorly, attenuated anteriorly, the point of the nose subacute. Eyes large ; ears long, patulous, and ovate; whiskers long and rather rigid; fore legs short; hinder legs long, the claws of both, but more especially of the fore ones, elongated, slightly curved, and moderately strong ; those of the fore feet are blunt, laterally compressed, and convex above; those of the hinder feet vertically compressed and sharp pointed. The fur covering the centre of the face and the forehead rather short and rigid, that of the other parts of the head, the body, and the extremities above the tarsi, long, soft, and recumbent; the hair of the tarsi, toes, and tail short, wiry and so closely set, as to form a continuous covering. GERBILLUS AFER. а Teeth, &c.— Incisors of upper jaw rather slender, protruding about a line and a half beyond the alveoli, their points sharp and formed for cutting, the anterior surface of each divided longitudinally by means of a deep and narrow furrow; the incisors of the lower jaw about twice the length of those of the upper, moderately strong, and without a furrow. The first molar of the upper jaw is composed of three divisions, and the others of two, and each division, as seen in the crown of the teeth, resembles a flattened tube, with its edges in some almost in contact about midway between the outer and inner extremities, in others the distance between the sides is throughout nearly equal or even greater about their middle than at the extremi- ties. The hinder tooth is much smaller than the second, which again is considerably inferior in size to the first. The first and second molars of the lower jaw consist of the same number of divisions as those of the upper; the third is entire, and in form is like one of the other divisions. The ossa nasi are 7} lines in length; the distance between the upper incisors and the base of the first molar six lines, and the length of a row of molars three lines. Specimens of this animal are to be obtained in abundance at the Cape of Good Hope, and there is no difficulty in procuring them even in the immediate vicinity of Cape Town. It is known among the Colonists by the name of Nacht-muis, which appellation it has received from the circumstance that it rarely leaves its burrow excepting in the night, and that all its operations are carried on under the cover of darkness. It is commonly found in open plots of ground, which are clothed with a short grass, and situated in the vicinity of brushwood, and in such situations a number of individuals generally congregate and form their burrows, extend- ing them in different directions so as not to interfere with each other. The courses of the burrows are at first oblique, but after reaching into the soil to about a foot in depth, they com- monly run horizontally, and frequently are from three to four yards in length, and it sometimes happens that one intersects or communicates with another in its course. When young are about to be brought forth, a nest of soft grass is formed at the distal extremity of the subter- ranean passage, and in it they are placed until they are able to run about and provide for them- selves. The nacht-muis rarely continues for any great length of time in one situation; hence may be considered as by nature a truly migratory animal. When it leaves one locality to take up its abode in another, it performs the journey during the night, and manages its time so as to be able to form a portion of its new habitation at least, before day-light appears. Specimens are most readily procured by digging in the course of the burrows, but care must be taken to ascertain that they are actually inhabited at the time they are discovered, else much labour may be expended without an individual being captured. The ground immediately adjoining the holes must be closely examined ; and if, on such examination, no recent footmarks can be discovered, it may be inferred that they are the abandoned burrows of some family which has taken up its residence elsewhere. a it Fig.2. Fig.1 GERBILLUS MONTANUS. Fig.1. GERBILLUS TENUIS. Fig. 2. Mammalia. Plate. 36. GERBILLUS MONTANUS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXXVI. Fig. 1. G. capite, dorso, lateribus, extremitatibusque externè versus corpus pallide rufo-flavis, dorso lateribusque brunneo-penicillatis; abdomine extremitatibusque internè albis; capite lato breveque ; oculis rubro- brunneis. Longitudo ab apice nasi ad basin caudæ 6 unc.; caudæ 5 unc. a Colour.—The head, the back, the sides, and the outer surface of extremities towards body, intermediate between sienna-yellow and yellowish brown, the back and upper parts of sides freely pencilled with umber-brown, the pencil- lings so arranged as to produce an appearance as if these parts were marked with small brown blotches; the hairs towards their roots pale blackish purple. Tail the same colour as the body, the upper surface freely pencilled with umber-brown; chin, throat, belly, and inner surface of legs towards body pale cream-yellow or yellowish white. Tarsi towards toes ash-grey; claws pale cream-yellow. Ears, internally, light wood-brown mellowed with a flesh colour; externally, the hair is of a broccoli-brown pencilled with sienna- yellow. Eyes deep reddish brown. Incisor teeth of upper jaw Dutch-orange, of lower jaw white. Form, &c.—Figure robust, and less lengthened than that of Gerbillus Afer, though in size the two are nearly alike. Head short, bulky posteriorly, and attenuated towards the nose, which is moderately acute. Eyes large ; ears moderately long and oval : whiskers rather bushy and wiry towards their origin ; fore legs short, hinder legs rather long, toes shorter than in G. Afer, and the claws of fore and hinder feet vertically compressed, and more arched. The hair covering the snout and forehead short and rather harsh, that of the other parts of the head, the body, and the extremities, as low as the tarsi, moderately long, soft, recumbent, and closely set. Tail tapered and densely covered with short, rigid, recumbent hair. TEETH, &c.—The incisors of the upper jaw are moderately strong and pro- ject about two lines beyond the alveoli, each having anteriorly a deep longi- GERBILLUS MONTANUS. tudinal groove along its centre; those of the lower jaw long, slender, and plain. The molars are six in each jaw, three on each side, the front one of upper jaw is largest, and its crown consists of three transverse divisions, each division a sort of tube, the anterior and posterior sides of which are nearly in contact, and only connected with the adjoining division at a point about equi- distant between their inner and outer sides; the second and third teeth consist of two divisions constituted in the same manner as the first, the last division of the third tooth being very small and subtriangular. The molars of the lower jaw are similarly constructed. Length of the ossa nasi 7 lines; distance between incisors of upper jaw and base of first molar 4} lines ; length of the row of molars 23 lines. For representations of the Teeth, &c., see Plate XXXVII. This species inhabits the summit of hills in the country to the north of the Orange River towards its sources, and is generally found in situations devoid of shrubs, where the grass is short. Its principal operations are carried on during the night, and under the cover of dark- ness it seeks its food, forms its burrows, and changes its residence. The incisor teeth of the upper jaw are much larger in this species than in Gerbillus Afer, and the distance between the incisors and first molar is less; hence the muzzle is considerably shorter, and consequently, the head appears more clumsy: there is also a difference as regards the fur; it is more closely set and better adapted to protect against the greater cold to which it is necessarily exposed. The nails of the fore feet also furnish diagnostic characters of the animal, as will be seen by comparing the descriptions of those organs in the two species ; the nails of G. montanus are vertically more compressed and like those of G. tenuis. GERBILLUS TENUIS. --SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXXVI. Fig. 2. G. capite, dorso, lateribus, extremitatibusque externè pallide rubro-aurantiis, dorso brunneo- penicillato ; partibus inferioribus extremitatibusque internè versus corpus albis ; oculis r ubro- brunneis. Longitudo ab apice nasi ad basin caudæ 4 unc.; caudæ 4. unc. a - COLOUR.—The head, the back, the sides, and the outer surface of the extremities a clear pale reddish orange; the back freely pencilled with liver- brown ; the hairs towards their root dull lavender-purple; chin, throat, belly, and inner surface of limbs pure white; tarsi pale ochrey white. The line of demarcation between the colours of the sides and belly distinctly defined. Tail the same colour as the back, only lighter, and towards its point many of the hairs are of an umber-brown tint. Ears internally a pale flesh colour, externally, pale yellowish brown. Eyes deep reddish brown. Claws pale wood-brown. Incisor teeth of upper jaw pale Dutch-orange, of lower jaw pale straw-yellow. Form, &c.—Figure slender and moderately lengthened; head rather small and anteriorly attenuated; the apex of the nose rather acute. Eyes large; ears moderately long and oval; whiskers very long, and towards their origin, rigid. Hair of the muzzle short and rather strong, that covering the rest of the head, the body, and the extremities, as far as the tarsi, long, soft, silky, and recumbent. The hair disposed along the centre of the back not quite so soft as the rest; hair of tarsi and toes very short and rigid. Tail slender, cylindrical, and tapering, the hair dense, rigid, and very short, except at the point, where it is lengthened and forms a thin tuft. Fore-legs short, hinder legs long ; toes moderate ; nails pointed, vertically compressed, slightly arched, and those of the fore-feet longest. Teeth, &c.— Incisors of upper jaw incurved, moderately strong, and with sharp-cutting points: they protrude about a line-and-a-half beyond the alveoli, and each, anteriorly along its middle, is marked with a deep longitudinal furrow; the incisors of the lower jaw are slender, considerably longer than a a GERBILLUS TENUIS. those of the upper, laterally compressed, and sharp at the point. The molars of the upper jaw are constructed much like those of the last species, and each consists of the same number of divisions, the second and third divisions of the front tooth differ however a little in configuration, the sides of the tubes being so compressed as to give the surface of the crown of each division more or less of the form of the figure 8. The front molar of the lower jaw is triangular anteriorly, and composed of two distinct portions, the anterior of which is again sub-divided into two, so that, when the tooth is viewed laterally, it exhibits an appearance of three divisions; the central con- cavity of the anterior division, which consists of the two sub-divisions, resembles somewhat the figure of a club, as painted upon playing cards; the cavity of the second division is narrow and nearly of equal width throughout; the second tooth consists of two transverse portions in close approximation to each other, and the third of one with its centre concave. The nasal bones are 54 lines in length; the distance between the hinder edge of the incisors of the upper jaw and the anterior surface of the first molar, where it is in contact with the alveolar processes, 3} lines; length of the row of molar teeth 2) lines. Zigomatic arch anteriorly flat, thin, and moderately broad, pos- teriorly narrow, slender and very delicate. For representations of the teeth, &c., see Plate XXXVII. This species was first found after the expedition passed to the northward of Latakoo, and although a number of individuals were seen from time to time, yet only three were captured. It inhabits open localities, similar to those resorted to by the species already described, and, according to the statements of the natives, its habits resemble those of G. Afer. Its size and slender form at once bespeak it as a distinct species, and its anatomical charac- ters lead us to regard it as more allied to G. Afer than to any of the other South African species with which we are yet acquainted. A B CATOB LEPAS TAURINA. A . Adult Female. B. Young : (Mammalia . __Plate. 38.) CATOBLEPAS TAURINA. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XXXVIII. (FEMALE AND Young.) C. facie, vertice, jubâ, caudâ, medioque pectoris subnigris ; cervice corporeque flavo-griseis ; cervice, scapulis laterumque partibus anterioribus fasciis verticalibus rufo-brunneis variegatis; artibus flavo- brunneis; naribus externe valvulis instructis externe nudis; corpore anticè robustâ, posticè gracile nitide formatâ; oculis rubri-aurantiis. LONGITUDO e naso ad basin caudæ 7 ped. 4 unc.; caudæ 21 unc.; altitudo ad humeros 4 ped. CATOBLEPAS TAURINA ET GORGON, Hamilton Smith. Colour.-Face black or blackish brown; space under the eyes rusty white; sides of the head pale dusky brown, grizzled with dirty white; upper lip white, its sides with a rusty tinge ; sides of the lower jaw deep black ; bristles of the sides of the lower jaw, and those which exist and form a fringe behind each angle of the mouth, deep black. The top of the head, the space between the horns and the long hair which fringes the neck, superiorly and inferiorly deep black. Sides of the neck yellowish grey, lightest towards the black mane, and freely variegated with vertical dark stripes, consisting of two colours, the one colour greyish brown, and divided by a central stripe of blackish brown. Shoulders, back, upper portions of side and haunches, a glossy colour, intermediate between brownish purple-red and yellowish grey; the shoulders and anterior portions of the side variegated like the neck, but more sparingly, with vertical stripes of a light blackish brown colour; the centre of the breast between the fore legs, a glossy reddish brown. The out- side of the upper half of each fore leg rusty yellowish brown, the inside light grey-brown; the lower half light reddish brown. The anterior edges of thighs below groins rusty white, the remainder of the hinder legs rusty yellowish brown. The central portion of the upper or hinder part of the tail dirty yellowish brown, the other parts deep black. Ears externally the colour of the body, internally white, tinged with yellowish grey. Eyebrows blackish brown, the hinder portion of each surmounted by a spot of yellowish brown; valves covering nostrils black, Eyes light reddish orange; eyelashes blackish brown. The colours above described are those most generally observed in this species, nevertheless various modifications of them are occasionally to be noticed ; in some the ground colour is almost a sort of drab-grey, with a strong lustre: the number of vertical stripes also vary in different individuals; in some they are more numerous than in the specimen figured, in others less. Form, &c.---The form of the head, neck, and anterior parts of the body, CATOBLEPAS TAURINA. a robust and clumsy; of the posterior parts and limbs, delicate and elegant. The head is shaped somewhat like that of an ox; the face is moderately wide, and with a distinct lateral bulge on each side, a short way behind the nostrils ; facial line slightly arched ; sides of the head flat; eyes rather large; eyelashes strong and rigid, as are also the tufts of bristles which are over the eyebrows; the hairs of the beard are also strong and rigid : about two inches below the anterior corner of each eye there is a circular bare spot, about an inch in diameter, through pores in which a tenaceous glary fluid exudes. Nostrils wide, and superiorly furnished with a sort of valve, lined internally with short hair, and which at the will of the animal can be so depressed as to shut completely the openings of the nostrils; this valve is bare externally, and is the only part of the nose which is denuded of hair. Ears ovate, elongated, narrow, and pointed, and the upper or anterior edge of each is fringed with long hair. The horns are placed above, and con- siderably behind the plane of the eyes, and at their origin, which is on the summit of the forehead, they are close together. From their origin they descend downwards and outwards, then with a curve upwards and backwards ; towards the base they are flattened or compressed, towards apex cylindrical, and their surface generally is rough and irregular. The neck superiorly and inferiorly is fringed with long, closely set, rigid hair ; above the fringe or mane commences at the hindhead, and ends on the back a little behind the hunch; on the throat it commences under the angle of the lower jaw, and ends a little in front of the breast. Shoulders very deep, and surmounted by a moderately high pointed hunch. Body rounded, and shaped like that of a horse ; limbs delicately formed, and like those of an antelope. Tail long, reaching to about midway between the houghs and pastern joints, its tip furnished with a brush about twelve inches in length ; the hair elsewhere short, that on the sides rather longest. Hoofs rather broad, large for the limbs, and anteriorly where they come in contact at their base, there is a tuft of long hair; false hoofs long, convex externally, concave internally, and fringed at base with long hairs. The skin of the knee joints in front generally bare, callous, and rough. a . a a DIMENSIONS. Feet. Inches. 4 0 3 10 . Feet. Inches. Length from the nose to the base of the tail.. 7 4 of the tail .. 1 9 of the horns. 1 91 Distance apart at base . 0 23 . Height at the shoulder at the crupper Distance between the eye and nose Length of the ears 1 09 691 + 0 7 1 61 at apex : CATOBLEPAS TAURINA. - , MALE.— The neck is broader, and the animal generally is stronger made; the colours are nearly the same as those of the female, only deeper and of a brighter hue. The horns are stronger, and the mane and hair under the throat is more bushy. Young.–Form and appearance clumsy and unseemly. Forehead and face intermediate between umber and reddish brown, the lower parts of the latter darkest: the upper parts of the neck and body light yellowish brown washed with grey: the lower portions of the neck and sides, the legs, and the tail, intermediate between ash-grey and yellowish grey. Hoofs brownish black. Ears externally and internally towards tips blackish brown. This animal and the common Gnu, (Catoblepas Gnu,) are perhaps the two most interesting and extraordinary quadrupeds which occur in South Africa. Their configuration and their manners equally excite our wonder, and let our attention be directed to these unitedly or individually, the curious compound is not but to be perceived. When we survey their form either while roving at large in their native haunts, or when prostrate at our feet through the efforts of the hunter, we feel alike with the native population the difficulty of discovering whether they partake most of the ox, the horse, or the antelope. When either the one or other of those animals, especially under excitement, stands in front of an observer, with the head and anterior parts of the body only distinctly visible, the idea of its strong resemblance to a small ox immediately arises. When again its body and posterior parts are the portions most conspicuously in view, the likeness to a horse is remarkable; or when its limbs only are taken in review, it presents a strong similarity to the more typical antelopes. As in their form, so likewise in their manners and habits, they manifest considerable resem- blance to several very different animals; but the ox is the one to which in these respects they approximate most closely, at least as far as my observations go. A herd of either of the species evinces in its proceedings much of the manner which is observed among a group of wild cattle, and no one who has noticed with but comnion attention the practices of the latter under various circumstances, will find himself disinclined at times to suppose that he is while looking on a herd of Gnus surveying a herd of wild oxen of a diminutive size. In their mode of carrying themselves when alarmed, or when their attention is otherwise excited, the resemblance is palpable, and in the toss of the head, the plunge, and the kick, which precede a forced flight, it is not less so. The propensity of cattle to threaten with an attack, as shown by certain fantastic motions of the head and body, is also regularly betrayed by this and the other species; and the inclination of wild cattle to survey any thing or any one who approaches their retreat, even should they have to fly immediately, is also the preponderating tendency in both the species of Catoblepas. Almost every species of animal which occurs in South Africa, excepting the Buffalo and the Gnu, retires at once, when even the cause for alarm is but trifling, prolonging their flight until, in their own opinion, they are out of danger; and although all do not progress uninterruptedly, yet few if any halt longer at a time than is simply necessary to enable them to survey for an instant the position of the object which had alarmed them. а. CATOBLEPAS TAURINA. The Gnus and the Buffalo, on the other hand, rarely fly immediately on their discovering noises or appearances which excite their surprise or apprehension ; and although they manifestly experience feelings which incline them to escape danger by a retreat, yet they appear so strongly influenced by a desire to acquire some insight into the nature of the danger, that they rarely depart without first making strenuous efforts to gain their point. That sort of curiosity often leads both, but particularly the Gnus, to expose themselves to danger greater than that from which they might readily escape in the first instance, by its inclining or propelling them to approach the objects of their fears ere they fly, apparently for the purpose of ascertaining their real nature and character. From this peculiarity in their disposition we often see a herd whose curiosity may have been roused by wagons and hunters passing in the vicinity of spots, over which its members may be browsing, scamper towards them, and even approach within musket shot of them before they halt to carry out their purpose. The discharge of guns often proves, during these advances, the cause of their halting, and it is rarely that they will take a hint, as is done by most other animals, from the reception they experience, and turn and fly. Frequently the only result which follows the discharge of muskets is a momentary halt, a gaze, a confused rush in no given direction, and then a determined attempt to persevere in the direction they had been pursuing, even though such should carry them nearer to the position of their assailants. In proportion as the degree of danger increases, in the same proportion does also their disposition to persevere and manifest fantastic movements and plunges increase ; and every shot which is fired at individuals under such circumstances only calls forth further extra- ordinary gestures, tosses of the head, or wild kicks of the hinder extremities, just such as are practised by wild cattle similarly situated, Their gait as they fly bears a strong resemblance to the gallop of a horse, and in their manner of arranging themselves during their flight, one upon the heels of another, they strongly resemble many of the larger antelopes. Both species of Gnu inhabit, during a certain period of the year, the extensive grassy plains which exist some considerable distance to the northwards of the Vaal River; and at another period a portion of each, at least, advances to the southward to feed upon the vegetation which occurs in that direction after the fall of the summer rains. Both species advance simulta- neously as far as the southern branches of the Orange River, but on reaching those, the species here figured ceases to advance, and the common species (Catoblepas Gnu) passes by itself into the Colony. The appearance of the latter is the signal to hunters of all denominations to prepare for the chase, and though the yearly slaughter is very great, there is apparently no reluctance in the survivors to renew their periodical visitations. From having for a period of years attentively observed the proceedings of animals which migrate, I am much disposed to believe that among them at least two different impulses operate : the one, the result of the will of the animal; the other independent of that will, and purely an uncontrollable instinct, which forces them blindly to follow their inclination even when the doing so necessarily leads to their destruction. Among the animals of the first description, I would rank the Elephant, Hippopotamus, and Rhinoceros; among the latter the Gnu — the Spring Bok (Antelope euchore) the Gems Bok (Oryx Capensis,) &c. The facts which have led me to form these opinions, I shall detail at length hereafter; and although I do not feel that they are sufficient, either in number or strength, to establish the point, yet they are sufficient to justify me in surmising such to be probably the law of nature. a - 100 GRAPHI U RUSCA PENSIS. (Mammalia_Plate39.) GRAPHIURUS CAPENSIS.-F. Cuy. ET GEOFF. MAMMALIA.— Plate XXXIX. G. supra cinereus nigro-brunneo penicillatus; fascie, infra oculos, maculâ supra aurium, genis, ventre, lateribusque corporis albis; caudâ supra flavo-albâ, infra brunneo-rubrâ; fasciâ semicirculare inter labrum superiorum et partem inferiorem auris, supra oculum transiente, nigro-brunneâ ; caudâ versus basin subrotundatâ, versus apicem disticha. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad basin caudæ 4 unc. ; caudæ 4 unc. 6 lin. MyoxUS OCULARIS. Smith, Zoological Journal, vol. iv. p. 439. - Colour.—The forehead, the upper surface of the head, the upper and lateral parts of the neck, and the back, and the upper parts of the sides ash- grey, profusely pencilled with liver-brown, the pencilled appearance arising from a great number of long and rather rigid liver-brown hairs, being scat- tered among the soft and light-coloured fur. The upper surface of the tail yellowish white, the lower surface and the edges inferiorly deep reddish brown. A blotch over the upper margin of each ear, the cheeks under the eyes; a vertical bar in front of each shoulder, and the belly and sides pure white; the white of the sides rising highest immediately behind the shoulder and in front of the thigh. A narrow liver-brown stripe on each side of the head, commencing at the edge of the upper lip immediately behind the muzzle, and terminating under the ear, forming in its course a sort of semicircle in order to pass over the eye; lower portion of each shoulder liver-brown. Upper lip, angles of mouth, lower lip, under surface of neck, and the tarsi of the anterior extremities rusty-reddish orange, the tint darkest round the mouth; breast and tarsi of hinder extremities rusty sienna-yellow. Whiskers partly white, partly liver-brown. Eyes blackish. Incisor teeth pale-yellow. The basal or concealed portion of the fur, intermediate between black and lavender-purple :--this colour only seen by deranging the surface. Form, &c.—Body moderately robust and the extremities very short; head rather short and broad; face rather flat; cheeks bulging; nose obtuse, the muzzle bare and the nostrils opening downwards. A pencil of long delicate :- GRAPHIURUS CAPENSIS. bristles about midway between the muzzle and the eye, and a few others of the same description towards the tip of the nose and also above the eyes. Mouth rather small, the upper lip divided, the furrow extending upwards to the summit of muzzle ; eyes small and prominent; ears short, semicircular, and thinly sprinkled with short, rather rigid hairs. Tail bushy, the hair about an inch in length and rather rigid, generally recumbent, but towards the point diver- gent to the sides. Tarsi and toes short, the latter four in number on the fore- feet and five on the hinder ones; they are all directed forwards, the two middle ones nearly of equal length and longest, the outer one slightly shorter, the innermost considerably the shortest; soles of the feet furnished with four warty callous tubercles, and each toe near its point also with a prominent conical callosity; nails short, weak, slightly curved, and covered by procum- bent, rigid hair. Teeth :-incisors of upper jaw short, plain anteriorly and obliquely truncated at the point, the outer edge of each most prominent; in- cisors of lower jaw long, slightly curved, and flattened, the point of each with a sharp cutting edge. : DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the front of the muzzle to the tip of tail 8 6 of the tail ... 4 6 Distance between the muzzle and the Inches. Lines. Length of the hinder legs 1 of the tarsus of fore legs and toes. 0 5 of the tarsus of hind legs and toes. 0 10 Height at the shoulder 1 9 0 6 eye between the eye and the ear Length of the fore legs.. 0 6 1 1 The individual described is the only adult specimen I met with in South Africa, and the Hottentot who killed it, stated that it was running to and fro upon the branches of a tree when he first saw it, but that the moment it discovered him it remained motionless. Nothing is known concerning its habits. A young individual I once saw in the possession of a dealer, and from it I drew the characters given in my description of Myoxus Ocularis.* Zoological Journal, vol. iv. p. 439. . အသည်း BO SELAPHUS OREAS, (Male) ( Mammalia_Plate 40.) BOSELAPHUS OREAS.-H. SMITH. MAMMALIA.-PLATES XL. and XLI. B. suprá rufo-flavus purpureo-tinctus, infrà flavo-albus rufo-tinctus; fronte pilis longis, rigidis, flavo- brunneis, tectâ ; facie ante oculos brunneo-rubris ; mento albo ; caudâ penicillatâ; cornubus fortibus ad basin in spiram convolutis ; oculis castaneis. LONGITUDO e capitis vertice ad basin caudæ 8 ped. 11 unc. ; caudæ 2 ped. 6 unc. ANTILOPE OREAS, Auct. ELAND of the Cape Colonists. ; a MALE. PLATE XL. Colour.—The sides of the neck, the back, the sides of the body superiorly, and the outer surface of the extremities towards the body rusty sienna- yellow, with a pink or purplish shade shining through it; the sides of the neck thinly pencilled with reddish brown hairs ; the lower parts of the sides and the belly pale cream-yellow; sides of head and lower portions of extremities bluish white, strongly tinged with cream-yellow. Forehead clear yellowish brown, all the hairs toward their root brownish red; the middle of the face below a line uniting the eyes brownish red, and fading laterally towards the sides of the head, the centre of the face is darkest, being blackish brown; portion of face and sides of head near to muzzle rusty white, pencilled with brownish red; muzzle black; mane thin brownish yellow, shaded with brownish red, and from the spot where it terminates, behind the shoulders, a narrow reddish brown stripe extends along the course of the back bone as far as the base of the tail. Hoofs brownish black, and each edged superiorly with a ring of brownish red hair, the hair of the fetlock is also of the same colour. Eyes chesnut brown; eyelashes brownish red. Tail towards base the same colour as the back, the tuft at its base rusty yellowish brown, elsewhere brownish red. Mane of dewlap yellowish brown, pencilled with brownish red. BOSELAPHUS OREAS. a FORM, &c.—Head small, for the size of the animal, rather delicately made, and with a gentle and somewhat ovine expression; neck tapered superiorly rather deep, and bulky towards chest. Body heavy, robust, and rounded; limbs elegantly made, and rather slender; hoofs small, false hoofs subhemi- spherical. Tail slender, with a bushy tuft of long hair at the point. Forehead rather broad, and covered with a dense coating of long rigid hair, all of which is inclined backwards and towards the centre of the head; the hair covering the lower part of the face and the sides is short and recumbent, that on the under surface of lower jaw longest and very wiry; on the sides of the upper lip, towards the muzzle, some long bristles, others on the under surface of the lower jaw. Eyes moderately large, full, and soft ; eyelashes bristly and long. Lachrymal punctum small, circular, and situated a little in front of the inner canthus of the eye, in a narrow longitudinal bare stripe, which extends forwards from the union of the two eyelids. Horns placed on the crown of the head, upwards and backwards from the eyes; they slope slightly backwards and are very thick towards the base, near which each is so twisted as to exhibit two spiral turns, each turn having superimposed an obtuse spiral ridge ; the two last thirds of the horns straight, and tapered to a point. Ears long, narrow, pointed, and internally with three longitudinal bands of rather long coarse hair, outer surface covered with short hair. The hair of the neck is abundant, and longer than that on the body ; that of the mane is reversed, is longer than that of the neck and shortest towards the hinder part of the shoulders, where it terminates ; the hair of the dark dorsal line, and of the back, sides, belly, and legs rather thinly set, short, and directed backwards on the body and downwards on the limbs. The hair of the tail is very short till close to the point, where, in the form of a tuft, it is nearly eight inches long. Dewlap situated near to the breast; subovate, compressed, and edged with a fringe of long rigid hair ; muzzle bare, 0 DIMENSIONS. Feet. Inches. Length from the horns to the base of the tail 8 11 of the head.. 1 57 of the ears 0 9 of the horns 2. 10 Distance between the eyes and the horns. 0 41 Feet. Inches. Height at the shoulder .... 5 9 at the crupper 5 7 Length of the fore legs . 2 73 of the hinder legs 3 9 of the tail .. 2 6 of the dewlap at its base ... 1 8 o oco BOS ELAPHUS OREAS (Fem ale & Young :) (Mammalia Plate 41.) BOSELAPHUS OREAS. FEMALE AND YOUNG. PLATE XLI. Colour.--Female.--Forehead cream-yellow, tinted with yellowish brown; rest of head purplish white, tinted with cream-yellow ; neck wine-yellow, tinted with hair-brown; back, upper portion of sides, and outer surface of extremities towards body pale sienna-yellow, deadened with pale broccoli- brown; lower parts of sides, belly, and extremities towards hoofs dirty white, slightly tinted with cream-yellow. Hoofs and horns light liver-brown; tuft of tail rusty yellowish brown. Form.—Figure elegant, and very delicate as compared with that of the male; limbs slender and finely turned ; mane short and reversed; a little long coarse hair on the centre of the forehead. Horns long, straight, and rather slender, somewhat spiral towards and at the base, with a rudimentary ridge on the spire. Dewlap narrow, and nearly the whole length of the under edge of neck; tuft of tail smaller than in the male. Young.–The prevailing colour in young specimens is a tint intermediate between reddish orange and yellowish brown, which tint only ceases to be the prevailing one when the animal has attained to full maturity. In specimens, apparently full grown, the tint described is often very distinct, particularly in females, and in the latter it continues longer to be the prevailing colour than in the male. In some middle-aged females there are indications of vertical white stripes on the sides, which are distinctly visible on one in the British Museum. а Elands are generally found associated in small herds, each herd commonly of from eight to fourteen individuals, and more than two adult males are seldom met, even in the largest herds. They appear at one time to have ranged over the whole of Southern Africa ; but of late few have appeared within the limits of the Colony. In the districts they inhabit they are often observed upon the plains, but more frequently near to mountains or broken hilly tracts, to which they retire upon being disturbed in the open country. They ascend hills, or even mountains, with great ease, and wind their course over peaks of the latter which appear almost impassable. While retiring, they generally arrange themselves in single file, and they only vary from that course when hotly pursued, and when the effort of every one is to effect escape in any way possible. When young, or but little advanced in years, and not over-fed, Elands are rather fleeter than a Cape horse ; but when older, and more especially if in good condition, they are so heavy and unwieldy, as to render it no very difficult task to come up with them, provided they have but little advantage in point of start, and be hotly pursued at once. In the event of their not being closely approached soon after they start, they are rarely overtaken, unless the chace be continued with fresh horses, as, when once they have run for a considerable distance, they either improve in speed, or, on the contrary, the horse diminishes in a greater proportion. BOSELAPHUS OREAS. When put to flight they invariably, if they can exercise a choice, run against the wind; and from their so constantly adopting that course, there cannot be a doubt that they are conscious of the advantages it affords. The hide of the Eland, particularly that of the neck, is very thick, and is highly esteemed as soles for shoes; the rest of the hide, on account of its toughness, is much sought after by the farmers, being valuable as traces for horses. Its flesh is highly esteemed as food ; and from the animal being on these various accounts so useful, it is much hunted by the Boers, which accounts for its being now so rarely met within the boundaries of the Colony. DAMALIS (Strepsiceros) CAPENSIS. ( Mammalia Plate 42. Male) DAMALIS (STREPSICEROS) CAPENSIS. MAMMALIA.—PLATES XLII. AND XLIII. D. superne rufo-griseus, inferne albus, corpore postice strigis verticalibus albis notato ; lineâ vertibrale albâ et facie, fasciolâ angulare ejusdem coloris, signatâ; cornubus spiralibus carinatis; collo sub-jubato. DAMALIS STREPSICEROS, H. Smith; Griffith, Translation of the Animal Kingdom of Cuvier, vol. v. ANTELOPE STREPSICEROS, Auct., Koodoo of the Cape Colonists. PLATE XLII.-MALE. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the neck and body, together with the extremities, rufous grey, the grey tint most distinct on the neck and shoulders; the breast, under surface of body, and inner sides of buttocks rusty white. The forehead, chaffron, and sides of the head immediately behind the angle of the mouth dirty rufous, the cheeks and sides of the head posteriorly rusty grey;—the colour of the face broken by the intervention of an angular narrow white bar, which extends from one eye to the other, and has its most depending point or angle on the middle of the chaffron; the hair edging it superiorly, as well as that towards the base of the horns, being in general rusty brown. The sides of the head are variegated with several small irregular white spots, one in front of each ear, one under each lower eyelid, and one on each cheek; the eyebrows, the chin, and the lips are also white. The muzzle black. The ears externally rufous grey, internally rusty white; the mane light rusty brown. Between the shoulders and the base of the tail there extends a narrow white line in the course of the vertebral column, and from this line there descends seven or eight vertical lines of the same colour, part of which are situated on the sides of the body, and part on the outer aspect of the buttock. Tail posteriorly brown, anteriorly white, the tuft forming its point dark reddish-brown. Eyes brownish red. Horns light brown with a faint greenish tinge; posterior aspect of fetlock joint reddish-brown. True and false hoofs brownish black, and the base of the latter narrowly edged with hair of a reddish-brown colour. a a DAMALIS (STREPSICEROS) CAPENSIS. Forms, &c.—Figure moderately robust and elegant. Head superiorly broad and rather bulky, toward the muzzle narrow and tapered; the forehead is flat and square, the chaffron straight and the muzzle moderately broad. Eyes full, soft and expressive. Horns robust and situated on the top of the head, almost in contact at their base, but wide apart at their points, and each, as it diverges from its base, takes two spiral turns and is furnished with a narrow ridge or keel which follows the course of the wreaths described. At the base the horns are robust and rather rugous, then somewhat compressed, —the points are cylindrical sharp and directed outwards and forwards. Ears large and patulous, especially towards their middle, they stand obliquely outwards and are acute at the point. The neck is robust, rather long, fringed both above and below, with some long and coarse hair which supe- riorly forms a sort of mane, about three and a half inches high, and which extends from the base of the horns to the hinder edge of the shoulders ; inferiorly the long hair is irregularly disposed and forms a thin shaggy coating to the throat. Body rounded, the shoulders well developed, and about equal in height with the crupper. Limbs elegantly formed and towards the hoofs very slender. Tail slender and at its termination has a tuft of long coarse hair, which reaches to within a few inches of the houghs. Hoofs narrow and anteriorly rather pointed ; false hoofs, short, cylindrical and pointed. Hair generally very short; muzzle bare; dewlap slightly developed. a DIMENSIONS. ..... Feet. Inches. Length from the horns to the base of the tail 7 0 of the head 1 6 of the ears 0 8 of the horns... 3 0 Feet. Inches. Height at the shoulder... 4 0 at the crupper 4 0 Distance between the horns at points 2 7 Length of the tail 1 7 PLATE XLIII.-FEMALE. Colour.—Rather paler than that of the Male, the number of vertical stripes generally greater, some of them occasionally bifurcate, and the white is less pure,—the upper part of the forehead between the ears is generally mottled rusty brown and white. DAMALIS (Strepsiceros) CAPENSIS. ( Mammalia, Plate 43. Female.) DAMALIS (STREPSICEROS) CAPENSIS. Form, &c.—Figure rather more delicate than that of the Male, and its head superiorly narrower. No horns; neck long and slender; tuft of tail less bushy. Length from the horns to the base of the tail five feet five inches, height at the shoulder three feet eight inches. . The Koodoo, like the Eland, is generally found associating in small herds of from four to eight or ten individuals. Its favourite resorts are the slopes of low hills and the banks of rivers, which are thinly sprinkled with brushwood or trees, and in districts in which it exists it is looked for in those situations. It feeds upon buds, shrubs, and grass. When the southern parts of Africa were first colonised, Koodoos were frequently discovered even in the vicinity of the locality where Cape Town now stands. The efficient weapons of the European hunters, however, soon diminished the number, and now specimens are rarely to be found within the Colony, which extends in an easterly direction about six and in a northerly di- rection about three hundred miles. Even beyond these limits the animal is at present compara- tively rare, partly from colonists hunting it on the ground of the aborigines, and partly from the natives themselves being to some extent supplied with fire arms, and therefore now more able to kill it, which they eagerly do whenever opportunities offer, not more from the importance of its flesh as an article of food than from the value of its skin, arising from its peculiar durability and pliancy as an article of harness for horses, &c. The Koodoo is an animal naturally shy and timid, and on being disturbed in its retreats, immediately takes to flight, and so long as no obstruction to its retreat occurs, it moves briskly and quietly along, but if closely chased so as to feel itself in danger, the male often turns on the pursuer, faces him with determination, and manifests a strong propensity to defend himself and his companions. Its gait is elegant, its pace a moderately swift gallop, and while pro- gressing it often springs over distances with great agility, and its bounds are frequently very expansive. It produces one young one at a birth. 1 2 1. SOREX MARIOUENSIS. 2. SOREX VARIUS. ( Mammalia_Plate 44.) SOREX MARIQUENSIS.-SMITH. MAMMALJA.-PLATE XLIV. Fig. 1. S. superne brunneo-ruber; inferne pallidior et griseo-tinctus; villo versus pellem griseo-nigro; caudâ cylindracea, ad basin obessa, versus apicem attenuata ; auribus semicircularibus, fere nudis; villo rigido, LONGITUDO e rostri apice ad basin caudæ 3 unc. 4 lin.; caudæ 1 unc. 10 lin. a Colour. The surface colour of the head, back, sides, extremities, and tail brownish red, the head and tail lightest; the throat, breast, and belly the same colour, only lighter and with a distinct tint of pearly grey. Colour of under surface light greyish black. The thin sprinkling of fur which occurs on the anterior surface of ears the same colour as that of the back. Whiskers greyish black. Incisor teeth white ; naked extremity of snout purplish black; claws brownish red. Form, &c.-Figure slender, and tapered both anteriorly and posteriorly. Head small and terminated by a short slender somewhat cylindrical snout which anteriorly is slightly bifurcate, and with a small cylindrical nostril in each division. Eyes small, and rather nearer to the ears than the apex of snout. Ears moderately large, semicircular, and their anterior surface sprinkled with only a fine short hair, the meatus auditorius externus covered by the recumbent fur of the parts in front of it, and also by that which edges the lower lobe of the ear. Tail cylindrical, thick at its base and tapered towards the point, the latter with a delicate pencil of rigid hairs. Extremities short and slender; toes of fore feet short, the three middle ones nearly equal and rather longest; those of hinder feet longer, particularly the middle ones. DIMENSIONS. In. Lines. In, Lines. Distance between the tip of the nose Length from tip of nose to base of tail ........ Length of the tail 3 4 and the eye 05 1 3 1 10 Height when standing The only specimens of this species I have seen, two in number, were obtained in a wooded ravine near the tropic of Capricorn, and when discovered they sought concealment under some decayed leaves which were accumulated under a small shrub. a SOREX VARIUS.-SMUTS. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XLIV. Fig. 2. s. superne griseus rufo-tinctus ; inferne griseus, pallide rufo-tinctus; rostro ad basin valido, versus apicem attenuato ; auribus fere in villo abditis ; caudâ cylindracea fere æquale, crinibus rigidis tecta ; villo mollissimo et subcrispo. LONGITUDO e rostri apice ad basin caudæ 3 unc. 10 lin. ; caudæ 1 unc. 10 lin. SOREX VARIUS, Smuts. Diss. Zool. enumer Mamm. Cap. p. 108, Leyden, 1832. Colour.— The outer surface of the head, back, and sides finely pencilled yellowish brown and pearl grey, the colours so finely blended as to appear a sort of rusty silvery grey; the lower portion of the sides, the chin, throat, belly, and extremities towards body rusty ash-grey. Lower portions of extremities and tail wood-brown, the latter tinted with yellowish brown. The fur inside of the surface intermediate between lavender-purple and greyish black. Edges of upper lip and under surface of snout dirty white; incisor teeth white. The proportion of yellowish brown varies in different specimens and in those in which it is most abundant the grey tint is but faint. Form, &c.— Figure slender. Head small, snout rather robust, its point bare and anteriorly slightly bifurcate, with a small circular nostril in each division with elevated edges. Ears semicircular and almost concealed in fur, a part of which exists on the anterior surface of the ears themselves. Tail cylindrical and with a delicate pencil of rigid hairs at its extremity, elsewhere it is coated with short strong hairs. Extremities slender and short. Claws of fore feet rather long, and only slightly curved. Incisors of upper jaw strongly arched downwards from base, those of lower jaw horizontal till near the point, which is slightly bent upwards and received within the upper jaw. Fur long, soft, and cottony on the body, shorter on the head, and very short on the snout and tail, where it approaches in character to hair. On the head and body it is slightly frizzled. a DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from point of nose to base of tail 3 10 of tail 1 10 Inches. Lines. Distance between the tip of the nose 0 61 Height when standing... 1 10 and the eyes... Inhabits the southern and eastern parts of the Cape Colony, and is usually found where brushwood exists in abundance. 1 62 al 2 1. SOREX CAPENSIS. 2. SOREX FLAVESCENS. Mammalia_Plate 45. SOREX CAPENSIS.-GEOFF. St. Hil. MAMMALIA.- PLATE XLV. 1. S. supra cinnereo-brunneus, subtus flavo-cinnereus; rostro antice integro ; caudâ breve cylindraceâ. LONGITUDO e rostri apice ad basin caudæ 4 unc.; caudæ 1 unc. 5 lin. SOREX CAPENSIS, Geoff. Annal de Mus. tom xvii., p. 184. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, the back and upper parts of the sides, the extremities and the tail intermediate between broccoli- brown and chestnut-brown ; lower parts of sides, belly, breast, throat, chin, and inner surface of extremities intermediate between ash-grey and yellow- ish grey; anterior surface of ears the colour of the body, only paler, posterior surface flesh coloured ; muzzle brownish red; whiskers partly liver-brown and partly bluish white; claws horn-coloured. FORM, &c.—Figure slender. Head small, and between the ears broad and arched, in this respect different from Sorex flavescens, which is rather con- tracted. Muzzle moderately robust, the point bare and entire; extremities slender ; tail cylindrical and slightly tapered to the point. - DIMENSIONS. the nose Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines Length from the tip of the nose to Distance from the ear to the eye 0 5} the base of the tail 4 0 the eye to the tip of of the tail..... 1 5 0 53 Height when standing....... ... 1 3 When in Paris some few weeks ago, I was informed by M. Geoffroy St. Hillaire, that he con- sidered the Shrew which had been described as Sorex Capensis to be identical with Sorex Indicus, and he was of opinion that the individual which formed the type of the species was actually obtained from the Mauritius. The specimen here figured and described, however, was cer- tainly an inhabitant of the Cape of Good Hope, and as it is smaller than either the species which is found in the Mauritius or that which is known under the name Sorex Indicus, I have considered it as an example of the Sorex capensis of Geoff. It inhabits rocky situations in Southern Africa, and is found most abundantly in the Cape District. It is readily to be distinguished from Sorex flavescens by the tip of its muzzle being entire, by its colour, and by its head being shorter and less conical. SOREX FLAVESCENS.- Geoff. Sr. Hil. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XLV. 2. S. supra rufo-flavus, subtus flavo-cinnereus ; villo breve rigido ; rostro elongato anticè bifido; auribus, magnis, semicircularibus, fere nudis. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad basin caudæ 4 unc. 4 lin; caudæ 21 lin. SOREX FLAVESCENS, Geoff. St. Hil. Mem. des Mus. d'Hist. Nat. tom xv. Colour.—The back and the upper parts of the sides broccoli-brown, dis- tinctly tinted with light yellowish-brown,—the tint of the upper surface of the head darkest; the lower portion of the sides and the under parts, wood- brown ; the chin, throat, sides of neck and breast strongly tinged with dull reddish orange; the fur, at its base, slightly inclined to pale bluish black. Tail rusty grey; ears, anteriorly, pale yellowish brown; muzzle black; whiskers partly reddish brown, and partly bluish white; extremities wood- brown, exteriorly and anteriorly faintly tinted with yellowish brown; nails white. Form, &c.—Figure moderately robust. Head small, superiorly slightly compressed, anteriorly conical, the muzzle prolonged, cylindrical, and its apex slightly bifid, the two portions, one towards each side, inclined slightly outwards and forwards, as will be seen by reference to fig. 6 2. Ears semicircular, with, anteriorly, a sprinkling of fine short fur, and the inferior margin of each, as well as the oblique septem behind the meatus auditorius exter- nus, fringed with some rather coarse white hair. Legs short and rather robust ; toes strong, rather long, and armed with short, very crooked, and pointed claws. Tail cylindrical, and tapered from its base to its apex. Fur short, rigid, and closely recumbent; hair of tail very short, and rather scanty, the tip of the tail with a rudimentary tuft of short white hairs. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. 6 nose Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the nose to Distance from the ear to the eye...... 0 the base of the tail 4 4. the eye to tip of the of the tail... 1 9 71 Height when standing..... 1 4 This species, first described by Geoffroy St. Hillaire, is quite distinct from that which was previously recognised by Desmaret* and others as Sorex Capensis. Both the one and the other, however, occur in the same localities, and both are occasionally found in rocky situations in different parts of the Cape District. They are also occasionally found in wooded ravines, and when they occur in such situations they are found most frequently under decayed vegetable matter, or else about the roots of shrubs and small trees. * Encyclopedie Methodique Mammalogie, page 152, No. 241. 1 2 1. MUS PUMILIO. 2. MUS DORSALIS. (Mammalia Plate. 46) MUS PUMELIO.-SPAR. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XLVI. Fig. 1. M. superne griseo-album, castaneo et subnigro parce penicellatum; dorso lineis quatuor longitudinalibus subnigris variegato ; capite gracile ; pilis recumbentibus; auribus ferrugineis. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad basin caudæ 4 unc. ; caudæ 3 unc. 6 lin. COLOUR, &c.—The ground colour of the upper and lateral parts of the head, of the back, the sides of the body, and the outer surface of the extre- mities, grayish white, sparingly pencilled with chestnut and liver-brown, and the back besides is variegated with four longitudinal liver-brown stripes, each about a line in width. From the point where the stripes commence, at the anterior part of the back, a single line, alike in width and colour, extends forwards along the back of the neck and down the face till it is lost on the latter between the eyes,—this and the four on the back are distinctly though sparingly pencilled with a bright deep reddish orange. The sides and angles of the mouth, the chin, the throat, the breast, the belly, the inner surface of the extremities towards the body, and their entire circumference towards the toes, rusty white. Ears externally and internally intermediate between , chestnut- and orpiment- orange. The upper surface of the tail is liver-brown, the under surface yellowish brown. The incisor teeth of the upper jaw are light reddish orange, those of the lower yellowish white; whiskers and eyes liver-brown. Hair towards the base a slate colour. Form, &c.—Figure moderately slender. Head small and narrow, the muzzle prominent, slightly obtuse, and projecting but little beyond the incisor teeth of the upper jaw; ears moderately large and posteriorly semi- circular. Hair rigid, moderately long, and recumbent. Extremities slender, the hinder ones rather long, and the three middle toes of each of equal length. Tail cylindrical, long, and densely covered with short rigid hair. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. 4 0 Length from nose to base of tail.... of tail Inches. Lines. Length of tarsus and toes of hinder ex- tremities 11? Height of the animal when standing 7 3 6 ..... 0 1 This mouse occurs in every part of Southern Africa which has yet been visited and is gene- rally descried in spots more or less densely covered with underwood. In these situations large accumulations of dried leaves, branches, &c., are often to be observed surrounding the stems near to the ground of some of the larger shrubs, and in the interior of these masses Mus Pumelio forms its burrows, constructs its dwelling place, and produces and rears its young. MUS DORSALIS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XLVI. Fig. 2. M. superne pallide rubro-aurantium subnigro-penicellatum ; dorso lineâ longitudinale subnigrâ notato; capite postice lato; rostro obtuse et obesso; pilis longis rigidis recumbentibus. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad basin caudæ 4 unc.; caudæ 4 unc. 6 lin. . Colour, &c.—The surface colour of the upper and lateral parts of the head, the back, the sides, and the outer surface of the extremities, a pale buff or reddish orange, profusely pencilled with liver-brown: the back with a liver- brown stripe, about a line in width, extending between the base of the neck and the root of the tail. Lips, chin, space round angles of mouth, throat, belly, and inner surface of extremities, rusty white; legs towards toes rusty sienna-yellow; muzzle an uniform rusty ochre-yellow; eyebrows reddish orange; ears anteriorly and posteriorly deep reddish orange. Eyes liver- brown. Hair towards the root slate-coloured. . Form, &c.-Figure rather robust; head, posteriorly, broad; anteriorly, narrow and tapered. Muzzle rather full, compressed, and slightly obtuse. Ears rather large, and posteriorly semicircular. Hinder extremities strong and rather long. Hair of head, back, and sides, long and rigid; of belly short and rather soft ; everywhere recumbent; hair of tail short, rigid, and closely set. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Length from tip of nose to base of tail. 4 0 of tail 4 6 Length of tarsus, toes, and claws of hinder extremities Height of animal when standing 1 2 1 10 ...... This little mouse occurs only sparingly within the limits of the colony, but abundantly beyond the Northern Frontier to the north of the Great Orange River. The width of its head poste- riorly, and the bulk of the muzzle furnish characters which enable us readily to distinguish it from Mus Pumelio, even without taking into account the greater length and rigidity of its hair, and the existence only of one dark stripe along the back. 3 2 1 MUS LEHOCLA. Fig. 1. MUS NATALENSIS. Fig. 2. MUS COLONUS. Fig. 3 (Mammalia Plate 47.) MUS LEHOCLA.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.-PLATE XLVII. Fig. 1. MALE. M. superne, pallide rufus subnigro penicillatus, inferne 1ufo-albus; auribus magnis, expansis, fere nudis, margine externo semicirculari; pilis rigidis ; caudâ longâ subnudâque. LONGITUDO capitis corporisque 4 unc. 9 lin.; caudæ 5 unc. Mus LEHOCLA. Report of Expedition into Interior of South Africa, App. p. 43, 1837. - Colour.-Head, back, and sides, pale buff orange, or light sienna-yellow. The middle of the head, of the back, and the upper parts of the sides freely pencilled with liver-brown ; the outsides of the extremities the same colour as the sides, the dark hairs only less abundant. The lower parts of the sides, the belly, the throat, the chin, and the inner sides of the extremities rusty white; ears pale purplish brown, with a scanty sprinkling of liver-brown hair ; eyebrows white; whiskers pale brownish red; tail intermediate between light brownish red and yellowish brown; eyes black; incisor teeth of both jaws pale yellow. Form, &c.—Head rather long, posteriorly of moderate width, anteriorly narrow and tapered; apex of nose subacute and immediately behind the point the parts bulge considerably, having in this respect more of the cha- racter of a rat than of a mouse. Ears short, broad, and patulous, the outer , edge subovate or semicircular. Eyes large and prominent. Whiskers mode- rately bushy, hairs rather long and somewhat rigid. Body moderately robust ; limbs rather long; toes and nails of fore feet rather short, nails of hinder feet long and curved ; tail long and thinly coated with short rigid hair; hair of the head and body long, closely set, and slightly rigid, re- sembling in its nature that of a rat; incisors of upper jaw short, slightly curved, and moderately robust; of lower jaw long, slightly arched and slender. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Length from tip of nose to base of tail 4 9 Length of tarsus, toes, and claws of of tail 5 0 hinder extremities 0 10 Height of animal when standing ......... 2 0 MUS LEHOCLA. Female.—The colours, &c. not known. Inhabits the districts around Latakoo, and is found in localities more or less densely covered with brushwood. It forms burrows in the soil, near to the roots of shrubs, and is also occa- sionally observed in masses of decayed vegetable matter, which occur here and there in situa- tions abounding with underwood. MUS NATALENSIS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XLVII. Fig. 2. MALE. M. superne flavo-brunneus nigro brunneo-penicillatus; infra rufo-albus; auribus ovatis subnudis; caudâ parce pilis brevibus rigidis sparsâ. LONGITUDO capitis corporisque 5 unc.; caudæ 4 unc. Mus NATALENSIS, Smith, South African Quarterly Journal. COLOUR.-Ground colour dull yellowish brown, profusely pencilled with deep umber-brown, the points of many of the hairs and the entire of others being of that colour ; the lower parts of the sides and the outer surface of the extremities pale yellowish brown, very faintly pencilled with brown; chin, belly, and inner surface of extremities rufous white; tarsi dull white ; fur towards base slate coloured ; skin of tail, as seen under the hair, light brownish red, the hair umber-brown. Ears brownish purple red, tinted with flesh-red, hair on their inner surface tawny, on their outer surface umber. brown; whiskers partly liver-brown, partly reddish brown. Eyes black ; incisors of upper jaw deep orange, of lower light straw-yellow. Form, &c.—Body moderately robust; head rather long, nose pointed, the head posteriorly moderately broad. Ears long and oval. Eyes large; legs short, nails blunt and considerably curved. Fur on body short, soft, and copious ; on head and tail rather stiff; on the latter, on which it is only thinly scattered, short and rigid ; apex of tail slightly tufted. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the nose to the base of the Length of the fore legs 5 0 Height when standing of the tail 0 Inches. Lines. 0 9 tail ... 1 9 The colours, &c, of the female are not known. Inhabits the woody districts around Port Natal, and is said to enter frequently the huts of the natives. MUS COLONUS.-LICHT. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XLVII. Fig. 3. M. superne flavo-brunneus nigro brunneo-penicillatus, infra griseo-albus; mento-guttereque albis ; caudâ superne brunneâ infra albâ ; auribus ovatis, singulorum apice semicirculari. LONGITUDO capitis corporisque 3 unc. 6 lin.; caudæ 2 unc. 6 lin. Mus Colonus, Smith, South African Quarterly Journal. Colour.— The ground colour of the upper parts of the head, the neck, and all the back, pale yellowish brown, pencilled profusely with liver-brown ; the sides of the head, neck, body, and the outer surface of the extremities towards the body wood-brown, the two last sparingly pencilled with brown ; belly, insides of extremities and tarsi, pale rufous white; chin and throat white. Hair on outer surface of ears rufous, on inner surface brownish red ; whiskers variegated liver-brown and yellowish brown. Eyes black. Incisor teeth of upper jaw Dutch-orange, of lower pale straw-yellow. Tail, above umber- brown, beneath dirty white. Form, &c.—Figure rather robust ; head posteriorly moderately broad, anteriorly pointed. Ears oval, the apex of each nearly semicircular, the external and internal surfaces coated thinly with short and rigid hair. Legs short, nails short, strong, curved and blunt. The fur or hair of the back and head short and rather stiff, of the sides and under parts soft and downy. Tail covered with short rigid hair. Eyes large and prominent. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. 0 0 7 Inches. Lines. Length from the nose to the base of the tail 3 6 of the tail 2 6 Length of the fore legs Height when standing 1 3 The colours of the male and female are nearly alike. Inhabits the eastern districts of the Cape Colony, and is found in localities coated with brushwood. It either resides in burrows under ground or in masses of decayed vegetable matter, which occur commonly in the situations it inhabits. PTEROPUS LEACHII (Mammalia Plate 48) PTEROPUS LEACHII.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.—PLATE XLVIII. ; P. capite superne, dorso, brachio, antibrachioque plene pilis brunneis sordidis vestitis ; alarum mem- branâ pone brachium lanosâ ; gutture, abdomine, extremitatibusque inferne brunneis, viridi-griseo- tinctis ; caudæ dimidio posteriori libro; oculi cantho anteriori oris anguloque in linea eadem verticali. Pteropus Leachii, Smith. Zoolog. Journal, vol. iv. page 433, 1829. Temminck, Monog. de Mammalogie, onzième, page 88, 1835. Colour.— The upper surface of the head and neck, the back and the extremities superiorly dull umber-brown; the sides of the head and neck, the throat, breast, belly, and under surface of extremities a colour intermediate between hair-brown and clove-brown (a sort of dirty greenish-brown); nostrils and point of lower jaw liver-brown. Toes of the hinder extremities brownish red; claws sienna-yellow. Wing and interfemoral membranes between brownish red and chocolate-red; the phalanges of the anterior extremities yellowish brown. In some specimens, the fur of the upper parts is tinted in places with yellowish brown, and below, especially on the breast and belly, it is occasionally observed of a slight rusty yellow tinge. FORM, &c.—Figure rather robust; head large; forehead prominent; face rather flattened; nostrils tubular, and opening laterally ; eyes moderately large, situated nearly midway between the nostrils and the ears, the anterior canthus of eye directly over the angle of the mouth. Ears moderately long, rather narrow, and slightly rounded at the point, externally and internally without covering, a few hairs only on inner surface towards meatus. Incisor teeth small, in pairs; molars, six in the upper jaw and seven in the lower. Vide plate-a, teeth of upper jaw, b, teeth of lower--both as seen from above. Fur generally very short, soft, and silky, that of the sides of the neck, throat, and anterior edge of the breast much the longest, that on the alar membrane, adjoining the flanks and anterior extremities, the shortest, and very thinly set: on other parts where it occurs, it is dense and thickly set. The two first joints of the anterior extremities thickly covered below and above with fur, the portion of hinder extremities near to body covered but not so thickly, the more distal portion with only a sprinkling of coarse PTEROPUS LEACHII. hair. Thumb armed with a strong claw, the small claw of first finger directly in front of the distal end of the first phalanx of second finger. Wing mem- branes thin, and posterior to fore-arm veined from before backwards ; towards body two of the veins are larger than the rest ; one begins near to axilla, and terminates before it reaches the hinder edge of the wing, its course obliquely out- wards and backwards ; the other commences a little in front of base of hinder leg, and extends outwards and backwards to within about three lines of the margin of the wing. The interfemoral membrane edges the coccyx and inner side of the hinder extremities as far as the tarsus ; it is deeply emar- ginate—the emargination of the figure of the letter V reversed. At the tarsus it is about half an inch in width, and the latter increases a little as the angle it forms with the portion of the opposite side is neared. Tail rather more than half an inch in length, the last half free and projecting beyond the inter- femoral membrane. Toes rather strong, all of equal length, and armed with strong curved claws. DIMENSIONS. In. Lines. 3. 0 9 1 51 2. In. Lines. Length from nose to base of tail......... 5 Length of head 1 9 antibrachium 3 2 tail .... 0 8 Expanse of wings.. 18 Distance between thorax and thumb when wings are extended 4 0 Length of thumb, including claw ...... 1st joint of forefinger 1st joint of second finger 1st joint of third finger ...... 1st joint of fourth finger 1 OOON 2 0 1 11 FEMALE.- As regards colours, the two sexes are nearly alike. During the season when the grapes are ripening and ripe, specimens of this Bat are easily obtained in Cape Town and its vicinity; at other periods they are less readily procured. Though it is not restricted to Cape Town and its neighbourhood, it occurs nowhere else in the same abundance. One or two specimens have occasionally been procured far in the interior ; and I was told when at Latakoo, that a large Bat was often seen about the garden in the fruit season, which, from the description given, I am inclined to believe is, if not the common Cape species, at least a Pteropus. Though I heard much while at the Cape of the large species (Pteropus Hottentotus, Tem.) I never, during my residence there, was so fortunate as to obtain a specimen. a Limit DYSOPES NATALENSIS ( Mammalia_Plate 49.) DYSOPES NATALENSIS.-SMITH. MAMMALIA.-PLATE 49. D. corpore superne inferneque sordido-brunneo-rubro ; alis membranâque interfemorali pallide brunneo- rubris ; facie parce pilis rigidis brevibus tectâ. LONGITUDO è nasi apice ad basin caudæ 2 unc.; caudæ 1 unc. 6 lin. - Colour.-Fur above and below dull brownish red, that on the under parts lightest; the tint at the base and surface nearly, if not quite, the same. Wing and interfemoral membrane slight chocolate-brown; phalanges the same colour; toes and claws light brownish-red. FORM, &c.—Figure rather slender; head narrow; ears rather large, and triangular, apex pointed, base very broad; external and internal divested of hair. Nose bare, thin, rounded anteriorly, and projecting over the upper lip, the nostrils opening downwards and forwards on its anterio-inferior edge. Wing membrane very thin ; wings, from anterior to hinder edge, rather narrow; antebrachial membrane triangular, arising from apex of shoulder, and inserted into the anti-brachium nearly midway between its two extremities. The hinder edge of the wing nearly straight, shewing only a slight projection at the extremity of each of the phalanges; the edge internally attached to the hinder leg a little behind the tarsus. Interfemoral membrane large, and somewhat seven-sided ; the tail projecting considerably beyond it, where the two hinder sides meet; it is attached to the hinder extremity of the body, and to the inner side of each hinder leg throughout its whole length. Thumb short, slender, and armed with a small crooked nail. Toes of hinder ex- tremities laterally compressed, slender, and each with a large, highly-curved nail, at the base of each of which there is a scanty tuft or pencil of long, rather coarse hair. The tail is long, and tapers to a point, rather more than half, from its base, inclosed in the femoral membrane, the remainder is quite free. Fur of the back, throat, and belly, short, silky, and closely set ; face thinly sprinkled with short rigid hairs, or rather bristles ; anterior edge of ear at DYSOPES NATALENSIS. a base also edged with a few rigid hairs. Incisor teeth of upper jaw two, small, cylindrical, pointed, and much apart, one towards each canine ; incisors of lower jaw closely set, and fill up completely the space between the canine teeth ; the latter in each jaw, long, slightly curved, and pointed. Grinders of upper jaw, 6; of lower, the same number. DIMENSIONS. In. Lines. 6 In, Lines. Length from the apex of the nose to the base of the tail... 2 0 of the tail.. 1 6 of the head 0 63 Expanse of wings 9 6 ...... Length of anti-brachium 1 5 first joint of second finger ... 1 middle finger third finger 57 fourth finger 1 1 1 6 1 a The specimen of which the preceding is a description, was killed near to Port Natal on the margin of a thick forest. It made its appearance in the dusk of the evening, and had not been long on the wing before it was in my possession. It is the only individual of the species I have seen. VESPERTILIO LANO SUS (Mammalia Plate 50) VESPERTILIO LANOSUS.-Smith. MAMMALIA.—PLATE L. - وز V. corporis colore superne flavo-brunneo, pilis argenteis variegato, inferne rubri albo, pilis ad basin nigro brunneis; auribus externe emarginatis; membranâ interfemorali postice ciliatâ; pilis lanosis subcirratis. LONGITUDO è nasi apice ad basin caudæ 2 unc. 3 lin.; caudæ 1 unc. 6 lin. Colour.—The fur of the upper and lateral parts of the head, of the neck, and of the back, three coloured, viz., towards, and at the point, dirty white, or pale sienna-yellow, at the middle intermediate between brownish red and yellowish brown, and towards, and at the base liver-brown ; the points of some of the hairs of the back are silvery white. The fur of the sides of the head, the throat, the breast, and the belly, is dirty reddish white towards the surface, and towards the base pale liver-brown, that which is thinly sprinkled on the upper surface of the interfemoral membrane at its base, is dirty white. Wing and interfermoral membranes dark brownish red. Ears pale brownish purple-red, tinted with flesh-red. Form, &c.--Figure slender; head broad ; ears rather large and somewhat semicircular, the outer edge (helix) immediately below the highest point emarginate, or as if a small portion of it, nearly a line and a half in length, had been cut out, at the lowermost point the ear is truncated ; tragus, long, narrow, and slightly curved. Nose depressed, bare, and rounded, the nostrils situated on its edge, one on each side. Wings from anterior to posterior edge rather wide; from tip to tip rather short; the antebrachial membrane extends from the point of the shoulder to the base of the thumb. The interdigital spaces much veined; the veins close to the sides of the body, numerous, and slightly oblique. Interfemoral membrane large and five- sided, the two hinder sides where they unite form a prominent angle behind, at which the tail terminates ; this membrane, like that of the wings, is freely veined, the veins nearly all with a slightly oblique course from the sides VESPERTILIO LANOSUS. backwards toward the tail, which extends along the middle of the membrane. Hinder feet, small, slender, and superiorly thinly sprinkled with short hair ; the claws rather long, moderately strong, and not much curved. Thumb about two lines long, and very slender, the claw short, slightly curved and pointed. The first finger reaches to the distal end of the second joint of the second finger, the fourth, and the membrane connected with it at its point form a prominent semicircular or subtriangular projection, which extends con- siderably beyond any other part of the hinder edge of the wings. The ears, externally, are thinly covered with short hair. The face, head, neck, back, , breast, and belly, with rather long and frizzy hair, much resembling wool. The base of the interfemoral membrane superiorly, with a thin sprinkling of short hair of the same description ; hinder edges of membrane fringed with very short, rather rigid hair. DIMENSIONS. In. Lines. 2 3 Length from the nose to the base of the tail..... of the tail. of the head Expanse of the wings In. Lines. Length of the anti-brachium 1 41 of the first joint of first finger... 1 2 second finger 1 2 third finger 1 21 fourth finger 1 2 1 6 0 7 wa 9 10 In respect of colours, the male and female of this species are nearly alike. The only specimens I obtained were killed in a wooded district stretching along the sea-shore, about two hundred miles to the eastward of Cape Town. Like other species of the genus, it appears as night sets in, and may then be seen fitting from spot to spot along the open spaces which exist here and there in different parts of the forest. VESPERTILIO MINUTUS (Mammalia - Plate 51.) VESPERTILIO MINUTUS.-TEM. MAMMALIA.-PLATE LI. V. superne, vellere rubro-brunneo, infra flavo-brunneo versus basin rubro-brunneo; alis membrana inter- femoralique brunneo-rubris ; auribus subovatis, margine externa emarginata. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad basin caudæ 2 unc. 6 lin.; caudæ 2 unc. Vespertilio, Hottentota et Capensis, Smith.—South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, vol. i. 1832. Colour.-The fur of the upper and lateral parts of the head, neck, and body, deep reddish brown, towards base inclined to liver-brown, below the same colour tinted at the surface with pale yellowish brown. Wing and interfemoral membranes intermediate between brownish red and liver-brown; antibrachium and phalanges yellowish brown tinted with flesh-red. Ears light yellowish brown clouded with pale aurora-red; apex of nose flesh-red ; eyes dark liver-brown. Form, &c.— Body rather broad; head small; nose bare and slightly truncated, nostrils apical and directed forwards. Eyes small; ears subovate and as wide as they are high, the outer margin of each a little below the point slightly emarginate; tragus narrow, about half the length of the ear, and slightly curved forwards, its apex arched. Thumb short and slender, , claw small and much hooked; the termination of the first finger about midway between the first and second joints of the second finger. Wing membranes faintly veined; interfemoral membrane rather large, subtri- angular, and posteriorly pointed, the tail not extended beyond the mem- brane. Fur moderately long, soft, and silky. Muzzle with a number of short, rigid hairs. The incisor teeth of the upper jaw four, in pairs, close to the canines,—of the lower six, all contiguous, small, and multicuspidate, the points blunt ; canines large and pointed ; molars of upper jaw four, of lower five, each with one or more points on the outer edge, and with a more or less concave heel internally; the first molar both above and below, much the smallest. Length from the nose to the base of the interfemoral membrane 2 inches and a half; of the tail 2 inches; expanse of wing 12 inches ; length of the antibrachium 1 inch 8 lines. Inhabits wooded districts throughout the whole of Southern Africa. It commences to seek its food about dusk; continues on the wing throughout the night, and retires to caves in the rock, or cavities in decayed trees, as daylight appears. n a SCOTOPHILUS DINGANII.-Smith. MAMMALIA.- PLATE LIII. S. superne villere viridi-brunneo, infra viridi-flavo; alarum membranâ purpureo-brunnea ; caudæ particulâ ultra membranam interfemoralem extensâ; capite magno; labiis crassis. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad basin caudæ 3 unc. 6 lin.; caudæ 2 unc. Vespertilio Dinganii, Smith.-South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, vol. i. 1832. Colour.—The fur of the upper and lateral parts of the head, neck, and body intermediate between honey-yellow and dull orange coloured brown ; of the under parts light honey-yellow. Wing and interfemoral membranes light reddish brown shaded with brownish red. The muzzle anteriorly, the upper lip and the ears yellowish brown tinted with flesh-red and faintly clouded with pale brownish red. Antibrachium and the phalanges inter- mediate between brownish red and lake-red. Ears light brownish red, with a tint of flesh-red. Wings and interfemoral membrane deep purplish brown. Form, &c.—Head rather large; nose broad, full, and rather square ; sides of head over upper lip prominent, nostrils projecting and opening for- wards ; ears subovate and broader than high; tragus long, narrow, linear and subfalciform, its apex slightly rounded. Body rather robust; wings moderately large; antibrachium long and strong. Thumb slender, weak, and slightly hooked; the first toe reaches nearly to the second joint of the second toe. Interfemoral membrane rather large, posteriorly triangular, the tail projecting slightly beyond its point. Toes of the hinder feet moderately strong and nearly of equal length ; claws strong and much curved. The nose and the sides of the head, towards the upper lip, thinly covered with short coarse hair ; the rest of the head, neck, and body, densely coated with a fine, silky, rather long fur. Interfemoral membrane towards its base with a few short rigid hairs both on the upper and under surface. The incisor teeth of the upper jaw, in the specimen described, two, small, conical, and pointed, one close to each canine ; those of the lower jaw six, closely set, small, laterally compressed, and each more or less bicuspidate. Cunines large, slightly curved, and pointed. The first molar, both above and below, conical and pointed ; the others with several pyramidal points. Length from nose to base of tail 3 inches 6 lines; length of tail 2 inches ; length of antibrachium 2 inches 3 lines ; expanse of wings 12 inches. Specimens of this species are rarely procured in South Africa. The one I possess, and another which I saw in the possession of a trader, were both obtained in the country between Port Natal and Delagoa Bay. The former, when it was killed, was flitting to and fro on the margin of a forest, about sixty miles to the east of Natal. a SCOTOPHILIS DIN GANIT. 53. (Mammalia. ...Plate 58) MINIOPTERUS DASYTHRIX (Mammalia. Plate 52) MINIOPTERUS DASYTHRIX.--TEM. MAMMALIA.—PLATE LII. - M. superne rubro brunneus flavo brunneo-tinctus, capute dorsique parte posterioris griseo brunneo-umbratis, infra pallide brunneo-ruber flavo-brunneo tinctus; lateribus, abdominisque parte posteriore sordido- albis ; auribus acuminatis, margine externâ versus apicem emarginata. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad basin caudæ 2 unc. 9 lin.; caudæ 1 unc. 3 lin. Vespertilio Natalensis, Smith.—South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, vol. i. 1832. ܪ Colour.—The fur of the upper part of the head, neck, and body, intermediate between chestnut-brown and yellowish brown, that of the head and posterior part of the back tinted with broccoli-brown. On the under parts the general colour is a dull, pale brownish red, tinged with wood- brown; the flanks and hinder portion of the abdomen, dingy white. The wing and interfemoral membranes intermediate between wood-brown and yellowish brown, in places strongly tinted with pale reddish orange. Ears, tragus, and nose, nearly the same colour as the wing membranes. Form, &c.—Head, posteriorly rather broad, anteriorly narrow; nose rounded, the nostrils at its apex close together, and each with a raised margin ; ears broad at the base, narrow towards the apex, which is pointed, the external margin of each slightly emarginate a little below the point; tragus narrow, subfalciform, and pointed. Eyes small, and situated close to the ears. Body moderately full; wings rather wide; interfemoral membrane large, somewhat triangular, and envelopes the whole of the tail. Toes of hinder feet short and nearly of equal length, claws slender and much curved. Alar membrane much veined, one large vein extend- ing obliquely from the mesial extremity of the antibrachium to nearly the apex of the fourth finger ; anterior to this, towards the body, the veins extend in straight lines from the antibrachium ; toward the finger their direc tion is obliquely outwards and backwards. Behind the first-mentioned vein one portion of the more delicate ones, which are numerous, extend across MINIOPTERUS DASYTHRIX. towards the fourth finger, and another portion, more or less directly back- ward toward the hind margin of the membrane, and by crossing the former give rise to a number of small square compartments. The incisor teeth of the upper jaw four, in pairs, wide apart, one pair close to each canine, the first of the two bicuspidate, the second simple and pointed ; incisors of lower jaw six contiguous, the hindermost of each side, which is in contact with the canine tooth, the largest. The canines are conical and pointed, each with an elbow at the base on the inner side. Length from the nose to the base of the interfemoral membrane 2 inches 9 lines ; length of the tail 1 inch 3 lines ; expanse of wings, including body, 11 inches 6 lines; length of antibrachium 1 inch 9 lines. Inhabits the eastern parts of the Cape Colony, and also the districts to the north- ward and eastward of the frontier, more particularly those on the Southern Coast. MAMMALIA. -- INDEX. PLATE PLATE 27 29 40 10 41 11 30 12 31 13 38 14 32 15 9 7 16 52 17 46 42 46 . 43 47 Aigoceros equina Boselapus Oreas, male female Bubalus Caama lunatus Catoblepas Taurina Cephalopus Natalensis Chrysochloris villosa Cynictis Ogilbyii lepturus Damalis (Strepsiceros) Capensis, male female Dendromys typicus melanotis Dysopes Natalensis Erinaceus frontalis Euryotis irroratus unisulcatus Brantsii Anatomy of Galago Moholi Anatomy of Gerbillus auricularis Afer 34 47 34 47 49 Kobus ellipsiprymnus female Macroscelides typicus rupestris Intufi brachyrynchus Edwardii (Anatomy of) Manis Temminckii Miniopterus dasythrix Mus pumilio dorsalis Lehocla Natalensis Colonus Otomys albicaudatus Petromys typicus (Anatomy of) Pteropus Leachii Rhinoceros Keitloa 33 3 20 22 21 23 48 24 1 . 25 2 8 19 8 5 26 53 35 44 montanus 36 44 36 45 39 45 tenuis Graphiurus Capensis Herpestes badius. Hippotamus amphibius Kobus ellipsiprymnus, male 4 50 6 51 . 28 bicornis simus Sciurus Cepapi Scotophilus Dinganii Sorex Mariquensis varius Capensis flavescens Vespertilio lanosus minutus * * Plates 18 and 37 not published. МО ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ZOOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICA; CONSISTING CHIEFLY OF FIGURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTED DURING AN EXPEDITION INTO THE INTERIOR OF SOUTH AFRICA, IN THE YEARS 1834, 1835, AND 1836; FITTED OUT BY 6 THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE ASSOCIATION FOR EXPLORING CENTRAL AFRICA.” BY ANDREW SMITH, M.D., DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF ARMY HOSPITALS; DIRECTOR OF THE EXPEDITION. Published under the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. PISCES. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO. 65, CORNHILL. MDCCCXLIX. V z 4 = LONDON: PRINTED BY STEWART AND MURRAY, OLD BAILEY. uc Day & Haghe Inch" to the Queen E CHINORHINUS OBESUS (Pisces Platel.) ECHINORHINUS OBESUS.-SMIT Pisces.-PLATE I. (Male.) — E. obesus; capite supra, dorsoque ad pinnam primam plumbeis; dorsi partibus posterioribus, corporis lateribus, abdomineque cupreo-flavis, purpureo brunneoque umbratis ; mento, nasi lateribus, maculâque pone oculos albis; oculis cupreo-viridibus. COLOUR.—The head and back, as far as the first dorsal fin, dark leaden grey; the rest of the back, the sides and the belly, pale coppery yellow clouded with purple and brownish tints; and the belly besides is marked with blotches of light vermillion red; the fins towards their bases reddish brown tinged with dull grey, towards their extremities a lighter shade of the same colour ; chin, sides of muzzle, and sometimes a spot behind the eye, dull white; eyes, coppery green. Form, &c.—Body very thick in proportion to its length, with only a slight diminution in size towards the tail ; the back in front of the first dorsal fin nearly straight; the head flat above, and slightly sloping to the muzzle, which is rounded ; nostrils transverse, and each partially divided by a narrow membranous lobule, which projects backwards from its anterior margin ; their position is nearly over the most projecting or central portion of the upper jaw, considerably nearer to the eyes than the tip of the snout, and about half way between the latter and the angle of the mouth. Eyes, rather nearer to a line raised from the angle of the mouth than to the nostrils ; pupil, circular and small ; postocular spiracle, scarcely visible. Gape, wide and arched, having at each corner a triangular fold of skin formed by the union of the upper and lower lips. Teeth regularly placed upon each jaw, only one row in use at a time, the rest reclined ; they are large, compressed, and some- what quadrangular, the cutting edges nearly horizontal, and both of their sides are generally bicuspidate, (as will be seen by referring to the figures a and b, where the former represent the teeth of the upper jaw, and the latter represent those of the lower). Branchial openings all in front of pectoral fins; the first not much more than half the length of the fifth. Pectoral fins rather small, the hinder edges nearly square ; the dorsal fins are small, the first narrower at its base than at its extremity, which is slightly rounded ; the second nearly throughout of equal breadth, the hinder edge almost : ECHINORHINUS OBESUS. square ; the ventral fins short, broader behind than at their bases, and their posterior edges slightly undulated ; the caudal fin entire, somewhat trian- gular and slightly falciform, the upper portion high above the line of the back, the lower scarcely below the line of the body immediately in front of it. Lateral line very distinct, commencing above branchial openings, and extending nearly without curve or undulation to the commencement of the caudal fin, from thence it ascends the latter, and extends along it, nearer to its anterior than posterior edge, until it reaches its upper extremity ; at its origin this line is nearer to the middle of the back than the base of the pectoral fin ; to the touch it feels slightly rough, which arises from its being beset with a number of minute prickles, which are most distinctly seen in preserved specimens. The surface of the skin both on the body and fins is more or less sprinkled with strong bony-looking spines, with large cir- cular and flattened bases, which are striated from the centre towards the circumference. These spines vary in size as well as form, some being hooked, others quite straight; in some places they are disposed in clusters, in others they are solitary, and on the extremity of the muzzle are nearly wanting. The appendages to the ventral fins in the male seldom extend much beyond their posterior margins. DIMENSIONS. Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches. Length from the tip of the nose Distance between the dorsal fins 0 41 to the end of the caudal fin 6 62 Length from the hinder edge of the 0 61 second dorsal fin to the base to the first dorsal fin..... 3 97 of the caudal fin .... 0 4 to the pectoral fins 67 of the tail from the base to the to the anterior edge of the highest point......... 1 5 upper jaw..... 0 to the base of the ventral fins 3. 7 This shark is comparatively rare at the Cape of Good Hope. It is described by the fisher- men as sluggish and unwieldy in its movements, and but seldom to be observed towards the surface of the water. When they obtain specimens, it is generally at a time when they are fishing in deep water, and when the bait with which the hooks are armed is near to the bottom. In this respect it resembles the Scyllia, or ground-sharks; and, if we were to regard only its internal organization, we should be disposed to consider it as closely allied to that genus. to the eye ... 1 0 6 MUSTELUS ME GALOPTERUS (Pisces_Plate 2.) MUSTELUS MEGALOPTERUS.-SMITH. Pisces.-PLATE II. (Male.) M. suprà viridi-brunneus, purpureo-tinctus, infra subochreus, regionibus ante pinnas pectorales et post ventrales rubro-umbratis ; corporis lateribus brunneo-purpureis. Oculis cupreo-viridi-flavo-niten- tibus. LONGITUDO 4 ped. 4 unc. Colour.—Hind-head and back as far as the first dorsal fin, greenish brown glossed with purple—the colour is unequal as to depth, on the hind-head it is lightest, and is there slightly shaded with ochre yellow; anterior and lateral parts of the head greyish purple, faintly freckled or clouded with vermillion red; back, behind first dorsal fin, purplish grey, slightly clouded with clove brown; sides of body, light brownish purple ; under surface, from tip of lower jaw to caudal fin, ochry yellow of various tints, the parts im- mediately behind the ventral fins, and those in front of the pectorals, highest coloured, and freely mottled with vermillion red. Pectoral and ventral fins, purplish grey shaded with brownish red, the latter are besides faintly clouded with vermillion red; the remaining fins between greenish and purplish grey-the first dorsal, nearly pure grey at its base, and the caudal has an obscure ochry stripe in the direction in which it is traversed by the vertebral column. Eyes a bright greenish yellow, with a strong metallic lustre. Form, &c.—Anterior portion of body robust, and sub-triangular, with an acute carina extending between the hindhead and the anterior edge of the first dorsal fin; posterior portion of body slender, somewhat cylindrical, and with the rudiments of a carina between the first and second dorsal; the surface harsh and rough, arising from the skin being every where closely covered with small triangular and carinated scales,—the carina is central, forms the apex of the scale, and projects slightly over the base of the scale next in succession. Head, above somewhat flattened, below and on the sides rather convex; hind-head broad, nose rather narrow and inclined to pointed; teeth small, three-sided, and with three distinct angles; the apical portion of each slender, slightly prolonged, and acute at the point. Eyes, deeply set, pupil linear and oblique, nictating membrane large ; post-ocular spiracles rather large, oval, and situated directly behind the outer canthus ; the two last branchial, opening, situated above and behind the anterior margin of pectoral fin, appendages long and rather slender. MUSTELUS MEGALOPTERUS. DIMENSIONS. 9 Feet. Inches. Lines. Feet. Inches. Lines Length from nose to apex of caudal Distance between hinder-edge of fin...... 4 9 9 0 first dorsal and anterior edge Circumference immediately before of second dorsal........ 0 12 first dorsal fin 1 5 0 Distance between base of second Distance between nose and eye ... 0 3 0 dorsal behind, and base of Distance between nose and angle of caudal fin... ....... 0 5 0 mouth 0 3 6 Distance between nose and an- Distance between nose and nostrils 0 1 0 terior edge of pectoral fins 0 10 0 Distance between nose and middle Distance between base of pectoral of upper jaw.......... .... 0 2 9 fin behind, and anterior edge Breadth between the angles of the of ventrals.. 013 9 mouth 0 4 0 Distance between base of ventrals Distance between eye and post behind, and anterior edge of ocular spiracle .... 0 0 4 anal fin 0 8 0 Distance between eye and first Distance between posterior edge branchial opening....... 0 4 0 of anal behind, and base of Distance between nose and anterior caudal fin ...... 0 4 0 edge of first dorsal fin .... 0 17 6 Length of anal appendages ....... 0 6 6 The chief external differences between the male and female consist in the latter wanting the anal appendages, and having the fins, particularly the pectoral ones, proportionably smaller. In the course of several years during which the fishermen of Cape Town were engaged by me in collecting cartilaginous fishes, only a very few specimens of this species were obtained. Their want of success, however, probably arose more from the species resorting to situations little visited by fishermen during their ordinary avocations, than from the scarcity of specimens. It feeds upon mollusca, crustacea, 8c., and in quest of these it haunts principally the rocky, or broken parts of the coast. Specimens of this species are occasionally procured, in which the ground colour, similar to that described, is freely spotted with dusky black blotches, very various as to size. As I have not had an opportunity of ascertaining whether the males of the species of this genius are provided with sacs, similar to those which occur in several of the other genera of the Squalide, and which sacs appear to be connected with the anal appendages, I would suggest the inquiry, as deserving the attention of those naturalists who have an opportunity of ex- amining specimens of the European species. The sacs to which I allude, two in number, lie under the skin of the abdomen, immediately in front of the anus, are of a pyriform shape, and each, by means of a narrow duct, opens into the longitudinal groove, which exists on the inner side of each anal appendage. In none of the sacs which I examined was I able to detect any fluid beyond what was barely sufficient to lubricate their inner surfaces, and from whence it proceeded I could not discover; no glandular structure was noticed. Farther enquiries, I have no doubt, will shew them to be essential to the proper performance of the functions belonging to the appendages; and as tending to give probability to that supposition, I may merely observe that by injecting water into one of these sacs, the corresponding appendage was dis- tended to a great size, and its apex expanded, flattened, and rendered well adapted for fixing upon, or seizing extraneous bodies. AGRIOPUS SPINIFER (Pisces_Plate 3 AGRIOPUS SPINIFER-SMITH. Pisces.- PLATE III. A. dorso, lateribusque supernè rubro-brunneis, maculis, nebulisve flavis marmoratis ; lateribus infernè, abdomineque argenteo-griseis purpureo-tinctis ; pinnâ dorsale maculis tribus nigris notatâ ; pinnis pectoralibus, ventralibus, analeque flavo-maculatis; aculeo uno ante oculum, et tribus versus angulum oris. LONGITUDO 12. unc. Colour.—The head, the back, and the sides, till some distance beneath the lateral line, rich reddish brown, marbled with brownish yellow spots or nebula, which are disposed in irregular longitudinal rows, and are smallest and most numerous towards the dorsal fin. The lower portions of the sides and the belly are dull silvery-grey, with a purple gloss; the line of demarca- tion between the reddish-brown and silvery-grey is very distinct and waved. Dorsal fin close to the back light brownish yellow, the remainder dull brown; on the anterior portion of the fin the lower edge of the latter colour appears somewhat scolloped, there being between every two rays an obtuse brown point almost reaching to the back. This fin besides is marked with several brownish black spots or stripes ; three are distinct spots, the first is between the first and second ray, and occupies more than the superior half of the intermediate membrane; the second is between the sixth and seventh ray, and the third between the seventh and eighth ; they are of a somewhat circular form and situated near to the upper margin of the fin: the stripes occupy the upper edge of the last third of the spinous portion and the whole of the same part of the soft portion of the fin. The pectoral, ventral, anal, and caudal fins are yellowish brown, and the rays of the three first are barred with brownish yellow. Form, &c.—Typical. Figure rather more delicate than that of Agriopus torvus, nearly similar to that of Agriopus verrucosus, Bl. ; the form of the head also approaches to that of the latter species, and differs from A. torvus in the snout being directed rather more horizontally. Mouth small; lips thick and fleshy; teeth long, slender, numerous, and closely set. The frontal AGRIOPUS SPINIFER. bone above and between the eyes and the temporal and infra-orbital bones, together with the peroperculum and the other osseous portions of the gill coverts, with the exception of the operculum, scabrous,—the roughness arising from their surfaces being ornamented with fine radii consisting of numerous minute granular points ; operculum smooth. At the base of the snout in front of each eye, there is a short, strong, and pointed spine, and behind and rather above the angle of the mouth, three horny tubercles, the points of which are either simple, jagged, or serrated. The skin of the body is soft and armed with numerous minute and pointed spines, all of which are slightly directed backwards; the lateral line is groved and slightly curved, the convexity upwards. In the course of the line clusters of spines occur at intervals of three or four lines, those of each cluster arise from a common base, and some of them are directed forwards, and others backwards. Anterior half of spinous portion of dorsal fin high and much arched, posterior half low and nearly every where of equal height, the hinder or soft portion of the fin slightly arched above, and the highest point projecting considerably beyond the level of the posterior half of the spinous portion. Pectoral and ventral fins narrow in proportion to their length, and all the rays excepting the first of each, free at their extremities ; hinder portion of anal fin much longer than anterior portion ; caudal fin slightly forked. The number of rays in the fins are -- dorsal 20 — 12 ; pectorals 9; ventrals 6; anal 9; caudal 16. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Total length...... 12 6 Length of the dorsal fin... 8 7 of the pectoral fin...... 2 10 of the ventral fins... 2 9 of the anal fins.... 1 6 of the caudal fins.. 1 10 of the fifth or longest spine of the dorsal fin..... 2 2 Inches, Lines. Height of the soft portion of the dorsal fin..... 1 1 Depth of the anal fin..... 1 5 Depth of the body at the base of the pectoral fins... 3 0 Depth at the base of caudal fin........ 1 0 In young specimens the colours are the same as in adults ; in the former the spines of the body are more numerous. The above are the dimensions of the largest specimens we have seen : and as many much smaller have been procured, we are disposed to believe that the individual here represented had attained its full size. Specimens are occasionally caught in Table Bay, but by no means so frequently as either A. torvus or A. verrucosus. It feeds upon shell fish, and its stomach is generally found gorged with small limpets, &c. a b CAR CHARODON CAPENSIS (Pisces_Plate 4) CARCHARODON CAPENSIS.-Smith.* PISCES.-PLATE IV.-FEMALE. - C. suprà obscurè cæsius, purpureo-tinctus; subtus flavo-albus plus minusve miniatus; pinnis pectoralibus suprà versus basin, corporisque lateribus post has nigris; oculis viridi-nigris, punctis subaureis variegatis. LONGITUDO ex apice capite ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis 7 ped. Colour.—The back, the upper parts of the sides, and the dorsal fins dull blueish grey shaded with purple, and exhibiting a velvety lustre; the lower portions of the sides silvery blue. Under parts yellowish white, tinted with vermillion-red, very strongly on the under surfaces of the head, neck, and tail. The upper surface of the pectoral fins, and also the caudal and anal ones, purplish grey, excepting a portion of each of the first named, toward the base, which is livid black; the part of each side adjoining these marks is also black. The under surface of the pectoral fins reddish white. Eyes resplendent greenish black, variegated with bright copper-coloured points. Form, &c. — Figure robust and fusiform; the tail immediately in front of caudal fin, very slender and strongly carinated on each side; back slightly keeled. Head broad posteriorly, pointed anteriorly, flat above, convex below, and when viewed as a whole exhibits something of a triangular form; a patch of minute cuticular pores on each side of upper jaw, and two similar ones on the top of the head between the eyes and the nose. Gape large and arched, one row of erect teeth in each jaw, the remainder recumbent; those of the upper jaw more than double the breadth of the lower ones. Nostrils narrow, transverse, and partially divided by a small cuticular lobule; post-ocular spiracles very small, and on the same lines with the eyes, branchial openings large, and in front of the pectoral fins; the latter large and somewhat trian- gular in shape, their hinder edge slightly concave with a small triangular * Generic characters.--Figure fusiform; head subconical ; nose pointed; teeth triangular, the base forming one of the sides, those of the upper jaw widest, lateral edges finely dentated; post-ocular openings small; branchial openings all in front of pectoral fins; back carinated ; first dorsal fin immediately in front of the middle of the back ; each side of the tail strongly carinated ; a semilunar fossa in front of caudal fin, both above and below; caudal fin forked, the upper portion longest. Closely allied to Lamna. a CARCHARODON CAPENSIS. process towards the point. First dorsal fin triangular, its apex recurved, and the hinder edge at its base prolonged to a slender point; second dorsal fin small and quadrangular; the upper lobe of the caudal fin considerably longer than the lower, with a small triangular process near its point; structure and configuration of the abdominal viscera nearly as in the Carcharide. DIMENSIONS. Feet. Inches. Feet. Inches. 08 0 9 7 0 0 Height of the first dorsal fin Breadth at its base Height of the second dorsal Breadth at its base Length of the pectoral fins Breadth at their base Distance from the tip of the nose 2 11 0 2 6 1 0 9 1 7 to the eye..... 0 Length from the point of the nose to the tip of the upper lobe of caudal fin..... from the tip of the nose to the first dorsal fins ......... Distance between the first and second dorsal fin between the second dorsal and caudal fins....... Length from the point of the nose to the pectoral fins Distance between the pectoral and ventral fins between the ventral and anal fins between the anal and caudal fins 09 0 52 31 5 0 1 9 1 6 to the nostrils to the centre of the mouth to the first branchial opening Distance from the eye to the post- ocular spiracle Circumference in front of the first dorsal fin 1 7 0 11 0 7 3 4 07 Nothing is known of the male. We have only seen one specimen of this species of shark ; but others were taken in the Cape Seas during our residence in South Africa. It swims close to the surface of the sea, and is said to be very active, and to feed upon fishes which it captures by its speed. The one we examined had the stomach distended with portions of Acanthias australis, Smith, Callorynchus australis, Cuv., and a species of Loligo. In the Museum of the Zoological Society of London. O 万 ​TILAPIA SPARRMANII Pisces Plate 5) TILAPIA SPARRMANII.-SMITH.* PISCES.-PLATE V. T. capite, corpore anticè, abdomineque subroseis, purpureo-tinctis; corpore posticè pallidè roseo-flavo, fasciis transversis viridibus, variegato; pinnis dorsali, anali, caudalique pallidè viridibus, maculis pur- pureis fascias irregulares formantibus notatis, marginibus flavis. LONGITUDO, 4 unc. 6 lin. Colour, &c.—The head, the body in front of the pectoral fins, and the belly, a delicate rosy red, variegated with slight tints of purple; the general colour of the other parts of the body intermediate between rose-red and cream- yellow. On the sides, six or seven vertical bars of a pale green colour, and between them some pale ultra marine spots, which vary in number in differ- ent specimens. The hinder margins of the scales, particularly of those towards the dorsal fin, edged with olive brown. The strie forming the lateral line, are light greenish brown, and not readily seen in fresh specimens. Dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, pale grass green, the first margined superiorly, the second inferiorly, and the last posteriorly, with saffron-yellow, and all barred more or less regularly with oblique or vertical bands, composed of small subquadrangular spots of a dull purple colour, those of the tail being best defined, and almost disposed in vertical rows. In addition to the purple spots, the dorsal fin has also three blackish spots towards the hinder parts of its * Generic characters of Tilapia.- Form oblong, subovate, laterally compressed. Head, rather short, and tapering anteriorly; mouth small, and opening directly in front ; lips pulpy and soft. Teeth short, slender, and rather widest at their points, which are either bifid or imperfectly trifid; those of the upper jaw disposed in three rows, all upon the intermaxillary bones ; those of the lower in two; the teeth of the front row of each jaw largest and most regular; no palatine teeth. Nostrils small, single, and situated above and slightly in front of the eyes. Eyes moderately large. Operculum posteriorly, slightly waved; the covering of the suborbitary bones and the preoperculum perforated by several small pores. Two rudimentary fossc on each side immediately above the upper extremity of the gills, with which they communicate. Gill rays five. Upper surface of the head anteriorly covered with smooth skin, rest of head and body coated with large semicircular scales. Lateral line interrupted, the anterior portion which commences at upper ex- tremity of operculum, is much nearer to the back than the posterior portion, which runs along the middle of the body. Dorsal fin single, the hinder or soft rays longest. Stomach a cul de sac ; no cæca ; intestines of nearly equal calibre throughout, very long, slender and rolled themselves. Ovaria subcylindrical. For the form of the stomach, intestines, &c., see Plate:-a, two teeth of the upper jaw; b, two of the under jaw; c, viscera in situ; d, stomach. a upon TILAPIA SPARRMANII. a spinous portion which are disposed in an oblique direction, so as to form a sort of slanting bar in front of the soft portion of the fin. Ventral fins, light brownish red ; the pectoral ones, semitransparent and of an orange white colour, the tints of the sides distinctly visible through them. Lips, pale greenish yellow. Eyes, pale straw yellow, with one or more spots of dull purple. Form, &c.—Subovate. The head, both superiorly and inferiorly, regularly tapered towards the nose ; the line of the back slightly curved. Dorsal fin, anteriorly low, with its superior edge nearly level, posteriorly much higher, particularly from the commencement of the soft portion. The rays of the latter, particularly the middle ones, are much longer than those of the spinous portion, and their direction more oblique. The rays of the spinous portion project slightly above the connecting membrane, giving to the upper edge of the fin anteriorly a rather ragged or serrated appearance; and some of them are surmounted by delicate fleshy points, of a saffron colour. Posterior edge of dorsal fin oblique, the upper extremity prolonged towards the caudal fin. Anal fin, rather short, the spinous rays not so long as the soft ones; its hinder edge oblique, and nearly opposite to the corresponding portion of the dorsal fin. Caudal fin fan-shaped. Pectoral fins long, the superior rays longest, hence its posterior edge is oblique. Five small pores in a line upon the inferior and hinder edge of preoperculum. Scales large, hard, semicircular behind, and disposed in about ten longitudinal rows, from 23 to 27 scales in each. The number of rays in the fins are, D.13–9. A. 3–9. C. 18. P. 11. V. 1-5. The general appearances and organisation of this little fish have inclined us to refer it to the Labyrinthiformes of Cuvier, and as we have not been able to find any described form with characters similar to those it possesses, we have found it necessary to regard it as the type of a new division for which we propose the name of Tilapia. The fosse or caverns connected with the gills are very indistinct, yet such traces of them exist, as appears to warrant our regarding Tilapia as a fish of an aberrant form. It occurs in small fresh-water streams to the north of the Orange River, and the specimens we obtained were all taken from pools in the beds of temporary streamlets. Knowing that the water found in such situations usually disappears during the dry season, we at once inferred that all the specimens we saw were doomed to death on the arrival of that period. On questioning the natives of the district as to the frequency of these fishes in such situations, and stating to them our belief that they must all die with the disappearance of the waters, they strongly opposed our conclusion, and maintained that on the drying up of the water the fishes buried themselves in the mud with which the bottoms of the pools were coated, and there remained until fresh rains filled the holes and induced them to leave their subterranean abodes ; in these respects, added our informants, they resemble water tortoises. LEPTORHYNCHUS CAPENSIS (Pisces Plate 6.) LEPTORHYNCHUS* CAPENSIS.-SMITH. Pisces.-PLATE VI. (MALE.) L. gracilis, subcylindricus; capite, dorso lateribusque super lineam lateralem purpureo-brunneis sub lineam griseo-argenteo-lucentibus; pinnis flavo-albis ; caudæ apice acuminato; dentibus anteriori- bus sparsis, majoribus leviter devaricatis recurvatis ; narium tubulis rubro-flavis; oculis cupreo-flavo- viridibus. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad caudæ extremitatem 2 ped. 6 unc. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head and body are purplish brown, the head tinted with yellow; the lower parts and the sides of the body, below the lateral line, greyish white, with a pearly lustre. Pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins pale yellowish white, clouded with a slight shade of an umber- tint. Eyes yellowish green, slightly bronzed ; tubes of nostrils reddish- yellow. Form, &c.—Body for the greater part of its length nearly of equal size, tapered towards the tail; the lateral line commences over the pectoral fin, and extends, in a faintly indicated groove, to the tail, nearly equidistant from the back and abdomen; towards the tail the line becomes faint and indistinct ; under it a line of minute pores, not distinct at all parts of its course ; a lon- gitudinal line of three or four similar pores under each eye, and a vertical one of about the same number behind it. Eyes round, pupil circular; nasal tube distinctly projecting and circular; upper jaw contracted towards the apex, and before and behind the contraction there is a distinct lateral bulge. The anterior teeth of both jaws thinly set, slightly divergent and re- curved ; the two or three anterior teeth of the palatal row small and recurved, the next three in succession longer and rather widely apart from each other, a * * Leptorhynchi Ch. gen. - Figure slender, fusiform, eel-shaped ; sides slightly flattened. Head small, laterally compressed, above slightly convex; jaws nearly equal, much elongated, forming a long, slender, subcylindrical snout; upper jaw depressed towards the point and laterally enlarged. Three rows of teeth in the upper and two in the lower jaw, those at and near the point of each longest and slightly curved, the remainder short, slender, nearly straight, pointed, and closely set together; eyes large and rather nearer to the angle of the mouth than the tip of the snout ; nostrils single, tubular and situated near to the lower edge of upper jaw, about half way between the eye and tip of snout; a few minute pores under and behind the eye-those under in a longitudinal line, those behind in a vertical one. One branchial opening on each side, vertical, semilunar and slightly in advance of the pectoral fins; commence- ment of dorsal fin some distance behind the pectoral fins, and like the anal, very slender and lying in a furrow; both these fins vanishing gradually towards the tip of the tail, the latter pointed and without fin. Lateral line distinct and formed by a series of raised, interrupted delicate stric, below which is a line of minute pores. LEPTORHYNCHUS CAPENSIS. the remainder short, nearly straight, and closely set. The lateral teeth with which the point of the upper jaw is armed are unequal in size, some at its very apex. In the lower jaw there are no teeth directly in front, the first of each side being a little behind the apex, it is the longest of the series, and distant from the next nearly one line; the second is smaller, yet larger than those which succeed, and which nearly resemble in form and arrange- ment those of the upper jaw. The gills are fixed on cartilaginous rami, in which respect as well as in many others this fish differs from Anguilla, Muræna, fc. The esophagus is strong, internally marked with many longitudinal ruge; the coats of the stomach are thin, and the inner one when not distended, has also irregular rudi- mentary folds. The length of the stomach is not in the same proportion as in muræna, its lower termination being far in advance of the anus. The intesti- nal canal proceeds from near the cardiac orifice, and forms no convolutions ; it is nearly of equal calibre throughout, and closely intersected towards the rectum by rudimentary transverse septæ ; the rectum is open and unobstructed. The liver is short in proportion when compared with that of Muræna, but not very different from that of Anguilla ; it is of an irregular oblong form and placed upon the upper extremity of the stomach immediately over the pyloric orifice. The gall bladder is small and situated on the side of the liver near its inferior extremity, and the gall duct enters the intestinal canal a little below the pylorus. The spleen is long, slender, and slightly three- sided. a DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Length from the tip of the snout to the point of tail ............... 29 9 of the gape from the angle of the mouth 0 11 of the dorsal fin. 26 9 of the anal fin 19 3 Distance from the tip of the snout to 0 41 Inches. Lines. Distance from the eye to the angle of the mouth ..... 0 31 from the tip of the nose to the anus...... 10 from the tip of the snout to the branchial opening 2 0 6 the eye The colours of the female are the same as those of the male. From not having been able to class this fish in any of the groups already constituted, we have been forced to regard it as the type of a new form. It is occasionally taken in nets in Table Bay, and I have only seen one individual exceeding the size of the specimen here described; it was about 9 feet in length, and, I have no doubt, of a different species. The configuration of the snout of L. Capensis, and the arrangement of its teeth, par- ticularly the former, present a striking resemblance to the corresponding parts of the common Gavial (Crocodilus Gangeticus). A B ELOPS CAPENSIS (Pisces.Plate 7) ELOPS CAPENSIS.-SMITH. PISCES. -- PLATE VII. E. capite supernè dorsoque subolivaceis ; corporis lateribus supernè viridibus purpureo-tinctis ; lateribus subtus partibusque inferioribus argenteo-albis ; dorsali analique pinnis ad basin vaginatis; pinnis pecto- ralibus ventralibusque ad basin squamis membraneis marginatis, earumque posterioribus elongatis, et acuminatis. LONGITUDO exempli descripti 26 unc. * Colour.—The centre of the back, and the upper surface of the head oil- green, with a brown tint; the remainder of the back and the sides superiorly verdigris-green, tinted with lilac-purple; the sides below the lateral line silvery-white, faintly clouded with pink, blue, and yellow variegations. The gill covers and sides of head a pale rose colour, variegated with pale purple, and light saffron-yellow tints. Fins light greenish white, with yellow and pink tints, the rays of the caudal and dorsal fins darkest. Eyes pale silvery white, clouded with greenish and yellowish variegations. The whole of the fish, with the exception of the fins, displays a strong mother-of-pearl lustre. FORM, &c.--Figure rather slender, and somewhat fusiform ; sides slightly compressed; girth between hinder edge of gill covers and dorsal fin nearly the same; beyond these it gradually diminishes as the distance increases; the transverse diameter of the body, immediately before the dorsal fin, about two- thirds of the vertical diameter. Head without scales, and measuring from the tip of the lower jaw to the hinder edge of the gill covers, not quite one- fifth of the total length of the fish ;* its profile cuneiform, the upper surface slightly declivous, and marked between the crown and nostrils, with a broad nearly lineal depression, the under surface strongly sloped upwards. Nostrils double, and situated nearly half way between the eyes and apex of upper jaw, both oval, the hinder one the largest. Eyes large and rounded. Max- illary bones subovate, and each forming nearly two-thirds of the length of the jaw ; rami of under jaw strong, and received within the upper, excepting at the nose, where the lower jaw is rather the more advanced of the two. Teeth extremely delicate, short, and closely set; a narrow band (figs. A & B a a) on the margin of the jaws, two clusters (fig. A b & c) on each side of the palate, and one (fig. B C) which forms almost the entire of the upper surface of the tongue; the apex of the tongue in front of teeth thin and membranous. Gill covers large, and branchial openings capacious ; operculum more than twice the size of suboperculum ; preoperculum somewhat triangular ; branchial membrane with thirty rays, more than half of them within the rami of the lower * In a smaller specimen which I possess, the length of the head is considerably more than one-fifth of the whole length; in neither, however, are the measurements to be depended upon, as both specimens have been skinned and stuffed. a ; ELOPS CAPENSIS. а jaw. Body covered with moderately large scales, anteriorly and posteriorly slightly rounded, the sides truncate ; the basal half of each scale distinctly marked with a series of delicate and raised radii, which diverge from its cen- tre (vide plate); immediately before the dorsal fin the rows of scales are twenty-seven. The humeral plates three in number, very conspicuous, the upper one long, narrow, and reaching from the centre of the back to a little below the division between the operculum and suboperculum, the other two be- tween that and the pectoral fins both on the same level, and the one overlapped by the other, as is distinctly represented in the figure. The lateral line com- mences behind the upper extremity of the operculum, slopes slightly down- wards till it arrives nearly opposite the middle of the dorsal fin, from thence it proceeds in a straight line till its termination, which is a little behind the centre of the caudal fin; the line, though interrupted, is very distinct, and consists of a series of short grooves, one near the hinder extremity of each of the scales of the row along which it extends, which row is generally the fourteenth or fif- teenth reckoning, the centre row of the back as the first. Fins moderately large, the dorsal and anal ones emarginate posteriorly, and each surrounded at its base with a low membranous sheath, coated with large scales ; the base of the pectoral fins superiorly guarded by a long tapering membranous plate, and inferiorly by a series of broad but comparatively short ones; the base of the ventral fins inferiorly and superiorly furnished with plates like the pec- toral fins, the last plate of the series on the dorsal aspect of the fin narrow and considerably elongated. Caudal fin deeply forked, with distinct, spinous, rudimentary rays superiorly and inferiorly towards its base, which are flat- tened and closely applied to each other; the large bony scale at the base of the tail, superiorly and inferiorly, oval and slightly convex. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Distance from the tip of the lower jaw to the eye... 1 3 to the angle of the mouth .... 2 6 to the hinder edge of the oper- culum ... 5 0 to the base of the first ray of the pectoral fin....... 5 2 to the dorsal fin 11 2 to the ventral fins 11 1 Inches. Lines. Distance from the hinder edge of the dorsal fin to the base of the tail 6 9 from the ventral fins to the anal fin.. 6 1 Distance between the anal fin and the base of the caudal 2 6 Length of the caudal fin 4 5 Total length of the fish 26 0 Vertical diameter immediately before the dorsal fin ....... 3 7 In young specimens the green colour above the lateral line is scarcely broken. In considering this a new species, I have only admitted two species of the genus to have been described, viz. Elops saurus, Bloch, Plate 393 ; and Jinagow, Russell, Plate 179. BAGRUS CAPENSIS (Pisces_Plate 8. BAGRUS CAPENSIS.-SMITH. Pisces.-PLATE VIII. B. capite suprà, dorso, corporisque lateribus anticé viridi-brunneis, his lineis cæruleis, flavis, et albis variegatis ; corporis lateribus posticè et subter lineam lateralem anticè flavis, viridi brunneoque umbratis: capite subtus, partibusque inferioribus coloris carnei, purpureo-griseo-umbratis ; oculis flavis. LONGITUDO exempli descripti 20 unc. Colour. -The upper surface of the head, and the back and sides an- teriorly, above the lateral line, a rich dark greenish brown, the sides veined irregularly with bright blue, yellow and silvery-white lines. The sides posteriorly above the lateral line, and anteriorly below it, saffron-yellow clouded with grass-green and dull brown; the middle portion of the sides below the lateral line, and the sides of the head below the eyes, intermediate between straw and ochre-yellow, the tint variegated with shade of a purple and grey hue. The belly, under-surface of head, and sides of tail below the lateral line, together with the base of the anal and dorsal fins, and the greater part of the caudal fin, a livid flesh-colour, clouded with purplish grey; the ventral and anal fins dull ultra-marine blue at the points. The dorsal and pectoral fins dirty brownish-green, clouded with blue, the last colour brightest on the pectorals; the first or anteriormost spine of pectorals flesh- coloured. The sides of the head, behind the eyes, and the gill-covers, con- fusedly clouded with dark greenish brown, purplish blue, lilac-purple and greenish white tints. The barbels livid reddish brown, lightest at the points. Eyes golden yellow ; pupils black. The whole of the colours of the head and body heightened by the presence of a strong bronze-lustre. Form, &c.—Figure rather clumsy. The body in front of the ventral fins somewhat triangular; the belly large and protuberant; behind the pectoral fins, subcylindrical and tapered, a decrease of thickness very distinct behind the second dorsal fin. Head as broad as the body, and depressed, its upper surface nearly flat, inclined towards the mouth, and marked along its centre by a broad longitudinal furrow, which is widest about the middle, and by two somewhat triangular hollows, one on each side behind the nostrils,—these depressions are very distinctly seen in prepared specimens. The bones of the upper surface of the head slightly scabrous from the great number of elevated delicate striæ with which they are ornamented, and which, like the depressions, are most distinctly seen in dried specimens. Gape nearly the breadth of the anterior part of the head; upper lip slightly fleshy, with a long barbel at each extremity, immediately in advance of the angle of the BAGRUS CAPENSIS. mouth; teeth short, slender, hair-like, closely set, and so numerous as to consti- tute a belt of considerable width on the inner edge of each jaw, those of the lower jaw rather thickest. Nostrils rather large, subovate, two on each side, and situated between the eyes, and the edge of the upper jaw, nearest to the latter; chin with four barbels, shorter and more slender than those at the extremities of the upper lip ; the latter when extended reach to the base of the pectoral fins. Operculum smooth, somewhat triangular, the superior and anterior portion constituting the apex ; suboperculum triangular, its superior side deeply emarginate; humeral bone immediately above the base of pectoral fin, large triangular, and finely marked with elevated longitudinal stria. The skin of the head and the body smooth. The lateral line anteriorly rather above the level of the upper extremity of the branchial opening, and not distinctly visible till nearly under the first ray of the anterior dorsal fin ; it consists of a series of slightly elevated and interrupted tubes, each of which opens pos- teriorly ; from its origin its course is slightly sloping until it reaches a point over the commencement of the anal fin, after that it is horizontal to its termi- nation, which is a little in advance of the central portion of the caudal fin. Dorsal fin high anteriorly, comparatively low behind, the first ray spinous, very strong, and armed anteriorly with a narrow ridge of serratures pointing downwards ; pectoral fins of moderate size, the first ray of each like that of the dorsal, the serratures which arm its anterior edge point towards its base: the second dorsal fin small, adipose, superiorly slightly curved, and posteriorly nearly vertical : anal fin very large, the anterior rays much larger than the hinder ones: caudal fin deeply forked, the upper portion consider- ably more produced than the lower. The hinder edges of the anal and second dorsal are nearly opposite each other. a DIMENSIONS. Inch. Lin. Distance between the anal and caudal fins 1 11 Length of the upper lobe of the caudal fin 4 of the lower lobe of ditto 4 0 Width of the mouth at the angles....... Length of the first spine of the first dor- sal fin of the pectoral fin Total length of the fish described 20 0 2 Inch. Lin. Length from the point of the upper jaw to the first dorsal fin.. 3 4 to the pectoral fin .... 3 10 to the second dorsal fin 12 6 Distance between the pectoral and ven- tral fins 4 5 between the ventral and anal fins 2 71 between the second dorsal fin and the caudal fin 1 9 6. 2. 6 2 9 The difficulty of describing the fishes of this genus in such terms as to enable naturalists to recognise the known species which may come into their possession is so great, that it is quite possible the one we have now considered as new, may have already been indicated ; if it proves so, the name now given it will only require to be rejected. LH LOPHIUS UPSICEPHALUS (Pisces Plate 9.) LOPHIUS UPSICEPHALUS.-SMITH PISCES.-PLATE IX. L. suprà pallidè flavo-brunneus ; subtus purpureo-griseus flavo-brunneo-tinctus; oculis lucidè viridi-albis ; LONGITUDO ad apicem pinnæ caudalis, 28} unc. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, together with the back and sides of the body and the fins yellowish brown; the sides of the head posteriorly and the sides of the body lightest; the under surface of the head, body, and pectoral fins pearl-grey, tinted with yellowish brown. The filaments disposed upon the sides of the body and edges of the lower jaws, dark yellowish brown; the spinous tentacula on the head and anterior part of the back, light yellowish brown. Eyes greenish white, with a metallic lustre. Teeth amber-coloured. Form, &c.—Head very bulky as compared with the body, and posteriorly nearly as high as broad ; the outline, when viewed from above, is somewhat oval, and broadest behind. The upper surface of the head is much narrower than the under surface; nearly flat and slopes gradually from the vertex to the muz- zle; the sides are subvertical, or slightly convex, and diverge as they descend, The lateral boundaries of the upper surface of the head is distinctly defined by the angle which is formed by the junction of the upper surface and the sides, and posteriorly each of these lines of demarcation are armed with three short obtuse spines ; the foremost one is situated nearly over the eye, the second about two inches behind it, and the third at the hinder part of the vertex, considerably nearer to the centre of the head than the middle one, and not very distant from its fellow of the opposite side. The relative positions of these spines are well represented in the Plate. In addition to these there are two other spines of rather a stronger description ; but, like them, short and obtuse, one immediately behind the anterior and superior extremity of each maxillary bone, and rather below the line which marks the upper surface of the head (vide Plate). The gape is moderately large, but not very broad; the opening of the mouth is directed obliquely upwards and forwards; and the lower jaw projects considerably beyond the upper. The symphisis of the lower jaw is narrow, the rami are arched and gradually curved upwards, and the jaw, when viewed as a whole, has a triangular form, the symphisis constituting the apex. The intermaxillary bones form the an- terior edges of the upper jaw, and support the majority of the teeth with which LOPHIUS UPSICEPHALUS. it is armed; they are separated from each other superiorly by a broad and deep furrow, widest in front. The teeth of both jaws are numerous, and those of the lower jaw, generally, larger than those of the upper. Towards the an- terior extremity of each intermaxillary bone they are arranged in two or three rows; those of the hinder row, which are much the largest, are cylindrical, slightly curved, and directed backwards; the others, which are of the same form, and have the same kind of curve, are much weaker and shorter; the anterior margin of the lower two-thirds of each bone is armed with a series of short, delicate, cylindrical teeth, each slightly incurvated, and placed at regular distances the one from the other. Besides the teeth on the intermaxillaries, there are a few others situated on the outer edges of the palatal bones, and also two or three in a cluster at each angle of the vomer anteriorly. The palatal teeth are disposed in a row, and the two or three, near the anterior extremity of each row are longest. The teeth of the lower jaw are moderately slender, cylindrical, closely set, nearly straight, and very unequal in regard to length, some measuring an inch, others not more than a quarter of an inch. The eyes are large, directed outwards, and situated about half an inch below the outline of the upper surface of the head, nearly directly over the angle of the mouth ; the pupils are almost circular. The branchial openings are rather narrow, and situated in the axilla of the pectoral fins; the latter are rather broader at the extremity than the base, and the former is somewhat truncated. The body is subcylindrical. The dorsal and anal fins are small; the hinder edge of each is square, and the former is situated rather in advance of the latter. The caudal fin is somewhat fawn-shaped, and its pos- terior edge is truncated; all the fins are soft and fleshy. The sides of the body, close to the belly, and the edges of the lower jaw, are fringed with flat and short dentated filaments, varying from a quarter of an inch to an inch in length; they are irregularly scattered on the side but disposed in a single row on the jaw. On the anterior and upper surface of the head, in the course of the mesial line, there are two long, slender, spinous tentacula ; the hinder one, which is a little in front of the eyes, the longest ; two others, of a like description on the beginning of the back, immediately over the pectoral fins, the anterior one the longest. Length of the head 11 inches, of the body, exclusive of the caudal fin 13 inches ; greatest width of head about 3 inches behind the eyes 8] inches; height at hind head 6 inches. Length of the pectoral fins 32 inches ; of the dorsal 4 inches ; of the anal 3 inches; of the caudal 4] inches. Rays of the pectoral fins 16; of the dorsal 7 or 8 ; of the anal 7; of the caudal 12s. V. a Inhabits the seas of the Cape of Good Hope. Fig. 2 Fig 1, BARBUS CAPENSIS. _ Fig. 2. BARBUS MARE QUENSIS (Pisces_Plate 10.) BARBUS (CHEILOBARBUS*) CAPENSIS.—SMITH, PISCES.-PLATE X. Fig. 1. B. capite superne dorsoque antice olivaceo-brunneis ; dorso postice lateribusque suprà lineam lateralem flavo viridibus; capitis lateribus corporisque partibus infrà lineam pallidè flavis; squamis postice olivaceo-brunneis marginatis; labiis, cirrisque carneis ; oculis flavis; squamis magnis ; cirris quatuor duobus e labio superiore et uno ab angulo oris utroque dependentibus ; lineâ laterali subdeflexâ. LONGITUDO ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis, 16 unc. 6 lin. Colour.—The upper parts of the head and the anterior part of the back a tint intermediate between oil-green and deep orange-coloured brown (olive- brown); the hinder portion of the back intermediate between oil-green and grass-green, the latter colour predominating towards the back. The sides of the head and of the body below the lateral line light gamboge-yellow tinted with oil-green; all the scales both above and below the line edged with a tint of the colour of the back, darkest on those above the line. Lips and cirri a dull flesh-colour. Fins pale sienna-yellow shaded with dull yellowish brown, the rays lightest. Eyes kings-yellow shaded with reddish-brown. Form, &c.--Head elongated, above rather flattened, snout prominent and somewhat pulpy; mouth opening directly forwards ; gape of moderate extent; lips full and rather hard ; cirri nearly an inch in length, two on snout, one directly in front of each eye, the other two behind the angles of the mouth. Operculum subquadrangular, the inferio-anterior angle prolonged, the superio-anterior oblique, the hinder side the longest ; the suboper- culum the segment of a circle ; the interoperculum triangular, its apex rounded. Dorsal outline, between hind-head and posterior edge of dorsal fin slightly arched, behind dorsal fin nearly straight; abdominal outline from branchial rays to hinder edge of anal fin slightly arched, behind the latter nearly straight. Lateral line anteriorly slightly deflexed, from over base of * Ch. Subgen. Cheilobarbi.—Mouth opening forwards ; lips full, and firm ; intermaxillary bones slightly extensible; nostrils double; four cirri, two from snout, and one from each angle of mouth; lateral line consisting of a series of small tubes ; scales large ; dorsal fin short, and commencing slightly in front of base of ventral fins ; commencement of anal fin about midway between ventral and caudal fins. BARBUS (CHEILOBARBUS) CAPENSIS. ventral fins to caudal fin nearly straight. Scales large and irregularly five- sided, the posterior side or apex of each scale semicircular and submem- branous; the point of junction between the basal sides prominent and rounded, the two lateral, or the superior and inferior sides of each scale, nearly straight; each scale towards hinder edge marked with fine closely set longitudinal striæ. The dorsal fin is somewhat quadrangular, its anterio- superior angle elongated. Pectoral fins ovate; hinder edge of ventral fins oblique ; anal fin subquadrangular, the inferio-anterior angle elongated and blunt. Caudal fin deeply forked. Size of four grown specimens vary from fourteen to eighteen inches. Fin rays.........D. 10. P. 16. V.8. A. 7. C. 19. The only specimens which I have seen of this fish were taken in the rivers of the western coast of South Africa, more particularly the Breede and Oliphants rivers. It is principally found in deep pools, where the current is weak, and where the bottom is soft and muddy. It is frequently taken in nets, and also occasionally by hooks. It is a rich fish, and abounds with oil; hence it is not much relished by persons with delicate stomachs. BARBUS (CHEILOBARBUS) MAREQUENSIS.-SMITH. Pisces.-PLATE X. Fig. 2. B. capite suprà castaneo, aurantio-tincto; dorso lateribusque brunneo-flavis, priore olivaceo-brunneo- obscurato ; lateribus infrà lineam lateralem, abdomineque flavis griseo-flavo-umbratis ; cirris carneis ; oculis flavis. LONGITUDO ab nasi apice ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis, 15 unc. Colour.—The upper parts of the head chesnut-brown, brightened with a shade of reddish orange ; back and sides above the lateral line honey-yellow, obscured and deepened on the back with olive-brown; below the lateral line gamboge-yellow, obscured with a faint tinge of saffron-yellow. The sides of the head primrose-yellow, freely shaded with light lemon-yellow and pale aurora-red. Lips and cirri light flesh-red. Pectoral and caudal fins light strawy-ellow, shaded with dull wood-brown, the other fins intermediate between flesh-red and sienna-yellow, and shaded with light olive-brown, the rays in all the fins lightest. Eyes lemon-yellow, shaded with reddish brown. Form, &c.—Figure subovate and elongated; the dorsal outline rather more curved than the abdominal, the curvature strongest between nose and hinder edge of base of dorsal fin, behind that the line is straight and slightly oblique, the abdominal curve terminates at hinder edge of anal fin. Head short and somewhat wedge-shaped, the transverse edge of the snout forming the thin edge of the wedge; nostrils close to anterior and upper edge of orbit, the open- ings placed obliquely, the one in front of the other, the hindermost largest ; intermaxillary lips full and pulpy; cirri about five lines in length; operculum large; suboperculum suboval; interoperculum semilunar; humeral plate large, rounded posteriorly, and prolonged backwards beyond base of pectoral fin. Lateral line towards the head slightly deflexed, nearly straight from opposite commencement of anal fin, it consists of a series of interrupted tubes, one on each scale. Scales very large, irregularly five-sided, the hinder side semi- а BARBUS (CHEILOBARBUS) MAREQUENSIS. lunar, and constituting the apex of scale, in front of the membraneous edging of this side, the outer surface for a short space forewards is rough from the presence of a number of fine closely-set striæ. Dorsal fin four-sided, the base being reckoned one side, the superio-anterior angle prolonged and rounded ; the anal fin large, prolonged, and situated considerably nearer to the caudal than to the pectoral fins ; caudal fin deeply forked. Inhabits the rivers of the interior of Southern Africa, and is found in deep pools, particu- larly where the water is in a measure stagnant, and the basin or bed in which it is contained soft and muddy. In such places the fish is taken with a hook baited with flesh. It is consi- dered by persons fond of oily fish as good food. NO2 NO1. N°1 BARBUS BURCHELLI. NO 2, BARBUS PALLIDUS (Pisces Plate 11.) BARBUS (PSEUDOBARBUS*) BURCHELLI.—Smith. - - PISCES.-PLATE XI. No. 1. B. suprà olivaceo-brunneus ; lateribus subcupreis; partibus inferioribus argenteo-albis ; pinnis pectoralibus, ventralibus, analique ad basin coccineis; cirris quatuor; lineâ laterali deflexâ. Longitudo ab apice nasi ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis, 4 unc. ROOYE VLERK CARPER of the Cape colonists. Colour, &c.—Back olive brown, with a metallic lustre ; sides between coppery and golden yellow, finely freckled with minute liver-brown dots ; belly and under parts silvery white. The fins pale yellow, the base of the pectorals, ventrals, and anal scarlet red. Eyes whitish yellow. Form, &c.—Figure subovate, prolonged ; dorsal outline slightly arched, abdominal outline anteriorly more curved than the dorsal, posteriorly, like dorsal, nearly straight. Head not quite one-fourth of the length of the fish, its depth four-fifths of its length, the upper surface slightly arched ; gape moderate ; lips very thin; cirri four, two from the snout, and one from each angle of the mouth, nostrils situated close to the upper and anterior edge of orbits, the posterior opening the largest; sub-operculum rather broad, interoperculum triangular, the apex, which points backwards and downwards semicircular ; humeral plate triangular. The lateral line is slightly deflexed, and consists of a series of slender horizontal tubes, one to each scale. Scales rather small, those towards abdomen largest, the posterior edge of each semicircular, and its external surface towards hinder margin rough from being marked with a number of fine, close-set, and radiating striæ. The dorsal fin is situated nearly midway between the snout and base of caudal fin, its base anteriorly directly over base of pectoral fins. The first and second rays of the dorsal and anal fins slender and hard, the * Ch. subgen. Pseudobarbi.—Mouth opening forwards ; lips thin and cartilagenous; intermaxillary bones extensible ; nostrils double ; four cirri, two from upper lip and one from each angle of mouth ; lateral line consists of a series of slender tubes ; dorsal fin short and commencing nearly directly over base of ventral fins; intestinal canal long and contorted. BARBUS (PSEUDOBARBUS) BURCHELLI. rest soft and divided, the first ray of each very short and closely applied to the second. The anal fin about half way between pectoral and caudal fins; the caudal fin bifid. B. rays, D 8. P. 12. V.6. A.7. C. 19. Inhabits various rivers of the Cape colony, and is generally found in pools whose current is weak. Many individuals are generally associated together, and they take a baited hook after the same manner as the minnow (Leuciscus phoxinus) of Europe. BARBUS (PSEUDOBARBUS) PALLIDUS.-SMITH. PISCES.--PLATE XI. No. 2. B. suprà viridi-brunneus aureo-tinctus ; lateribus partibusque inferioribus flavis ultimis dilutioribus cirris quatuor brevibus; lineâ laterali versus operculum obliquâ, postice rectâ. Longitudo ab apice nasi ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis, 2 unc. 9 lin. Colour.—The back greenish brown with a golden gloss; the sides and belly gilded yellow, the former darkest. In some specimens there is simply a golden yellow line along the sides, and the parts below are greenish white. Fins pale greenish yellow. Eyes white with a yellow tint. Form, &c.—Figure subfusiform or ovate and prolonged; the dorsal out- line slightly arched, anteriorly near caudal fin straight; abdominal outline anteriorly more strongly arched, from base of anal fin posteriorly nearly straight. Head short, nearly as deep as long, strongly arched above; mouth directly in front; gape small, cirri four, two to upper lip, and one to each corner of mouth; lips thin ; nostrils close to upper and anterior edge of orbit ; sub- operculum rather broad, interoperculum triangular, its apex rounded, humeral plate triangular. Lateral line commences near upper extremity of oper- culum, its course at first slightly oblique, then in a straight line to middle of base of caudal fin, where it terminates. Scales large for the size of the fish, hinder edge semicircular, the outer surface towards hinder edge rough from several delicate raised striæ, more or less radiate. Dorsal fin small, its com- mencement rather nearer to the top of the head than to the base of caudal fin, and slightly in front of the base of ventral fins, the first ray slender and hard, the rest soft ; anal fin about midway between ventral and caudal fins, the latter bifurcate. Fin rays, D.7. P. 14. V.6. A.7. C. 17, This little fish inhabits clear streams in various parts of the Cape colony, and in its habits closely resembles the minnow (Leuciscus phoxinus) of Europe. Numerous individuals are seen together, and specimens are easily obtained by means of a baited hook. Until the Cyprinidoe shall have been subjected to a most searching examination by a person possessed of a minute knowledge of a great number of species, the family will exist as one whose BARBUS (PSEUDOBARBUS) PALLIDUS. groupes must be acknowledged to be but very imperfectly known, and badly established. Of the various families into which fishes have been distributed, there does not appear to me a second family in which the characters assumed as those of groupes are more vague, or even so vague and imperfect as those which have been selected to characterize the lower divisions of the Cyprinidae ; and I cannot, without hesitation, say that I believe I have not myself, even in this Number of my Illustrations, contributed to increase the obscurity and confusion. Be that, however, as it may, I feel convinced that it is not to the individual who possesses only a very limited number of species that the Ichthyologist is to look for improvement and reform : his expectations must be turned towards men who have the opportunity of examining and comparing large collections of species; and it is from them that he must expect light as to the proper classification. With respect to the three subordinate forms which I have ventured to characterize, and of which figures are given in Plates X. XI. and XII., I feel fully satisfied only of the legitimate claims of one Abrosto- mus ; the other two may eventually be referred to some other of the groupes already instituted, though I confess my own inability to discover in the combined characters of any of such groupes the essentials which would justify me in selecting for the South African species positions different from that in which I have placed them. When some hundreds of species shall have been got together, the difficulties which are now expe- rienced will doubtless be readily surmounted, and it will then be seen whether Cheilobarbus and Pseudo- barbus are to be retained as component forms of the genus Barbus, or are to be translated to some other genera. At present I regard both of them as forming minor divisions of the genus Barbus, and in my . opinion are to be regarded as two of its subgenera. Fig. 1. au o Fig. 2 Fig. 1. ABROSTOMUS UMBRATUS. - Fig. 2, ABROSTOMUS CAPENSIS (Pisces_Plate 12.) ABROSTOMUS UMBRATUS.* _SMITH. a Pisces.-PLATE XII.-No. 1. A. suprà viridi-purpureus; lateribus pallide cinereo-purpureis, maculis flavis variegatis; partibus inferioribus lactifloribus; pinnis dorsali caudalique flavo-maculatis; labiis carnosis; ore infrà spec- tante sub apice nasi posito; cirris quatuor. LONGITUDO ad apicem pinnæ caudalis, 8 unc. 4 lin. Colour. The upper surface of the head, the centre of the back and the upper parts of the sides, towards the head, a tint intermediate between reddish orange and brownish red (a sort of greenish purple) the remaining ( portion of the sides above the lateral line a pale brownish purple-red, heightened with a tint of reddish orange. Below the lateral line the ground colour is a pale, dull pearl-grey, clouded here and there, particularly towards the head, with pale crimson-red. In addition to the colours described the back and sides are mottled with blotches or spots of gallstone-yellow; above the lateral line these mottlings are very numerous and generally in the form of irregular, oblong, vertical blotches, below the line they are smaller, rather scanty, and somewhat circular. The sides are also variegated with several small clusters of minute dots of a chocolate-red colour. The belly and under parts are a dull cream-yellow. The sides of the head in front of the gill- covers variegated with pearl grey, yellow of various tints, and pale brownish red; gill-covers lilac-purple clouded with dull azure-blue and gallstone yellow. Lips and cirri pale flesh-red tinted with lilac-purple. Dorsal and caudal fins flesh-red, strongly tinted towards the base with brownish purple- red, and spotted with gallstone-yellow, the rays lightest,—the dorsal fin besides is crossed about midway between its base and apex by an obscure azure-blue bar. The pectoral, ventral, and anal fins pearl-grey, shaded with * Char. Subgen. Abrostomi.—Figure oblong-ovate; head broad posteriorly; snout pulpy, somewhat depressed, and its anterior outline semicircular ; mouth situated under the snout, small, transverse and directed downwards ; lips full and pulpy, the lower one with a membranous fold internally like a second lip; four cirri, two dependent from upper lip, one of them at each side of snout, and one from each angle of mouth ; nostrils double. Branchial rays three ; lateral line deflexed, slightly interrupted and consisting of a series of short tubes ; dorsal fin about midway between snout and caudal fin; scales small or of moderate size ; intestinal canal very long, slender, and rolled on itself. a ABROSTOMUS UMBRATUS. a brownish purple-red, and tinted with bright lemon-yellow. Eyes deep gall- stone-yellow shaded with brownish orange, a narrow ring around the pupil light gamboge-yellow. Form, &c.—Figure subovate and prolonged; the dorsal and abdominal outlines slightly arched, the outlines near to caudal fin almost straight. Head slightly arched superiorly and rather depressed ; snout prominent, pulpy, and consists of the covering of the maxillary bones ; mouth transverse; gape moderate ; lips tumid and pulpy, as represented in Plate XII. fig. a; nostrils about a line and a half in front of superior and anterior edge of orbits, the hindermost opening the largest ; cirri four, about 4 lines in length, two of them pendant from the front of the snout, and two from the angles of the mouth. Eyes moderate; suboperculum narrow ; interoperculum small, and semilunar behind. Lateral line nearly straight, and extends from the middle of the scapular plate to the base of the caudal fin; scales of several sizes, and varied as to shape; on some parts the exposed portion of the scales is six- sided, in some four-sided, and in others subovate; they are generally very small, considering the size of the fish, those on the under parts are much the smallest; the scales, along which the lateral line extends, are irregularly five- sided, (vide Plate XII. fig. b) and towards their tips finely and closely striated. Dorsal fin rather large, its base anteriorly nearer to the snout than to the base of caudal fin ; the base of the pectoral fins directly under the middle of dorsal fin ; the anterior edge of base of anal fin about midway between pectoral and caudal fins; the first and second rays of dorsal and anal, and the first ray of the ventral fins, hard, the rest soft and divided. Caudal fin deeply forked. Fin rays, D. 10. P. 12. V. 10. A. 6. C. 21. This fish is found in slow running streams to the North of Orange River, and generally in pools with a considerable depth of water and whose bottom is thickly coated with mud. It never takes a bait; therefore specimens are only secured by dragging with nets in such rivers, It is not regarded by the natives as eatable. ABROSTOMUS CAPENSIS.-SMITH. - PISCES.-PLATE XII.-No. 2. A. capite suprà dorsoque purpureo-brunneis; lateribus eisdem sed pallidioribus griseo-nebulatis; lateribus, infrà lineam lateralem, pallide flavis punctis brunneis variegatis; capitis lateribus, labiis, cirrisque flavis purpureo-tinctis ; pinnis subflavis plus minusve griseo-umbratis; oculis flavis brunneo-aurantio- umbratis. Longitudo ab nasi apice ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis, 9 unc. Colour.—The upper surface of the head and the back a tint intermediate between brownish purple-red and deep reddish orange (lavender brown mellowed with orange); the sides above the lateral line a paler tint of the same colour, with reflections of a greyish tint. Below the lateral line the colour is pale straw-yellow, and as above the line, is delicately variegated with numerous minute dots of a dull chocolate-red. The sides of the head, including the gill-covers, lips and cirri, pale straw-yellow, shaded with lilac- purple, aurora-red, and pale Dutch orange. Pectoral fins pale sienna-yellow, which fades towards their points into yellowish-white, the other fins wine- yellow, tinted with yellowish-grey, the rays, in all, lightest. Eyes gamboge- yellow, shaded with brownish-orange. Form, &c.—Figure oblong ovate; the dorsal and abdominal outlines with nearly the same degree of curvature, which, in both, is slight; snout full and soft ; top of the head slightly arched ; suboperculum and interoperculum nar- row; the hindermost nasal opening the largest ; cirri about 4 lines in length; intermaxillary bones extensible. Scales rather small, considering the size of the fish and the family (Cyprinide) to which it belongs, their outer surface pos- teriorly rugose from a number of fine radiating strie. The lateral line com- mences near the upper extremity of gill-covers, and terminates at the middle of the base of the caudal fin, its course near its commencement is slightly deflexed, but on reaching the point below the commencement of the dorsal fin its direction is nearly in a straight line. The commencement of the dorsal fin is a little in front of the pectoral fins, and nearly midway between the snout and base of the caudal fin; the first and second rays of the dorsal and anal fins hard, the others soft, and towards their points divided, the first a a ܕ ABROSTOMUS CAPENSIS. ray much shorter than the second. Caudal fin deeply forked. Stomach slender and thin, intestines delicate and much rolled, their length about eight or nine times that of the fish. Swimming bladder formed as in Cyprinida, the upper portion with sides straight, and the extremities more or less semicircular; the lower portion oblong ovate, the inferior end almost pointed, this portion is strengthened by two spiral bands, the united parts of which inferiorly surround the lower extremity of the bladder; the duct which forms the communication with the bowels arises from the upper extremity of the lower division. Fin rays, D. 11. P. 16. V. 9. A. 6. C. 18. This fish is found in many of the rivers of the Cape colony, in situations where the current is slow and the bed muddy. It is rarely caught by the hook, and specimens are most readily procured by dragging the semi-stagnant pools with a net. It is not used as food. OTOLITHUS Æ QUIDENS (Pisces_Plate 13.) OTOLITHUS ÆQUIDENS.—Cuv. & VAL. PISCES.-PLATE XIII. 0. suprà obscurè cæruleo-purpureus, nebulis viridibus aurantiisque variegatus; corporis lateribus infrà lineam lateralem, partibusque inferioribus argenteo-albis, flavo-tinctis et griseo-purpureo-umbratis; oris partibus internis flavis ; lineâ laterali subdeflexâ, continuâ; corpore elongato subovale ; capite anticè acuminato; maxillâ inferiore ultra superiore porrectâ ; squamis parvis, postice semicircularibus. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad pinnæ caudalis extremitatem in adulto, 3 ped. ad 4 ped. 6 unc. OTOLITHUS ÆQUIDENS, Cuv. & Val.-Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tom. 5, folio 66. GEEL BEK of the Cape Colonists. Colour.—The ground colour of the back, and the upper part of the sides above the lateral line, dull bluish purple, irregularly clouded with oil-green and light orange-red,—the upper surface of the head and the centre of the back in front of the dorsal fin, flashed with resplendent aurora-red; the scapular plate imperial purple, obscured with blackish purple. The sides below the lateral line and the under parts pale silvery-white, tinted with yellow, and shaded, especially the former, with light lavender-purple, the shades strongest towards the lateral line. The sides of the head, including the gill-covers, are oil-green, clouded with imperial purple, resplendent aurora-red and king's-yellow. The intermaxillary bones at the angles of the mouth are ultra-marine blue, and the groove between each and the maxillary bone gamboge-yellow. The dorsal, caudal, and anal fins, are light cochineal- red, shaded with pale brownish red; the pectoral fins dull ash-grey, fading posteriorly into yellowish white, and each fin towards the base is tinted with oil-green. Ventral fins yellowish-white, shaded with dull flesh-red. The edges of the lower jaw towards the angles of the mouth, and the inside of the mouth, are bright gamboge-yellow. The eyes are saffron-yellow, shaded with hyacinth-red. FORM, &c.-- Body rather compressed and oblong-ovate, greatest depth nearly one-fifth of its length, the part between dorsal and caudal fins very slender. The dorsal outline rather more curved than the ventral. Head conical, the apex formed by the pointed lower jaw which projects beyond the upper; the length of the head measured to hinder edge of operculum not quite one-fourth of the whole length of the fish. Eyes moderately large, situated directly over the hinder extremities of the maxillary bones ; nostrils OTOLITHUS ÆQUIDENS. n double on each side, the hindermost opening the largest, situated about mid- way between the eyes and tip of snout. The preoperculum towards its hinder margin without scales, the covering radiated. Teeth numerous, particularly towards the anterior extremities of the jaws, where they are irregularly disposed; they are curved backwards, and pointed ; in the upper jaw, the anterior teeth are the largest, in the lower jaw those situated towards the angles of the mouth. The lateral line commences at the shoulder-plate and runs nearly parallel with the line of the back till it reaches opposite the middle of the first dorsal fin, it then extends slightly downwards till it reaches nearly opposite the commencement of the anal fin, from thence it proceeds in a straight line to the base of the central ray of the caudal fin. The line is slightly interrupted, and consists of a series of slender raised tubes, one tube to each scale, the basal opening on the outer, the apical opening on the inner surface of the scale ; externally, opposite the apical opening, each tube appears as if it divided into a number of small branches, The scales are rather small as compared with the size of the fish, somewhat five-sided, the posterior side which form the apical portion semicircular, each scale presents three forms of organization, a triangular portion embracing the whole of the base, more or less reticular, the lateral portions finely ribbed, and the apical portion subcellular; the scales of the sides above the lateral line and those of the back smaller than those below the line. The first dorsal fin very low where it unites with the second; its height anteriorly is con- siderably greater than that of the second dorsal, the second and third rays are the longest; the hinder extremity of the second dorsal is rather nearer to the caudal fin than the corresponding extremity of the anal is to the caudal. Pec- toral fins subovate; the caudal fin posteriorly semilunar, the convexity for- wards. Length of a full grown fish from three feet to three feet and a half. Fin rays ......... .......D. 9—27. P. 16. V. 6. A. 10. C. 18. The Geel Bek occurs abundantly in the seas immediately around the southern point of Africa, and is often caught in numbers in Table Bay, both by the hook and the seine. It is not much esteemed as food. DENTEX RUPESTRIS (Pisces_Plate 14.) DENTEX RUPESTRIS.-Cuv. & VAL. PISCES.Plate XIV. D. superne rubra, cyaneo, viridi, purpureoque umbrata ; inferne pallide flavo-albá, pallide cyaneo-- umbrata ; labio superiore purpureo, inferiore orisque angulo aurantiis ; pinnâ dorsali purpureo-rubrâ, rubro-tinctâ ; oculis aurantiis, pallide flavo, cæruleoque variegatis ; capite magno ; lineâ fasciali declivi; corpore antice valde crasso versus pinnam caudalem gracile ; dentibus caninis, utraque maxillâ, quatuor, fortibusque curvatis. LONGITUDO adulti 3 ped. 10 unc. DENTEX RUPESTRIS, Cuv. & Val.-Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tom. 6, folio 231. ROODE STEEN Brass of the Cape Colonists. Colour. The ground colour of the back and sides, above the lateral line, aurora-red, irregularly clouded with ultra-marine blue, oil-green and dull lavender-purple; towards the tail there is a distinct orange tint; below the lateral line the ground colour, anteriorly, towards the gills, is pale lemon- yellow,--posteriorly, pale aurora-red, tinged with orange-yellow, and the whole clouded with ultra-marine blue. The ground colour of the upper part of the head is pale hyacinth-red, clouded with light orange, ultra-marine blue, and lemon-yellow, the lateral and under parts of the head aurora-red, clouded with lavender-purple and lemon-yellow. The upper lip is a pale plum-purple, the lower lip and the angles of the mouth light Dutch-orange. Dorsal fin brownish purple-red shaded with light tile-red. Pectoral fins aurora-red, darkest above, and at the base clouded with ultra-marine blue, the ventral, anal, and caudal fins, are pale reddish-orange, shaded with light brownish red. Eyes deep reddish orange, pale yellow and ultra marine blue, the colours disposed in irregular circles which pass into each other. The whole of the fish, with the exception of the fins, has a mother-of-pearl gloss. Form, &c.—Body large, thick, and bulky, between dorsal and caudal fins rather slender ; dorsal outline slightly curved, abdominal outline as far as anal fin nearly straight, the portion on which the anal fin rests is inclined upwards, the remaining part sloping slightly to the caudal fin. The profile of the face strongly declining and broken, or rendered irregular by a large projection or bulge over the anterior and superior edge of the orbit. Lower DENTEX RUPESTRIS. a jaw deep and robust; both lips large and pulpy. Teeth disposed in a band upon the margin of each jaw; all, except those which form the outer row, small, and closely set, those of outer row rather large, cylindrical curved and pointed, the four front ones of each jaw very powerful, and many times the size of the others, but of the same shape and with a like curve. Nostrils on each side double, the hinder opening the largest; they are situated under and immediately in front of the anterior extremity of the superciliary bulge. Eyes very large. Back rather compressed, its edge anteriorly to dorsal fin thin and cutting. Lateral line broken, and consists of a series of slender hollow tubes, one on each scale, the hinder opening of which is on the exterior surface of scale, the anterior on inner surface ; the line extends from the upper edge of the operculum to the centre of the base of caudal fin, towards its commencement it is slightly arched, the curvature upwards, then nearly straight till it pass the hinder extremity of dorsal fin, from this point its course is oblique or sloping downwards to its termination. Scales very large and four-sided, the angles rounded. Dorsal fin commences some distance behind base of pectoral fins; pectoral fins somewhat falciform. Fin rays, D. 22. P. 17. V. 6. A. 11. C. 19. The Rooye Steen Brass is taken in the seas which wash the coasts of Southern Africa, generally by the hook, frequently also in nets; and the number caught at one time is some- times so great, as even to endanger the net, and make it a work of labour to get it on shore. It is highly esteemed as food. SCIÆNA HOLOLEPIDOTA. (Pisces_Plate. 15.) SCIÆNA HOLOLEPIDOTA.-Cuv. & VAL. PISCES.-PLATE XV. S. capite coeruleo-purpureo, rutilo, flavo et flavo-viride nebulato ; dorso, lateribusque supra lineam lateralem aurantio-carneis effuse purpureo-variegatis, ambobus antice viridi-coeruleo splendentibus; lateribus infra lineam lateralem pallide carneis viridi-purpureo præcipue versus caudam umbratis. Oculis coeruleo-purpureo et flavo-coloribus in formâ annulorum ordinatis. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad pinnæ caudalis extremitatem 3 ped. SCIÆNA HOLOLEPIDOTA, Cuv. & Val. Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tom. v. , . p. 33. LABRUS HOLOLEPIDOTUS, Lacepede ? Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tom. iii. p. 448. pl. 21. fig. 2. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head bluish purple, the former flashed with resplendent aurora-red, the latter mottled with clouds or shades of pale saffron-yellow and oil-green; the sides of the lower jaw and the under surface of the head pale flesh-red. The back near to the head, and the sides of the body above the lateral line, immediately under the portion of the back referred to, resplendent greenish blue; the other parts of the back and of the sides above the line a colour intermediate between flesh-red and Dutch-orange, freely and extensively variegated however with shades and tints of imperial purple, which are most distinct anteriorly. The sides below the lateral line are a light flesh-red, strongly shaded, particularly towards the tail, with greenish purple ; belly pale flesh-red, inclining to reddish white. The first dorsal fin and the basal third of the second a tint intermediate between pearl-grey and flesh-red the other two-thirds of the second dorsal fin shaded with dull reddish purple; the pectoral fins are a pale pearl-grey, tinted towards the tips with gamboge-yellow; the ventral fins pearl-grey, sparingly clouded with yellow. The anal and caudal fins are flesh-red, shaded longitudinally with dull reddish purple. Eyes bright bluish purple, and primrose-yellow; the colours disposed in rings; the outer ring purple, the inner ring yellow. Form, &c.—Figure elongated subovate ; dorsal outline anterior to the first dorsal fin oblique and slightly arched, from the commencement of the first dorsal to the hinder extremity of the second dorsal, slightly sloping down- wards ; from the last-named point it is nearly straight to within a short dis- tance of the caudal fin, and posterior to the straight portion it extends a SCIÆNA HOLOLEPIDOTA. upwards and backward to the last-named fin. Abdominal outline between apex of lower jaw and anal fin nearly straight or only very slightly waved, the portion of outline in which the fin is set slightly arched, with an inclina- tion upwards, the remaining portion with a slight slope upwards till within a short distance of the caudal fin, where it changes its inclination, and slopes downwards and backwards to the base of the fin. Head rather large; nose rounded and obtuse; gape directed forwards, of moderate width, and each jaw furnished with a row of moderately strong, pointed, cylindrical, and rather short teeth, which have a curvature inwards, and are placed rather widely apart. Besides these teeth, there is in the upper jaw a narrow row of small slender teeth on their inner side, and in the lower jaw there is scattered around the bases of the larger teeth a number of smaller ones, nearly similar in form to the larger ones. The eyes are situated near to the superior outline of the head, and directly over the hinder extremities of the maxillary bones ; nostrils small, double, and placed directly in front of the inner corner of the eye, and nearly directly over the angle of the mouth. The head, the gill-covers, and the body, are covered with moderate-sized scales, which, on the latter, are disposed in oblique rows, the direction of which is downwards and backwards. The lateral line is arched anteriorly, the convexity upwards, the posterior half is nearly straight. Dorsal fin deeply notched between the spinous and cartilaginous portion, the third and fourth spinous ray the longest, the second and fifth about equal and rather shorter than the fourth, the first and seventh nearly of equal length, the second portion has its rays nearly all of equal length, and all rather longer than the eighth spinous ray. Pectoral fins somewhat fan-shaped, the upper rays longest. The ventral fins are directly under the pectoral fins and the commencement of the dorsal fin, and are truncated behind, as is also the anal fin. Caudal fin posteriorly very nearly straight. B. 7; D. 10/19; P. 17; V. 6; A. 8; C. 18. Individuals are frequently caught which measure three feet, and even more, in length; but the ones most commonly obtained are between two feet five and two feet eight inches. This fish, the Kabbelgaauw of the Dutch inhabitants, is principally taken by means of baited hooks; but many occasionally are caught in seines. It is held in moderate estimation as an article of food, and from such numbers existing in the vicinity of Table Bay, it forms one of the staple fish of the Cape market. RHINOBATUS ANNULATUS (Pisces- Plate 16) RHINOBATUS (SYRRHINÀ) ANNULATUS.—SMITH. PISCES.-PLATE XVI. R. suprà flavo-cinereus annulis livido-brunneis variegatus; infrà carneus; aculeis parvis in ordine transverso ante oculum; naso depresso antice rotundato ; aculeis parvis in medio dorsi inter caput et ; primam pinnam dorsalem. LONGITUDO ab apice nasi ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis, 39 unc. RHINOBATUS (SYRRHINA) ANNULATUS, Muller et Henle, Besch der Plagiostomen, p. 116. Colour.—Above, the tint is intermediate between yellowish grey and greenish grey, the former colour predominating on the fins; below, light flesh-red. The hinder parts of the head and the back and sides in front of the second dorsal fin are sparingly sprinkled with eye-like spots, each spot con- sisting of two dark rings, a light ring and a light central spot; the dark rings are clove-brown, the light ring and the central spot bluish white, or pale lavender-purple. Eyes silvery with a greenish tint; apex of snout superiorly pale flesh-red. Form, &c.—Head flat and subtriangular, the snout, which forms the apex of the triangle, thin and rounded; the body convex above, nearly flat beneath, and tapering gradually from the hindhead to the caudal fin, the portion immediately in front of the latter very slender and subcylindrical. Opening of eyes rather small and ovate; postorbital opening immediately behind the eye, oblique, large, oval, and with two small, triangular, cuticular lobules projecting forewards from its hind edge, towards the upper extremity. About a quarter of an inch in front of each eye is a short semicircular transverse ridge, the hinder edge of which is armed with a number of short, strong, and pointed teeth, directed horizontally backwards, and there are indications of a few others disposed in a small cluster above the upper extremity of each post- orbital opening. Nasal bones long, about one inch apart between the dentated ridges in front of the eyes, towards apex of nose nearly in contact and parallel. Nostrils large, oblique, and anteriorly divided into two parts by a loose triangular lobule, the inner portion of which is so prolonged as nearly to meet its fellow of the opposite side, the hinder edge of prolongation loose, the anterior edge throughout attached. Mouth directly transverse, and both jaws armed with smooth, convex, and closely-set teeth, transversely, of an a RHINOBATUS (SYRRHINA) ANNULATUS. oval form. Dorsal fins rather small, placed far back on the body, and each truncated behind. Ventral fins small, the hinder and outer edge prolonged. Caudal fin somewhat oval, or imperfectly diamond-shaped, the upper part posteriorly most prolonged. The spines in the course of the dorsal line are very short, slender, obtuse, and scarcely visible in the fresh fish ; and the skin, if stroked from the head, is smooth; if towards the head, rough. The eye-like variegations are alike, as regards number and position, on both sides. DIMENSIONS. Inch, Lin. Length from the tip of the nose to the point of the tail 39 0 Distance between the tip of the nose and the eye ....... 5 13 between the tip of the nose and the commencement of first dorsal fin 24 6 between the first dorsal fin and the commencement of the second 5 0 Inch. Lin. Distance between the second dorsal fin and the commencement of the caudal fin ..... 2 6 between the tip of the nose and the outer angle of the nostril 4 10 between the tip of the nose and the mouth... 5 6 Width of the mouth 2 3 Greatest width of the body, including the pectoral fins 12 6 The length between the tip of the caudal fin and the anterior extremity of the eye is nearly six and a half times that between the anterior extremity of the eye and the point of the snout. The first specimen of this fish which I procured, was taken in a seine near the mouth of the Cowie River, and I have seen others of the same species caught in Algoa Bay. It has not yet been found to the westward of Cape Point, nor is it known to the fishermen of Simon's Town. It is always found in situations where the bottom of the sea is level and sandy. B a А OSTRACION, undecimaculeatus. (Pisces._ Plate 17) OSTRACION UNDECIM-ACULEATUS.--SMITH. a Pisces.--Plate XVII. O. supra lucide ochraceus; infrà stramineus; pinnis subochraceis ; figurâ quadrangulare, angulis aculeis armatis, quinque dorso, sex abdominis lateribus; fissurâ branchiale angulatâ. LONGITUDO a nasi apice ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis 6 unc. Colour.- Back and sides intermediate between ochre and straw-yellow, the tint clear and semipellucid ; below straw-yellow or pale cream-yellow; fins the same colour as the back, only paler and without the lucid hue. In many specimens the upper and lateral parts of the head and the lower portions of the sides over the abdominal angles irregularly tinged with a dull orange-coloured brown. Form, &c.— Figure quadrangular; the superior or dorsal side much narrower than the inferior or abdominal side, and the lateral sides, in regard of breadth, intermediate between the two. The angle at each side of the back, formed by the junction of the dorsal and lateral sides, nearly straight anteriorly, posteriorly convergent, and behind the dorsal fin forms with its fellow of the opposite side a flat triangular and obtuse point, which projects over the upper surface of the tail. The breadth of the dorsal side is greatest at the points where the angles begin to converge, and each point is armed with a short, pointed, horizontal spine. Besides those spines there are three others on the back, one projecting anteriorly from each superciliary ridge, and one about midway between the two first-mentioned, near the centre of the back in front of the dorsal fin. Top of the head level posteriorly, concave anteriorly, the concavity broad between the eyes, narrow towards the hindhead; the sides of head under the eyes compressed; face moderately broad and rounded, muzzle rather produced and projecting slightly beyond the general slope of the face. Branchial opening angular, and situated some distance behind a line let fall from the outer corner of the eye. The lateral sides of the cuirass, which are slightly waved, diverge from above downwards, and the abdominal angles, formed by the lateral and under sides of the cuirass, anteriorly obtuse, posteriorly acute, and each is armed with three short spines, the first situated about midway between the nose and hinder extremity of the cuirass, the last at the extremity of the latter, and the third about equidistant between these two: the direction OSTRACION UNDECIM-ACULEATUS. of all is horizontal, the two first extend laterally, the last backwards and outwards. The inferior or abdominal side slightly subovate and convex, narrow anteriorly, subtruncate posteriorly, and with a slight semicircular projection immediately under the tail. The plates of the back are irregularly five or six sided, each having its margin prominent and considerably raised above the disc; those of the sides present a like irregularity in regard to form, but their margins are less distinctly indicated, and there is no very marked inequality between them and the discs. The plates of the sides of the head are small, and fashioned like those of the back. The plates of the belly have their margin very prominent, and their disc hollow; the former is smooth, and the latter is studded with pellucid granules; the anterior portion of the back, the sides of the head, and all the angles are also more or less granular. The anal is situated considerably behind the dorsal fin, and both are rather fan-shaped. Tail subcylindrical ; caudal fin moderately long, and square or slightly rounded behind. The pectoral fin has the upper rays longest, the lower one shortest. DIMENSIONS. Inch. Lin. Inch. Lin. 6 3 8 Length from the nose to the hinder edge of the cuirass Distance between the nose and the base of the dorsal fin Distance between the nose and the base of the anal fin between the nose and the bran- chial opening 3 0 1 2 Young.-In young specimens the back is very narrow, and the lower or abdominal parts very broad and bulging; the spines, in proportion, are more elongated, and the figure altogether is less regularly angular. Inhabits the seas about the Cape of Good Hope, and also the Indian Ocean. Specimens are frequently found on the beech after gales of wind, both to the eastward and northward of Cape Town, and individuals are occasionally taken in nets in Table Bay. B b A A > OSTRACION (Pisces. BICUSPES Plate 18) OSTRACION BICUSPES.BLUMENB. PISCES.-PLATE XVIII. 0. suprà pallide flavo-brunneus, aurantio-brunneo nebulatus; infrà lactifloreus ; caudâ flavo-brunneâ; pinnis lactifloreis ; carinâ dorsi angulisque lateralibus, duobus aculeis parvis armatis ; naso obtuso, sub-horizontale. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad pinnæ caudalis extremitatem 10 unc. OBSTRACION BICUSPES. Blumenb. Abbild. Naturhist. Gegen, No. 58. OSTRACION STELLIFER. Schn. Syst. Icth. Bloch. Colour.- Back and sides pale yellowish brown, faintly tinted or clouded with light orange-coloured brown; belly pale cream-yellow; tail, behind cuirass, pale yellowish brown; fins cream-yellow, each at the base faintly tinted with light yellowish-brown ; sides of the head with three or four hori- zontal livid coloured lines. FORM, &c.—Figure triangular, the apex of the triangle formed by the ridge of the back (vide fig. 6). Head above broad; between eye-brows slightly concave ; behind eyes rather convex ; sides of the head compressed ; facial outline narrow, and removed but little from the perpendicular; muzzle protuberant, pointed, and forming an obtuse angle with the line of the face. Mouth directed obliquely downwards ; lips thick; teeth moderately long and slender; eyes rather large; branchial opening perpendicular and directly under the outer canthus of the eye. Face rough from granules, but no distinct plates ; plates of the side of the head small, generally six-sided granular, but without divergent rays. The ridge of the back is acute, mode- rately elevated, slightly arched, and armed with two small spines, one behind the other, towards the middle or most elevated portion of the curve; the arch commences at the centre of the hind head, a little behind the outer canthus of the eye, and ends at the commencement of the dorsal fin. Behind the dorsal fin the upper part of the cuirass is flat, and rather broad, its hinder part pro- jecting some way along the upper surface of the tail, in the form of an obtuse point. The sides slope obliquely from the ridge of the back to the abdo- minal angles, and behind the eyes bulge considerably beyond a regular slope, as will be understood on reference to section b; the hinder edge of the sides OSTRACION BICUSPES. of cuirass semicircular, the convexity forwards. Under surface nearly flat, and somewhat diamond-shaped; the greatest width a little way behind the commencement of the second third of the body; the hinder extremity of the under surface broad and triangular, its termination directly under the point which forms the upper elongation. The lateral or abdominal angles spread- ing particularly towards the middle of the cuirass ; towards the head they are rather obtuse, elsewhere thin and sharp, and each, when perfect, is armed with two or four short and slender spines, the longest and strongest of each side situated at the most diverging point, as represented in figure a. The plates of the cuirass are irregularly six or seven sided, and the surface of each is divided into six or seven somewhat triangular compartments, by the same number of narrow rugose ridges radiating from a common centre, and each compartment, like the ridges, is more or less rugose, from the existence of a number of small semi-circular granules. In consequence of a certain degree of regularity in the arrangement of some of these ridges, an appearance is produced as if the sides were crossed longitudinally by several rows of long, narrow, and oval compartments, arranged like links of a chain. The plates of the under surface six-sided; those towards the head closely coated with granules ; those on the belly with four or six divergent ridges, and only a very few granules. Tail subcylindrical ; dorsal, pectoral, and anal fins square behind, and the first ray of each the longest ; caudal fin posteriorly slightly rounded, or square. a DIMENSIONS. In. Lin. In. Lin. 10 0 4 9 Length from the point of the nose to the hinder edge of the caudal fin Distance between the hinder angle of the eye, and the base of the dorsal fin Distance between the hinder angle of the eye, and the base of the anal fin Distance between the nose and the bran- chial opening 4 3 1 102 In very young specimens (fig. B), the superciliary ridges are arched, sharp, and armed with two delicate compressed spines. The arch of the back is greater than in adults, and the abdominal angles are more expanded horizontally. Inhabits the seas of Southern Africa, and found most frequently in the bays of the South- eastern coast, D Ε Ν Τ Ε Χ ARGYRO Ζ Ο Ν Α (Pisces_Plate 19.) DENTEX ARGYROZONA.-Cuv. & VAL. PISCES.- PLATE XIX. D. superne subrubra, subtus carnea, lineis longitudinalibus pallide purpureo-notatis ; dentibus caninis maxilla mandibulaque quatuor; mandibulæ apice ultra maxillam porrecta; squamis capitis fortiter imbricatis. LONGITUDO e capitis apice ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis 23 unc. DENTEX ARGYROZONA, Hist. Natur. des Poisson, par Cuvier et Val., tom vi., p. 235. SILVER FISH of the Cape Colonists. a a Colour.—The back and the sides of the body above the lateral line a tint intermediate between scarlet and aurora-red; the sides below the lateral line flesh-red, variegated with a number of narrow, longitudinal bands of faint purple; the under parts of the head and body pale rose-red,—all, in certain lights, exhibiting slight tints of purple. The upper surface of the head, the nape, and the preorbital plate a colour intermediate between yellowish brown and honey-yellow; the other portions of the sides of the head and the gill- covers flesh-red, slightly tinted with honey-yellow and faintly clouded with violet-purple; the operculum and preoperculum bordered posteriorly with a silvery grey band, speckled with minute dark points. Dorsal fin pale purplish red; pectorals intermediate between scarlet and aurora-red; ventral, anal, and caudal fins flesh-red, slightly shaded with pale scarlet. Eyes bright scarlet-red. Form, &c.—Figure oblong oval, the dorsal outline rather more arched than the ventral. Head anteriorly pointed, the lower jaw rather longer than the upper; mouth moderately large and slightly inclined upwards. Eyes rather large. Nostrils double, one directly before the other, about a line apart, and the hindermost almost twice the size of the front one; they are on a level with the upper edge of the orbit, and not quite half an inch in front of it. The hinder edge of the preoperculum superiorly nearly vertical, inferiorly arched or semicircular. Hinder edge of operculum semilunar and slightly waved. Teeth partly canine partly criniform, the former external to the a DENTEX ARGYROZONA. a latter, the four anteriormost of each jaw the largest and situated widely apart, the middle two of the four are nearly directly in front and much smaller than the two behind them ; the others, which form a continuous row behind the large ones, are closely set, comparatively small, pointed, slightly curved in- wards, and largest towards the angles of the mouth ; the criniform teeth are situated on the inner side of the canines, and have a few small ones of the latter description generally mixed with them, particularly towards the apex of the lower jaw. The upper surface of the head anteriorly, the preorbital plates, the lips, the under surface of the lower jaw, and the operculum and preoperculum towards their posterior edge, smooth and without scales ; all the other parts, the fins excepted, covered with scales. The scales on the upper and hinder surface of the head are small, highly imbricate, and of a somewhat rhomboidal form; those of the body are much larger than those of the head, and the portion of each which is uncovered is of a semilunar shape, they also are highly imbricate. The scales immediately above and in front of the ventral fins are rather small, but in disposition and configuration some- what like those of the operculum ; at the base of each ventral fin externally a long pointed horny scale. The operculum and preoperculum near to the hinder edge are covered with a fine thin smooth skin. Lateral line slightly arched and has its origin a little above the superior angle of the operculum, its ter- mination at the base of the caudal fin about midway between its upper and under edges. Dorsal fin highest anteriorly, the fifth ray longest, the third and fourth only slightly shorter, the first and second cartilaginous rays rather longer than the last bony ray. The pectoral fin superiorly very long and pointed, the fourth ray the longest; the ventral fins rather small, the third ray longest; the anal anteriorly deepest, the first and second cartilaginous rays rather the longest ; caudal fin lunate. Length of specimen described, 23 inches ; length of head from anterior extremity of lower jaw to hinder edge of operculum, 6) inches, a D., ; P., 16; V., }; A., $; C., 19. Inhabits the seas of the eastern and western coasts of South Africa, and is a very common fish in the Cape market. It is generally caught by means of baited hooks. CYBIUM FLAVO-BRUNN EUM (Pisces_Plate 20.) CYBIUM FLAVO-BRUNNEUM.-SMITH. PISCES.- PLATE XX. C. capite rubro-brunneo, mandibulæ lateribus tectricibusque branchiarum argentio-lavatis ; corpore flavo- brunneo ; squamis parvis indistinctis ; caudæ carinâ acutâ et distinctâ ; pinnis rubro-brunneis; pinnis spuriis suprà quinque, infrà quatuor ; pinnâ caudale profundè furcatâ. LONGITUDO ab apice mandibulæ ad apicem pinnæ caudalis 24 unc. a Colour.— The body is of a tint intermediate between light chesnut-brown and yellowish brown, faintly and delicately reticulated from the margins of the portion of the small scales, which is uncovered, being faintly semi-pellucid ; the head and the fins deep-reddish brown, the sides of the lower jaw and the surface of gill-coverts with a strong silvery lustre. The lower portion of the sides and the under parts are lighter than the back, and distinctly tinged with flesh-red. Form, &c.—Figure lengthened and subovate ; dorsal outline slightly curved; ventral outline considerably arched. Head compressed and conical ; the top of the head nearly level and the under jaw slopped upwards, the lat- ter rather longer than the upper, and at the point is truncated and much deeper than the upper. The margins of the jaws are curved downwards to the angles of the mouth, which are situated directly under the anterior edge of the eyes; each jaw supports a row of teeth, and there are besides two large fangs curving backwards a little behind the front of the upper jaw on the anterior part of the palate; the teeth of the upper jaw are very small and cylindrical, about half a line apart, and slightly curved inwards; those of the under jaw are considerably larger, more apart from each other, and with a like curvature inwards. Nostrils double, small, vertical, and about half an inch apart, the one directly in front of the other, the hindermost nearly half an inch before the anterior and upper edge of the orbit. Orbits large, some- what circular. Postocular plate distinctly marked with longitudinal striæ ; the preoperculum superiorly with vertical striæ, inferiorly slightly puckered; operculum radiated; infraoperculum smooth, all covered with small some- what circular scales; the posterior edge of operculum semicircular and nearly unbroken. The body covered closely with small delicate scales, but indis- a CYBIUM FLAVO-BRUNNEUM. . tinctly visible in the fresh fish, though manifest in dried specimens. Tail fur- nished with a strong sharp keel on each side. The first dorsal fin commences a little behind the pectoral, is low, and the rays are connected by a delicate, nearly colourless membrane; it terminates a little in front of the second, and unless when elevated, is concealed in a groove which runs along the centre of the back. The second dorsal fin anteriorly is rather high, the second, third, and fourth rays being considerably prolonged, posteriorly it is low, and scarcely rising higher than the false fins; the posterior edge of this fin has a falciform appearance. The anal is formed after the manner of the dorsal, and commences a little in front of the hinder extremity of the latter. The pectoral fins are rather long, narrow, and the upper and posterior extremity of each ends in a point. The ventral fins are narrow and of moderate length ; the caudal fin is deeply forked and the longest, the outer rays of each por- tion forming a sharp point. The false fins, five above and four below, are small, and the hindermost rays of each much prolonged. DIMENSIONS. Inches. Lines. Distance between the nose and the eye 2 3 from the nose to the com- mencement of 1st dorsal fin 6 6 from the nose to the 2d dorsalfin 11 2 Inches. Lines, Distance from the nose to the anal fin. 13 6 Length from the nose to the extremity of the caudal fin. 24 0 The greatest depth of the body is rather more than one-sixth of the total length This fish is now and then caught in the seas about the Cape of Good Hope ; but none of the fishermen with whom I conversed had ever known more than two specimens to have been caught in the same season. PENT A CEROS RICHARDSONI: (Pisces — Plate 21.) PENTACEROS RICHARDSONI.-SMITH. PISCES.-PLATE XXI. - P. capite scabrâ striato; squamis paucis infra oculos; thorace scutis parvis multilateralibus tecto; dentibus criniformibus ; spinis pinnarum osseis, fortibus, longitudinaliter striatis ; lineâ laterali arcuata. LONGITUDO è naso ad apicem caudæ 21 unc. Colour.—Head above intermediate between wood-brown and aurora-red, which colour is shaded or freckled with brownish red and superiorly varie- gated with a few narrow waved black veins from the skin which connects the osseous plates being of the latter colour. Sides of head below eyes irregularly mottled lilac-purple and aurora-red, the former colour being most distinct behind the angles of the mouth, posterior to the eyes and on the posterior and upper edge of the operculum. Back and sides over the lateral line intermediate between brownish red and auricula-purple, and faintly glossed with oil-green ; sides below the lateral line and the belly yellowish grey freely shaded with light imperial purple. Dorsal fin light reddish brown clouded particularly towards its base with imperial purple, rays aurora-red shaded with brownish-red. Caudal, anal and ventral fins yellowish grey rayed with brownish-red and glossed with purple. Pectoral fins aurora-red striped between the rays with brownish-red. Eyes, -outer portion of iris deep pansy-purple, middle silvery white, and the inner portion blackish brown. Colour of dried skin.—Head yellowish brown, finely rayed with reddish- brown, back and sides yellowish brown freckled and shaded with umber- brown. Dorsal fin light orange coloured brown, shaded with brownish-red. Caudal fin light yellowish brown, rayed towards apex with brownish-red. Form, &c.—Body subovate and compressed. Dorsal outline from origin to termination of dorsal fin slightly inclined, anterior to origin very oblique, the facial angle being about 45°. Ventral outline slightly but regularly arched till near the middle of the anal fin, behind that the hinder edge of fin is curved strongly inwards to join the narrow portion of the body which PENTACEROS RICHARDSONI. a lies in front of the caudal fin. Head compressed and conical; lower jaw longest; gape small and each jaw has a broad band of short criniform teeth. Nostrils double, the hindermost the largest, and both situated rather nearer to the eye than the nose. Eyes large. Head rather more than one- fourth of the total length of the fish, being 5} in a specimen measuring 21 inches. The surface of the head between the preoperculum and subor- bital plates consists of rather small somewhat circular scales, elsewhere of strong bony plates externally radiated with granular striæ. Shoulder plates radiated in the same manner, the uppermost very coarsely. The under surface of the body in front of ventral fins is flat and formed somewhat like the thorax of an Ostracion : behind these fins to anus keeled, and both these parts together with the edge of back between hindhead and origin of dorsal fin covered with hard tubercular or subangular plates, placed side by side like stones in a pavement; the other parts of the body are covered with scales simi- lar to what are found on fishes generally, only they are rather small, as com- pared with the size of the specimen. Lateral line commences immediately over the second scapular plate, ascends, forming an arch, towards the dorsal fin and on its reaching a point, under the fifth ray, it proceeds parallel with the base of the dorsal fin till near the last spinous ray, where it begins to descend obliquely till it reaches about midway between the termination of the anal and dorsal fins; from thence it proceeds in a straight line to the caudal fin. Dorsal fin very strong anteriorly; the spinous rays very robust, and all longitudinally striated; the fourth, fifth, and sixth rays the longest,--the first much the shortest : the soft portion of dorsal fin very short, and not higher than the lowest portion of the spinous part. Pectoral fin, pointed, the first ray spinous, but short and slender ; the fifth ray the longest. Ventral fins small, and the first or spinous ray very large and longitudinally striated. Anal fin with the spinous rays strong, the second the longest, and all striated; the cartilaginous rays shorter than the spinous. Caudal fin posteriorly straight, or the outer rays of each side in the slightest possible degree longer than the middle ones. D.; P. 16; V.}; A.; C. 16. Length of individual described, 21 inches. The only specimen of this Fish I have seen, was procured near to Cape Point, and was taken by means of a hook in very deep water. - 2 L 1. SEBASTES CAPENSIS. 2. SEBASTES MACULATUS. (Pisces Plate, 22.) SEBASTES CAPENSIS.-Cuv. ET VALL. PISCES.-PLATE XXII. Fig. 1. - S. ruber, partibus inferioribus pallidè purpureo-tinctis ; capite supernè aculeis duodecim ; preoperculo aculeis quinquè, operculo duobus versus apicem armatis; pinnâ caudali subfalcata. LONGITUDO e naso ad apicem pinnæ caudalis 14 unc. SCORPÆNA CAPENSIS, Gmel. SCORPENE AFRICAINE, Lacep. t. iii. p. 266. a Colour.—The upper surface of the head, its sides to the operculum, and the body above the lateral line, a tint intermediate between chesnut-brown and purplish red, which towards the caudal fin passes into light reddish orange. The edges of most of the scales are of a light pearly colour, and in addition to these slight variegations, there occur also a few irregular-shaped flesh-red spots distinctly indicated in the fresh fish. Lower parts of body below lateral line and hinder portion of operculum buff-orange shaded with aurora-red, and towards lateral line faintly clouded with crimson-red; the point of operculum carmine-red. Lower jaw, lower portion of operculum, space in front of pectoral and ventral fins, and the upper lips intermediate between brownish purple-red and lake-red. Dorsal fin between lake-red and chesnut-brown. Pectoral, ventral, and caudal fins aurora-red, the two first rayed with lake-red only very faintly towards lower part of pectorals, the caudal is rayed with light orange-coloured brown, and tinged with lake-red. Anal fin pale buff-orange rayed with brownish purple-red. Eyes bright brownish orange, with incomplete rings of bright gall-stone yellow and King's-yellow. FORM, &c.-Figure anteriorly bulky, posteriorly rather slender, the body being much tapered towards the caudal fin. Head large posteriorly, and tapered to the snout; not quite a third of the length of the fish, and supe- riorly is armed on each side with an irregular row of spines, several of which have their base prolonged horizontally, forming fine sharp heels, best seen in prepared specimens. One of these points occurs immediately inside SEBASTES CAPENSIS. . of the hindermost nostril, four over the eye, one in front and three behind; and the last, with its lengthened base, is situated more towards the mesial line, and immediately over the base of the uppermost spine of the shoulder. Preoperculum posteriorly with a prominent edge, which is armed with five more or less acute and strong spines ; operculum terminated posteriorly by a triangular fleshy point, before which are two spines, the lowermost the smallest. Spines of shoulders two, situated between the point of the uppermost spine of operculum and the last spine of the head. Dorsal outline from origin of dorsal fin to snout strongly arched from the former to caudal fin nearly straight, or with a slight concavity most distinct under the seventh and eight dorsal rays. Ventral outline, from tip of lower jaw to origin of anal fin, rather strongly arched; from latter to caudal fin a gently ascending line. Lateral line nearly parallel to the outline of the back, is slightly raised, and commences above the lowermost shoulder-plate, and terminates midway between the two edges of the base of the caudal fin. Space in front of eyes, upper lip, and lower jaw, without scales, the other parts of the head and body covered with scales ; those on the former small and irregular; those on the body moderately large, semicircular ; and all, excepting those of the belly, with the posterior edge finely serrated. Dorsal fin rather low, the membranous portion highest, and of the spinous rays the third is the longest. Caudal fin posteriorly subfalcate ; pectorals oblong, posteriorly ovate, the rays fleshy, and the eight inferior ones only connected by membrane towards their base. Ventral fins moderately long, the second and third rays longest, the first spinous and strong. Anal fin rather deep; the three first rays spinous, the two first very strong, the third rather slender, removed from second and in close contact with the first cartilaginous ray, which, and the second, are the longest. Eyes rather large. Nostrils double, and close to the upper and anterior edge of orbit, the one in front of the other. Teeth criniform, and forming a narrow band round the inner edge of each jaw. Adult specimens generally measure about 14 inches in length. B.7; D. 1; P. 18; V.; A.; C. 14. . Inhabits the seas around the Cape of Good Hope, and is caught generally with baited hooks; it is a common fish in the market of Cape Town. SEBASTES MACULATUS.-Cuv. ET VALL. PISCES.-PLATE XXII. Fig. 2. S. subruber; capite supernè aculeis duodecim; preoperculo aculeis quinquè, operculo duobus armatis ; rostro lato rotundato; ore magno; pinnæ analis aculeo secundo fortissimo. LONGITUDO e naso ad apicem pinnæ caudalis 14 ad 16 unc. Colour.— The upper parts of the head and the body above the lateral line a tint intermediate between light carmine-red and tile-red, the former and the anterior portion of the latter shaded with brownish red, the posterior portion mottled with shades of Dutch-orange, and moreover marked with a few irregular-shaped spots of flesh-red. Sides of the head and the body below the lateral line dull flesh red, clouded with varying tints of lilac-purple and Dutch-orange; the belly distinctly tinged with yellow. Lower jaw and operculum inferiorly flesh-red shaded with lavender-purple; upper lip dull orpiment-orange. Dorsal fin close to base intermediate between tile- red and blood-red, towards upper edge light tile-red; the very base of the membranous portion pale buff-orange; caudal, pectoral and ventral fins flesh-red rayed with lake-red ; anal fin pale buff-orange rayed and shaded with lake-red. Eyes light gall-stone yellow, variegated with incomplete rings of tile-red and pearl-grey. FORM, &c.—Figure anteriorly bulky, the belly pendant. Head about one- third of the length of the fish, and superiorly armed on each side with the same number of spines and cutting ridges as Sebastes Capensis, only both are more developed. Preoperculum with five strong triangular and pointed spines ; operculum with two lengthened spines about half an inch in front of its fleshy triangular point, the uppermost the most conspicuous. Distance between the eyes greater than in Sebastes Capensis, and the breadth of its nose and the width of its gape also much greater. Nostrils double, one in front of the other; teeth criniform and arranged in the form of a narrow band around the inner edge of each jaw. Eyes large and projecting consi- derably in advance of the orbits. Lateral line slightly undulated and nearly SEBASTES MACULATUS. parallel with the outline of the back. Dorsal outline but slightly arched; ventral outline more strongly. Space in front of eyes, outer surface of lips, and lower jaws smooth, the other parts of the head covered with small irregular scales ; scales of body considerably larger, and have their hinder edge finely serrated. The dorsal fin commences directly over the base of the pectoral, and its membranous portion is much higher than the spinous portion Pectoral fins oblong, ovate, the rays, particularly of the lower portion of the fin, full, fleshy, and not connected by membrane towards their points. Ventral fins small, the first ray strong and spinous. Anal fin with three spinous rays, the second very strong and of the same length as the third; cartilaginous rays considerably longer. Caudal fin slightly sub- falcate. B.7; D. 13; P. 18; V.}; A.; C. 14. Length of adult specimens from 14 to 16 inches. This species, which in common with Sebastes Capensis inhabits the seas of the Cape of Good Hope, is readily to be distinguished from the latter by the much greater breadth of its head and nose, by the greater width of its gape, by its protruding eyes, by the great size of the two spinous rays of the anal fin, and also by its profile being less oblique. 2 2. 1 2 1. SARGUS HOTTENTOTU S. 2. SARGUS CAPENSIS. Pisces, Plate 23 SARGUS HOTTENTOTUS.--SMITH. PISCES.--PLATE XXIII. Fig. 1. S. corpore fasciis quinque verticalibus variegatis ; maxillæ dentibus incisoribus duodicem, mandibulæ octo; pinnis ventralibus postice subarcuatis; pinnâ caudali furcata. LONGITUDO e naso ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis 17 unc. 6 lin. Colour.— The upper and lateral parts of the head blackish purple, tinted with auricula and plum-purple; interoperculum and lower surface of under- jaw verging on plum-purple. The back and sides superiorly faintly striped, longitudinally blackish purple and lilac-brown; sides inferiorly and belly silvery white, the scales narrowly edged with greenish brown. The body, besides being thus marked, is also crossed by five vertical broad greenish black bands, the first extending between the commencement of the dorsal fin and the origin of the ventrals, and the last about midway between the dorsal and caudal firs. Dorsal fin brownish purple, the rays lightest ; pectoral fins pale greenish brown; ventrals brownish green, and the anal and caudal light reddish brown with tints of purple. Eyes white, with dashes of coppery green. Lips reddish white. COLOUR OF DrieD SKIN.—Top of the head chesnut-brown, glossed with oil- green; the sides of the head and the entire of the body greenish white, and the vertical bands which continue distinct are brownish red. Dorsal fin light purplish brown, the spines greenish white. Form, &c.—Figure subovate ; head small, anteriorly pointed, and about one-fourth of the length of the fish. Superior outline, in front of dorsal fin, strongly arched, posteriorly to its commencement slightly inclined towards the tail. Ventral outline throughout slightly arched; the inter- maxillary bones admit of being projected considerably forwards, and when they are so circumstanced there is a considerable hollow in the profile imme- diately over the eyes, as is to be seen in the figure : when they are otherwise the slope is regular and continuous. Lips very thick, pulpy and villose. Incisor teeth of upper jaw twelve in number, closely set, rather narrow, a SARGUS HOTTENTOTUS. slanting obliquely forwards, and with the anterior edge formed for cutting, the posterior edge, is a small elbow between which and the anterior there is a gently inclined plane diminishing in width backwards ; incisors of lower jaw eight, nearly horizontal, closely set, and with cutting edges; grinders small and rounded; one row in the upper jaw and two in lower. The lateral line is arched, commences at the upper angle of the operculum, and ter- minates at the base of the caudal fin about equidistant of each side; it con- sists of a series of simple, short, horizontal tubes, most distinct towards the caudal fin. Upper surface of head, margin of orbit inferiorly, region in front of eyes, lower jaw, and a broad edging to the preoperculum smooth and without scales. Operculum, interoperculum, and space between smooth por- tion of preoperculum and lower edge of orbit covered with small subovate scales; shoulder scale large, with its edges slightly striated. Scales of body large, the exposed portion of each subovate, and arranged in oblique trans- verse rows, the direction from before backwards; the triangular space in front of ventral and pectoral fins, as also the nape covered with small scales. Dorsal fin slightly arched, the fifth spinous ray the longest, the first very short, and the soft rays shorter than any of the spinous ones excepting the first. Anal fin also arched, and the second spinous is the longest, and is besides very robust. Pectoral fins long, the fifth ray, reckoning from upper edge, rather the longest; ventral fin supported by a very strong spinous ray not so long as the second and third, the second towards point much branched ; caudal fin deeply forked. Length from the nose to the pectoral fin five inches; from the nose to the commencement of dorsal 64 inches; to pectorals 6 inches; from nose to tip of lower portion of caudal fin 18 inches. Greatest depth under commencement of dorsal fin 61 inches. Length from nose to point of caudal fin 171 inches. B. 7; D. 11; P. 14; V. }; A. $ ; C. 18. Inhabits the seas of the south-east coast of Southern Africa, and is frequently found in some of the larger rivers. It feeds upon shell-fish, &c. SARGUS CAPENSIS.-SMITH. PISCES.-PLATE XXIII. Fig. 2. S. maculâ nigra subextremitatem posteriorem pinna dorsalis ; squamis infra oculos subquadrangularibus in ordinibus arcuatis dispositis; dentibus incisoribus in maxilla et in mandibula octo; pinnis ventra- libus externe accuminatis, LONGITUDO e naso ad apicem pinnæ caudalis 14 unc. :- ܪ COLOUR OF DRIED Skin.*-—The top and the sides of the head, for some distance below the eyes, dull yellowish brown glossed with oil-green ; the sides of the head inferiorly, and the entire body pale cream-yellow, with, towards and on the belly, a distinct tint of flesh-red :—the scales narrowly edged with brownish red. On the tail immediately behind the posterior ex- tremity of dorsal fin a large circular brownish red blotch. Dorsal and anal fins light, dull yellowish brown slightly shaded with brownish red; rays pale cream-yellow. Caudal, pectoral, and ventral fins light yellowish brown, rayed with brownish red. Form, &c.—Figure ovate ; dorsal outline between hinder extremity of dorsal fin, and a line carried upwards from the upper extremity of preoperculum, regularly arched; anterior to the latter the profile is strongly inclined to the perpendicular ; ventral outline throughout slightly arched. Head small, and about a quarter of the length of the fish ; muzzle prominent and pointed; lips large and pulpy. Nostrils double, situated close to the upper and anterior edge of the orbit, the one in front of the other. Incisor teeth of upper jaw oblique, eight in number, closely set, rather broad particularly towards the points, and the two middle ones considerably the largest; the outermost of each side is smaller than the second. The elbow existing at hinder edge internally is but slightly developed, and the portion of each tooth between the cutting and hinder edges is concave. Incisors of lower jaw sub- horizontal, eight in number, all in contact with each other, and the last of each side rather the smallest; they are of moderate width, their edges formed for The notes descriptive of the colours of the fish, as they appeared when it was caught, have been mislaid. SARGUS CAPENSIS. a cutting, and the base or neck of each, as seen on looking into the mouth, is lengthened, narrow, and laterally compressed. Molars in both jaws sub- hemispherical, varying in size, and arranged in two or three irregular rows. In the upper jaw, besides the molars, there exists also externally to them a narrow band of short filamentary teeth. Scapulary scale large and semi- circular, Lateral line slightly and regularly curved ; it commences at the upper extremity of the operculum, and terminates near the middle of the caudal fin, and towards and on the latter consists of short, slender, simple tubes. Preoperculum excepting towards its margin, operculum and inter- operculum covered with scales, the other parts of head smooth and without scales; the scales of preoperculum sub-quadrangular, and disposed in arched rows, the convexity of which is downwards and backwards. Scales covering the body large, somewhat six-sided; those towards the back in rows extend- ing obliquely from before backwards towards the belly in nearly vertical rows. Scales on base of fins small and irregularly shaped. Dorsal fin arched, the sixth spinous ray the longest, the first about half the length of the second; the cartilaginous rays nearly of equal length, and shorter than the spinous ones. Anal fin slightly arched, the second and third spiny rays nearly of equal length and longest, the third the strongest. Pectoral fins long, the fourth ray the longest; ventral fins rather long and pointed, the first soft ray being much longer than the innermost one. Caudal fin deeply forked, the upper and under extremes very pointed. Length from nose to commencement of dorsal fin 5 inches 2 lines, to pectoral fin 4 inches; the base of ventrals directly under the commencement of the dorsal fin. Length from nose to middle of hinder edge of caudal fin 14 inches. n B. 7; D. 1š; P.16; V.}; A. B; C. 19. 14 Found in the same localities with S. Hottentotus, and consumes the same description of food. The shape of the scales below the eyes, the length of the ventral fins, the smaller number of incisor teeth and the greater number of molars, together with many other minor differences, constitute characters by which this species is readily to be distinguished from S. Hottentotus. ATIMOS TOMA CAPENSIS (Pisces Plate 24) ATIMOSTOMA* CAPENSIS.-SMITH. PISCES.-PLATE XXIV. A. supernè favo-brunnea, castaneo-tincta ; subtus pallidè flavo-brunnea cinnereo tincta ; ore parvo; dentibus criniformibus brevibus ; pinnis pectoralibus prælongis ; squamis magnis, subovatis. LONGITUDO e nasi apicè ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis 42 unc. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, the back, and the upper portions of the sides intermediate between buff-orange and yellowish brown, here and there with tints of chesnut-brown; the preoperculum in places tinged with purple; the lower parts of the sides and the under parts of the head and body wood-brown, tinted lightly with plum-purple. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins orange-coloured brown, dulled with brownish red; pectoral fins intermediate between chesnut-brown and yellowish brown. Form, &c.—Body oblong ovate, and immediately before the caudal fin very slender, the greatest depth of the body is directly under the first dorsal fin. The dorsal and ventral outlines are slightly curved, the curvature of the former being greatest, and its highest point about the commencement of the first dorsal. Head short and compressed; snout full and blunt, the nostrils double, and situated on its sides close to its point, the hindermost is rather large, circular, and directed outwards, the other is very small and directed forwards, and both are nearly on the same horizontal line with the upper edge of the orbit. The upper jaw is rather shorter than the lower, and ante- riorly truncated ; the lower is narrow, and slightly rounded at the point. Teeth short, criniform, and arranged in narrow transverse bands-one along the anterior edge of each jaw. Preoperculum triangular ; operculum semi- circular; interoperculum narrow : all soft and pliant. Scapulary and humeral plates large, the hinder extremity of the latter terminating in the axilla of the pectoral fin. - * Char. Gen.—Body oblong, ovate, and furnished with two dorsal fins, the hindermost very long, as in Seriola ; anal fin formed like the second dorsal; mouth small, each jaw with a narrow belt of criniform teeth ; nostrils double, and situated near to the apex of snout. Scales of body large, thin, and very pliant. ATIMOSTOMA CAPENSIS. а. The first dorsal fin commences immediately over the hinder extremity of the humeral plates, and a little behind the point of attachment of the pectoral fin; the anterior rays, viz. the second, third, and fourth are much the longest, the last ray, which is close to the first of the second dorsal is scarcely visible. The first ray of the second dorsal is longest, next to it the second, third, and fourth, which are nearly of equal length, and considerably longer than the remaining rays. Pectoral fin rather narrow and very long, the sixth ray the longest, and the entire fish is exactly three and a half times its length. The ventral fins are small and short. The anal fin is a little shorter than the second dorsal and similarly shaped. The caudal is deeply lunated, the extremities rather pointed. The head, with the exception of the space immediately behind the poste- rior edge of the orbit, smooth and without scales; the back, sides, and under parts covered with large, very pliant, somewhat ovate scales, the hinder edge of each generally more or less jagged and irregular. The lateral line commences a little below the upper extremity of the operculum, and terminates at the base of the caudal fin. DIMENSIONS. 6 In. Lin. From the tip of the snout to the anterior edge of the orbit......... 26 of the snout to the hinder edge of the operculum .. 10 9 of the snout to the com- mencement of the 1st dorsal fin 12 9 In. Lin. From the tip of the snout to the base of the pectoral fin.......... 11 3 Length of the 2nd dorsal fin 11 of the pectoral fin 12 of the anal fin Total length of fish 36 0 0 9 9 This fish will take its place in the fourth tribe of the Scomberidae of Cuvier; charac- terised by the want of spurious finlets, or free spines on the back, and of keeled scales on the tail. It differs from the several forms which have already been referred to the tribe in various respects, but in none more than in the size of its scales, and in the universal and regular manner in which they are placed upon the body and tail. The form of the head is somewhat similar to that of Nomeus Mauritii; the second dorsal and anal fins are like those of the more typical species of the second, third, and fourth tribes, and the pectoral fins have their representatives in all the four divisions; but in the first they are comparatively few. The specimen described, the only one I have seen, was found on the beach, to the north- ward of Cape Town, after a heavy gale of wind. It was partially decayed before it was dis- covered, hence some of the more interesting characters could not be ascertained. 1 CO 2 CCC 3 20 203 1. SCYLLIUM AFRICANUM 2. SCYLLIUM VARIEGATUM 3. SCYLLIUM PANTHERINUM. Pices_Plate 25. SCYLLIUM AFRICANUM.--Auct. Pisces.--PLATE XXV. Fig. 1. (FEMALE.) S. superne purpureo-griseum, nigro-purpureo tinctum et fasciis nigro brunneis longitudinalibus septem variegatum, quarum tribus e nasi apice incepientibus; cirris brevibus, ante marginem labii superioris desinentibus. SQUALUS AFRICANUS, Lin., 1494. 20. SQUALUS VITTATUS, Shaw, Nat. Misc. Pl. 346. SQUALE GALONNE, Læeep. 1. 254. SCYLLIUM AFRICANUM, Cuv. Reg. Animal, 2. 386. а Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, the back, and the sides, lavender-purple, tinted with a colour intermediate between blackish purple and brownish purple red. The back and sides are, in addition to the tints just specified, further variegated with seven longitudinal blackish brown stripes generally single, but sometimes, as in the specimen represented, double; three of the stripes originate at the apex of the snout, one at each eye, and one immediately behind the last branchial opening. The fins are of the same colour as the back, the tint towards their base a little darker. The under parts are pale brownish purple red, slightly clouded, especially towards the throat and base of pectoral fins, with vermilion red. Eyes light reddish orange, with a bronze lustre. Form.-Head and anterior portion of body robust, posterior portion slender; the back anteriorly broad and slightly convex, posteriorly com- pressed and subcarinated. Eyes directly over the angles of the mouth ; the temporal spiracle is rather large, almost circular, and situated a little behind and below the posterior junction of the eyelids. Snout rather narrow, and its apex rounded. Nostrils large, and immediately in front of the upper lip; the external half of each oblique, the internal half transverse, and the one portion is divided from the other by the cirrus, which originates from the anterior edge of the nostrils, extends across the opening, and terminates considerably anterior to the edge of the upper lip. Besides the regular cirrus, there is at its base externally a sort of rudimentary one, consisting of a slightly triangular elongation of a portion of the anterior edge of each nostril. a SCYLLIUM AFRICANUM. Upper jaw semielliptic. Teeth of both jaws closely set, arranged in several transverse rows, and each tooth tridentate ; the lateral teeth very small. Branchial openings semilunar, the first the longest, the last the shortest, the lower extremity of the third slightly in advance of the base of pectoral fin. Pectoral fins triangular, the outer side considerably the longest, the hinder side nearly truncated, and forms almost a right angle with the body. The edge of ventral fins posteriorly oblique, the hinder and inner angle prolonged and slightly rounded, the hinder and outer much rounded ; the base of the anal fin equal in measurement to three times and a half its depth. The skin is densely coated with minute tridentate horny scales, which are placed nearly perpendicular to its surface, are very closely set, and have their points inclined slightly backwards ; hence feel very harsh to the hand when moved from behind forwards. In young specimens the points are but little blunted from friction, hence in them the asperity is most distinct. а DIMENSIONS. In. Lin. From the tip of the snout to the angle of the mouth 28 ~ of the gape 2 3 of the nose to the centre of the upper lip 1 31 of the nose to the anterior angle of the eye ........... .... 1 11 of the nose to the base of the pectoral fin 7 3 In. Lin. From the tip of the nose to the base of the 1st dorsal fin .......... 200 of the 2nd dorsal fin ...........28 0 From base of 2nd dorsal fin to tip of caudal fin.... 8 2 to tip of caudal fin 6 11 Total length....... ....36 6 Male.—Colours generally, the same as those of the female; body less bulky. This species abounds in the South African seas, and is known among the fishermen by the name of lui haai (lazy shark), an appellation it has obtained from its extreme disinclination to move from its resting place, even when danger threatens it. It resorts to the bottom of the sea for its food, which consists of shell fish, crustacea, &c.; and it is often to be seen, where the water is not very deep, languidly detaching limpets, &c., from the rocks to which they may be adherent. The extent of nostril, internal to the cirrus, and the shortness of the latter, constitute charac- ters by which this species is readily to be distinguished from S. Pantherinum and Variegatum. SCYLLIUM VARIEGATUM.-SMITH. Pisces.- Plate XXV. Fig. 2. (FEMALE.) S. superne purpureo-griseum maculis fasciisque nigro brunneis variegatum ; subtus flavo-griseum carneo- tinctum ; cirris ultrà labii superioris marginem porrectis. a Colour.—The upper surface of the head, the back and the sides supe- riorly lavender-purple, tinted with blackish purple, and variegated with a profusion of small spots and some narrow longitudinal stripes of a blackish brown colour; the latter in some specimens continuous, in others broken, and resembling strings of beads. The stripes are generally two in number on each side, arise from the same point immediately over the eye; and from thence, as they proceed backwards, they diverge slightly, so that where they termi- nate, under the base of the second dorsal fin, they are commonly about three- quarters of an inch apart. Lower portion of sides and under parts of head and body yellowish grey, with a flesh-red tint. Eyes brownish green, with a bronze lustre. FORM, &c. Figure rather slender; the head superiorly, nearly flat, laterally, tapered towards the point of the snout, which is slightly rounded. The hinder angle of the eye is directly over the angle of the mouth; the temporal spiracle is a little behind and below the angle of the eye, and rather smaller than that of S. Pantherinum. The upper jaw is considerably curved, and the teeth of both jaws, like those of S. Africanum. Nostrils nearly transverse, and in a great measure external of the cirri ; the latter are rather slender, and each is edged, externally and internally, at its base, with a narrow cuticular fold, and immediately external to the outer fold there is a narrow portion of skin so projecting as to form a sort of second cirrus to each nostril. The principal or internal cirrus extends directly backwards, and its tip projects a little behind the edges of the upper lip. The caudal fin is SCYLLIUM VARIEGATUM. exactly one-fifth of the length of the entire fish; the base of the anal fin is equal in point of measurement to three times its depth. DIMENSIONS. In. Lin. In. Lin. From the tip of the nose to the angle of the From the tip of the nose to the base of mouth 1 10 the first dorsal fin......... 14 6 Breadth of the gape. 1 9 of the nose to the base of From the tip of the nose to the centre of the 2nd dorsal fin......... 17 17 9 the upper lip 010 From base of 2nd dorsal to the tip of the of the nose to the anterior caudal fin 5 11 angle of the eye ......... 11 From the base to the tip of the caudal fin 4 0 of the nose to the base of the Total length of fish. 23 6 pectoral fin..... 4 6 ... ... Male.—Colour and markings not known. The only specimen of the species I have yet seen was caught in Algoa Bay, and when it was shown to the fishermen it was recognized by them as a rare fish. The length of the cirri, and the nonextension of the nostrils internally of their base, form characters by which this species is readily to be distinguished from Scyllium Africanum. The differences between it and Scyllium Pantherinum are, on the other hand, rather obscure, and consist more in a multitude of little discrepancies than in any of a very manifest description. The charac- ters of the markings, in the first place, are different; in S. Pantherinum no regular stripes are ever observed ; in S. variegatum again stripes are observed, but neither rings nor tortuous figures like those always exhibited by the former. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins of S. variegatum are larger in proportion than those of S. Pantherinum, and the hinder edge of the ventral fins more oblique. The figure of the latter species is also less robust. SCYLLIUM PANTHERINUM.-SMITH. PISCES.—Plate XXV. Fig. 3.-FEMALE. S. superne purpureo-griseum, capite pinnisque maculis parvis, nigro-brunneis variegatis ; dorso-lateribusque annulis, figuribusque linearibus contortis notatis ; cirris ad maxillæ marginem posteriorem attingen- tibus. - Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head, the back, the sides superiorly, the dorsal fins and the upper surface of the pectoral fins a tint intermediate between lavender-purple and brownish purple red, the dorsal and pectoral fins with the reddish or flesh tinge strongest. The sides of the head inferiorly, the under parts of the body, and the anal and caudal fins yellowish grey, faintly tinted with flesh red. The upper and lateral parts of the head, the upper surface of the pectoral and ventral fins, and the lateral surfaces of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins freely speckled with small blackish brown spots, on the head and pectoral fins very numerous and closely set. Back and sides variegated with brownish black rings scattered among a variety of other figures, consisting of highly contorted lines of the same dark colour, some of them approaching the figures of the letters E C and S: on the middle of the back the markings are smallest, most numerous, and most closely set; on the sides they are much larger, and more distant from each other. FORM, &c. -Body anteriorly rather robust, posteriorly slender. slightly depressed and tapered to the point of the snout, the latter narrow, and slightly rounded; temporal spiracle rather large, subovate, and a little behind the outer angle of the eyelids; nostrils waved, and the inner extremity of each concealed by a long, slender, and compressed cirrus, which internally, towards its base, is narrowly edged with a fold of thin skin. External to its base there is a slightly pointed cuticular prolongation from the anterior edging of the nostril, which forms a sort of rudimentary cirrus. The first described, or true cirrus, is posteriorly pointed, and extends back- wards as far as the hinder edge of the upper lip. Mouth semi-lunar, and the teeth, which are disposed in transverse rows, are small, slightly curved, and tridentate. The anterior extremity of base of pectoral fin directly under SCYLLIUM PANTHERINUM. the fourth branchial opening ; the external and posterior sides of ventral fins nearly of equal length, the edge of the latter slightly oblique, the outer angle much rounded, the inner subacute ; anterior edge of dorsal fin slightly arched; the base of anal in length equal to twice its depth. Skin covered with scales like those of Scyllium Africanum. DIMENSIONS. 2 In. Lin. From the tip of the snout to the angle of the mouth 3 Breadth of the gape.. 2 oz From the tip of the snout to the centre of the 1 02 of the snout to the anterior angle of the eye ...... 13 In. Lin. From the tip of the snout to the base of the pectoral fin 570 of the snout to the base of the 1st dorsal fin.........15 0 of the 2nd dorsal fin ......19 0 From the base to the tip of the caud fin 4 3 Total length of fish... ..25 6 upper jaw ..... Male. Colours not known. Specimens of this species are occasionally procured from the sea which washes the eastern coast of South Africa, and the few individuals I have seen were all taken in the neighbourhood of Algoa Bay. The peculiar and beautiful markings of this species furnish characters by which it is to be readily distinguished from S. Africanum. In addition to colour, however, there are other discrepancies; the greater proportional depth of the anal fin as compared with the length of its base; the difference in the shape of the anterior edge of the first dorsal fin, the greater length of the cirri, and each crossing the inner extremity of the nostril, instead of nearly midway between its extremities, as happens in Scyllium Africanum. 1/1/77:7:1:1:1:/:/:%:/: 1:7:) ::11 ://3///. ///:/ :/:/:/:/;7::1:1:1:1:77/':1:"/: 4:1: KG RHINODON TYPICUS. Pisces_Plate 26 RHINODON TYPICUS.-SMITH. PISCES – PLATE XXVI. - R. superne nigro-griseum purpureo-tinctum, capite antice pinnisque postice carneo-umbratis; gubtus, griseo-album, carneo-tinctum ; capite superne, dorso, lateribus, pinnisque maculis lineisque albis variegatis ; lateribus bicarinatis; ore in rostri apice; dentibus parvis recurvis. LONGITUDO e nasi apice ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis 16 ped. 6 unc. Colour.—The upper and lateral parts of the head and body dull lavender- purple, shaded with brownish red; the under surface of the head, the sides of the body inferiorly, and the belly, light wood-brown, tinted with flesh-red, which tint is very strong on the anterior portion of the head and the hinder edges of the fins. On the upper and lateral parts of the head and body, and also on several of the fins, the ground colour is much broken by a profusion of small circular white spots, and a great number of narrow vertical lines, which commence at the centre of the back and terminate at the belly. The spots are smallest and most numerous on the head and upper surface of the pectoral fins, on the other parts they are larger and more scattered ; and on the caudal fin they are arranged in a single row, close to its upper edge; the second dorsal, the anal, and the ventral fins are without spots. Eyes coppery-green. Form, &c.—Head broad, depressed, and somewhat wedge shaped, the mouth opening directly in front; teeth small, recurved, closely congregated, and disposed in a broad transverse belt, along the inner surface of each jaw, immediately inside of the lips; eyes lateral and situated almost directly behind the angles of the mouth ; pupil transversely oval; temporal orifice about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Vertical section of body, in front of dorsal fin, somewhat triangular, and the back, between that fin and the middle of the hind head, slightly arched and strongly keeled; back, posterior to dorsal fin, flat and depressed. Sides of body irregular from two distinct longitudinal keels, which commence together a little in front of, and considerably above, the upper extremity of first branchia, and recede a little from each other as they proceed backwards. Of these, the lowermost a a RHINODON TYPICUS. pursues a waved direction, and at last is lost in, or coalesces with, the keel on each side of base of caudal fin; the upper again pursues a more direct course, becomes forked posteriorly, and both its branches terminate under, and anterior to the second dorsal fin; the keel on each side of the tail very strong and thin at the outer edge. At the base of the upper lobe of the caudal fin, there is a transverse groove, to admit of the ready elevation of the fin, a power so necessary to direct the course of the fish in swimming. The first dorsal fin, posteriorly, is deeply emarginate, and the second dorsal has its inferio-posterior angle prolonged into a slender sharp point. Pectoral fins large, and their hinder edge, towards its base, with a distinct, large, triangular elongation. Ventral fins very small, and directly below the hinder portion of the first dorsal; anal fin also small, quadrangular, and with its superio- posterior angle prolonged into a point, its anterior edge directly under the hinder extremity of the base of the second dorsal. Caudal fin deeply forked, the upper portion larger and much longer than the lower. Branchiæ slightly waved, the first and second much the longest, and, together with the third, are in front of the base of pectoral fins; the fourth and fifth are directly over it. Pharynx very large, and the inner extremity of each branchial canal ob- structed by a sieve-like apparatus, consisting of a conjeries of cartilaginous tubes closely set together, directed laterally, and the inner extremity of each fringed with a delicate membrane offering an obstruction to the passage of anything but fluid. Esophagus rather narrow, and at its commencement bends downwards towards the parietes of the abdomen, and forms nearly a right angle with the fauces, which gives the fish the power of completely pre- venting what enters its large mouth from being admitted into its stomach, un- less desirable. The cardiac extremity of the stomach is very muscular, and the inner surface is studded with hard pointed nipple-like bodies, all of which are directed backwards, and offer an obstacle to the return of anything solid from the stomach: the rest of the inner surface of the stomach and the small intestines closely set with strong rugæ, in the stomach oblique, in the intestines nearly circular, and the latter, when about to terminate in the large intestines, is also furnished with a number of nipple-like bodies, which prevent solids from passing downwards. The termination of the small intestines is in the form of a ring, which projects into the large bowels, and forms an effective valve when any attempt is made to propel the contents of the large intestines back- wards into the smaller ones. The inner surface of the former is furnished as in other sharks, with a spiral band, the one side of which is loose, and by this arrangement the alimentary fluid requires to pass over an extent of surface RHINODON TYPICUS. sufficient to permit of the necessary absorption of the nutritive portion of the in- jesta. The rectum, internally, is quite smooth, and the gland which, in sharks generally, is situated behind it, also exists in this fish, and opens into the gut about six inches from the anus. On each side of the latter there is a large opening, through which a probe can be readily introduced into the cavity of the peritoneum, and into that cavity, it would appear, the sea water enters through these openings, as it contained about eight gallons perfectly pure, or at least only with some animal secretion. The liver consists of two lobes nearly of equal size, the length of each three feet and a half; the greatest width thirteen inches, the least six. The gall-bladder is exterior to the substance of the liver, and situated on its con- cave or dorsal aspect, close to its base, before it divides into lobes. It is of a pyriform shape, and the duct is much convoluted, and so large as readily to admit the fore finger of a full-grown man; it discharges the bile into the upper extremity of the large intestines, and the point where it enters their outer coat is fully two inches higher than that at which it perforates the inner; the duct between these two points is contracted and tortuous, and the terminal opening is not larger than would admit a pea. The spleen is closely connected with the inferior extremity of the stomach and the binder surface of the small intestines, and, excepting where it winds under the apex of the former, is lobulate, as in the true sharks, and exhibits a striking resemblance to the spleen of Alopias vulpes, Raf. The pancreas is slender, and partially encircles the upper extremity of the large intestines. DIMENSIONS. ... Feet. Inches. From mouth to 1st dorsal fin 8 6 1st to 2nd dorsal fin 2 0 2nd dorsal to caudal fin 1 8 Length of upper lobe of tail 4 0 lower lobe of tail 2 10 Distance between tip of nose and 1st branchia 2 10 Distance between tip of nose and eye. 6 eye and temporal spiracle......... 0 41 Width of mouth 2 8 Feet. Inches. From tip of nose to anterior edge of pectoral fin... ... 3 3 Length of pectoral fin 3 2 Breadth at its base 2 0 Height of 1st dorsal fin. 1 3 Breadth of head about one foot in ad- vance of branchia 3 81 Circumference of body immediately behind pectoral fins 9 3 Circumference of body one foot behind pectoral fins 8 5 Total length of fish ..16 6 0 . The stomach was empty, and hence the precise food of the fish could not be ascertained. That a portion of it, at least, is derived from the mollusca, &c., RHINODON TYPICUS. which are taken into the mouth and pharynx with the sea water which is required for the purifying of the blood, is to be inferred from the branchial openings being so guarded. That the fringe at the inner extremity of the tubes, which exist in the branchial canals, are for the purpose of intercepting such small animals as may be contained in the water, I infer from knowing that the whale (Balana), which feeds on small mollusca, &c., has the inner edge of each layer of whalebone converted into a fine floating fringe, which permits the water taken into its huge mouth to escape, but intercepts all objects adapted for its food. When our shark proceeds to feed, the first step it probably takes is to open its jaws to their full extent, in order to permit the mouth and pharynx to become filled with sea water. On that being accomplished, the jaws are then probably closed, in order that the water shall, by muscular efforts in the pharynx, be propelled through the tubes in the branchiæ, and forced thus to leave behind it whatever mollusca, &c., it may chance to contain. The powers of deglutition after this are probably called into action, and the oesophagus, no doubt, is raised and straightened, so as to offer a ready passage downwards to whatever shall have been collected during the escape of the water. The mammillary eminences around the cardiac orifice of the stomach appear to indicate that some, at least, of the articles of food are swallowed alive, and that they require to be bruised, and also prevented from re-entering the esophagus, both of which are probably effected by the processes just mentioned. The direction taken by the upper part of the esophagus is evidently for the pur- pose of enabling it the more effectively to resist the entrance of the water, when being expelled through the branchiæ by the muscular contraction of the pharynx. The specimen described was the only one that had been seen at the Cape within the memory of any of the fishermen. At the time it was discovered, it was swimming leisurely near the surface of the water, and with a certain portion of the back above it. When approached, it manifested no great degree of fear, and it was not before a harpoon was lodged in its body that it altered its course and quickened its pace. . The prepared specimen is deposited in the museum of the Jardin des Plantes of Paris. B CLARIAS, CAPENSIS. (Pisces Plate 27. CLARIAS CAPENSIS.-Cuv. ET VAL. PISCES.-PLATE XXVII. C. superne sordidé olivacea, subtus subcarnea pallide flavo-brunneo-tincta ; capite depresso, ore anticè hiante; naribus parvis superne patentibus; pinnâ caudale posticè lunuata ; lineâ laterale anticè curvata postice rectâ. LONGITUDO e capitis apicè ad extremitatem pinnæ caudalis 25 unc. - Colour.— The upper and lateral parts of the head, the back, the sides of the body, and the fins, intermediate between apple and oil-green, darkest on the head. The lower parts of the sides of the head and the body, as also all the under parts, intermediate between flesh-red and wood-brown, and these, in common with the parts first specified, exhibit a distinct coppery tint in certain lights; cirrhi light honey-yellow; eyes straw-yellow. FORM, &c. — Figure rather slender ; head long, broad, depressed, and nearly as wide at the muzzle as at the hindhead; body, anteriorly, sub- cylindrical, posteriorly compressed. In fresh specimens the surface of the head and body, which are destitute of scales, are smooth and covered with a semi-transparent glutinous fluid, like what occurs on eels (Anguilla), &c. In dried specimens the upper and lateral parts of the head appear covered with large bony plates, the surface of which is rough and granular, as will be seen on reference to the figure representing a dried head. Three of these plates, in a row, are distinctly visible on the side of the head behind the eye, and a fourth under a portion of the second and third, appearing to constitute a rudimentary gill-cover. The covering of the upper part of the head appears to be undivided, and to be only variegated by the existence of a few furrows, destitute of granules, and by two oval depressions in the course of the mesial line; the anterior is of considerable length, situated between the eyes, and considerably wider behind than in front, the other is towards the nape, and very short as compared with the former. The hinder edge of the plate covering the upper surface of the head has three projecting points, with two semi-lunar crescents between them, the convexity of each forwards; the middle projection is in the centre of the nape, in front of the dorsal fin. Mouth broad and opening directly in front; jaws short and of equal length; cirrhi eight, those at the a CLARIAS CAPENSIS. а angles of the mouth thickest and longest, and in young specimens often reach almost to the point of the pectoral spines. Nostrals small, ovate, opening upwards, and furnished each with a slender cirrhus in front of its anterior extremity. Eyes rather small, in the sides of the head, a little posterior to the angle of the mouth, and open laterally. Pectoral fins small, rounded at the apex, and in front armed with a strong depressed bony spine, the anterior edge of which is finely serrated. Dorsal and anal fins long, low, and throughout nearly of equal height. Ventral fins small, and oval at the , point. Caudal fin long, and its apex strongly lunate or semi-circular. Lateral line about midway between the centre of the back and the belly, and anteriorly, near its origin, slightly arched, elsewhere quite straight; it termi- nates at the base of the caudal fin, about midway between its upper and under edges. B. 10; D. 66; P. }; V. 6; A. 51; C. 19. Length of the specimen described 25 inches; the head, measuring to the point of the bony projection on the nape, rather more than a fourth of the whole length. This fish occurs in most of the rivers of the interior of South Africa, more particularly in such as abound in deep pools, the walls of which are of clay or mud. It is common in the Orange River and its tributaries, but has not yet, so far as I know, been taken in any of the rivers more to the southward. The specimen from which the description is taken, was caught in a large lake near to Port Natal, immediately to the eastward of the Umgeni river. It took the bait with avidity, and many more might have been captured had I thought it necessary to continue casting the hook. la Day & Haghe loith the Queen. 2 La 1 1. Mugil Constantice Fig. 1 & la. 2. Mugil Macrolepis Fig. 2 & 2a. Pisces Plate 28. MUGIL CONSTANTIÆ.-Cuv. ET VAL. Pisces.-PLATE XXVIII. Fig. 1 AND 1 a. M. superne purpureo-griseus flavo-viridi tinctus, inferne albus flavo-nebulatus; latere lineis octo novem ve longitudinalibus notato; squamis subocularibus magnis in seriebus tribus dispositis; pinnâ anale postice lunatâ ; naribus duplicibus distitis. MUGIL CONSTANTIÆ, Cuv. et Valen. Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tem. xi. f. 107. a Colour.—The upper surface of the head, the back, and the sides above the lateral line intermediate between lavender-purple and bluish grey; the top of the head and the middle of the back lightly tinted with oil-green; the sides of the head, body, and all the under parts white, clouded with straw- yellow, and the parts immediately below and behind the eyes shaded with pale violet-purple ;—the centre of each of the scales of the back and sides with a slight cloud of brownish red, which gives an appearance of a number of horizontal bars on each side of the body between the pectoral fins and the base of the caudal. The scales on all parts have a light silvery lustre. Dorsal and caudal fins pale reddish purple shaded at their base, between the rays, with a darker tint of the same colour; pectoral, ventral, anal, and caudal fins pale reddish purple, clouded or shaded with yellow. Form, &c.-Figure robust, the abdomen generally very prominent; dorsal outline slightly arched, ventral very convex; a scale with an elongated point in the axilla of each ventral fin. Three rows of large quadrangular scales under each eye; the scales of operculum very large and the hinder edge of each semicircular. Scales of the body large and arranged in fifteen longitu- dinal rows, thirty-eight scales in the row immediately over the base of the pec- toral fin, the hinder edge of each somewhat three-sided. The scales close to the apex of the head very small, those immediately behind them considerably larger, the others of the upper surface of the head very large and irregularly shaped; nostrils double on each side, placed at a considerable distance from each other, and the hindermost much the largest. Eyes large; gape rather small; teeth very fine; nose moderately wide and slightly arched. Head one-fifth of the total length of the fish, reckoned to the centre of the hinder edge of the caudal fin. Posterior edge of second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins lunate, of ventral nearly even ; hinder edge of ventral fin superiorly slightly pointed. Caudal fin toward upper and lower edges coated with minute mem- branous scales. 1 D. 4; 2 D. 8; P. 16; V. }; A. 8; C. 16. Inhabits fresh-water lakes and rivers. MUGIL MACROLEPIS.-Smith. Pisces-Plate XXVIII. Fig. 2 AND 2 a. - M. superne pallide purpureo-griseus; dorso capiteque superne flavo-viridi-tinctis; lateribus inferne abdo- mineque flavo-albis, purpureo-tinctis; pinnâ anale versus corpus carnosâ, squamis tecta, postice fere rectâ ; corporis squamis magnis, duris, in seriebus longitudinalibus undecim dispositis ; naribus duplicibus approximatis. - Colour.—The upper surface of the head, the back, and the upper parts of the sides intermediate between lavender-purple and pearl-grey ; the upper part of the head and centre of the back anterior to dorsal fin tinted with oil- green. Lower parts of sides and the abdomen yellowish white faintly clouded with lilac-purple; the hinder edge of each scale semipellucid. Operculum pale purple-white, slightly clouded with violet-purple; infra- orbital space white tinted with ochre-yellow. FORM, &c.—Figure moderately robust, dorsal outline nearly straight, ventral between head and anal fin much arched, behind anal nearly straight. Four rows of quadrangular scales below eyes, each row directed slightly down- wards, the two lowermost rows of each side commence immediately at the hinder extremity of the lower jaw; scales of operculum large, and the hinder edge of each somewhat three-sided ; the scales adjoining the outer margin of the eye smallest. Scales of the back and sides very large and hard, the hinder edge of each arched, some towards the middle of the body more or less pointed; they are disposed in eleven longitudinal rows, the row immediately over base of pectoral fin consisting of thirty-four scales. The base of the anal fin pulpy, and covered with moderately large scales; the rayed portion of anal, ventral, second dorsal, and caudal fins coated with small delicate membranous scales ; hinder edge of ventral and anal fins nearly even ; pectoral fin superiorly elongated and pointed; the base of ventral and first dorsal mar- gined on each side with an elongated and pointed scale. Head one-fifth of length of fish reckoning to middle of the hinder edge of caudal fin. Scales of upper surface of head very large and irregularly shaped; nostrils double, those of each side close together, and the hindermost much the largest; nose moderately broad and slightly arched. Length of specimen described 15 inches. 1 D. 4; 2 D. 6 or 7; P. 14; V. 5; A. 9; C. 15. Inhabits rivers and fresh-water lakes. 2 2a la 1 Mugil. Richardsonii Fig. 1 & la Mugil Euronotus Fig. 2 & 2 a Pisces Plate 29 Day & Haghe Lithin the Queen MUGIL RICHARDSONII.-SMITH. Pisces.—PLATE XXIX. Fig. 1 AND 1 a. M. superne subochreus flavo-viridi tinctus, inferne subochreus pallide purpuro-nebulatus; squamis sub- ocularibus in seriebus longitudinalibus quatuor dispositis ; corporis squamis in seriebus longitudi- nalibus sexdecim ; naribus duplicibus approximatis; capitis squamis inter nares parvis. Colour.—The upper surface of the head, the back, and the upper half of the sides intermediate between ochre-yellow and wood-brown, strongly tinted with oil-green, the colours of the upper surface of the head and middle of the back darkest; the lower half of the sides, the abdomen, and the sides of the head, the same as the ground colour of the upper parts, and in com- mon with the latter distinctly clouded with light violet-purple. The first dorsal fin light lavender-purple, the other fins pale greyish blue shaded with yellow. FORM.-Figure moderately robust; dorsal outline very slightly arched, ventral between the head and anal fin very convex, behind anal fin nearly straight. Head moderately long and posteriorly rather deep; body, includ- ing caudal fin, measuring to its centre three and a half times the length of the head. The scales on the upper surface of the head towards the nose rather small, posteriorly large and irregularly shaped; nostrils on each side double, close together, and the hindermost considerably the largest ; scales below eye small, quadrangular, and arranged in four oblique rows; scales behind eyes and covering operculum large and irregularly shaped. Scales of body moderately large, rather thin, strongly arched posteriorly, and disposed in sixteen longitudinal rows, forty-six scales in the row immediately over the pectoral fin. Hinder edge of second dorsa and anal fins slightly lunate ; hinder edge of pectoral fin slightly convex, and the upper point posteriorly obtuse ; hinder edge of ventral fins slightly convex; caudal fin deeply lunate; ventral fins each with an elongated pointed scale as an edging to the bed of the fin ; first dorsal fin with two scales of the same character, one on each side of its base. Pectoral, ventral, second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins partly coated with very fine, small, membranous scales. Length of specimen described twelve inches. 1 D. 4; 2 D. 7; P. 16; V. 5; A. 9; C. 14 Inhabits the seas of the eastern and western coasts. MUGIL EURONOTUS.-SMITH. PISCES.-PLATE XXIX. Fig. 2 & 2 a. M. capite superne dorsoque viridi-brunneis; lateribus griseo-albis pallide violaceo nebulatis; corporis squamis seriebus longitudinalibus tredecim dispositis ; squamis capitis inter nares parvis; naribus duplicibus approximatis. Colour.— The upper surface of the head and the back intermediate be- tween pale brownish red and oil-green; sides superiorly a very pale tint of the same colour as that of the back; sides inferiorly and the belly greyish white clouded with pale violet-purple; space under eyes and the sides of the head in front of operculum tinted with ochre-yellow. Operculum, back, and sides tinted here and there with violet-purple. Fins intermediate between pale brownish purple-red and pale lavender-purple, the ventral and anal tinted with yellow. Form, &c.—Figure moderately slender; dorsal outline slightly arched, ventral, between apex of lower jaw and the hinder extremity of the base of the anal fin, strongly arched, between anal and caudal fins nearly straight; a scale with a prolonged point in the axilla of each ventral fin. Head small, conical, and moderately long; nose rather narrow and slightly arched; body and tail, measured to the centre of the latter, very nearly four times the length of the head. Nostrils double on each side, close to each other, and the hinder one rather the largest. Three nearly horizontal rows of quadran- gular scales under each eye; scales of operculum large, the hinder edge of each semicircular. Scales of back, sides, and belly large and disposed in thirteen longitudinal rows, forty-four scales in the row immediately over the base of the pectoral fin. Hinder edge of second dorsal and anal fins lunate, of ventrals nearly even ; hinder edge of pectoral fins superiorly pointed, else- where slightly arched, caudal fin slightly lunated. The membranes connect- ing the rays of all the fins semi-pellucid. Upper jaw with a row of short criniform teeth. Length of specimen described ten inches. 1 D. 4; 2 D. 7; P. 15; V. }; A. 10; C. 14. Inhabits the seas of the eastern and western coasts. 2 2a la 1 Mugil Capensis . Fig. 1&la. Mugil multilineatus. Fig. 2 &2a (Pisces. Plate 30.) Day L Haghe Itte to the Queon MUGIL CAPENSIS.-Cuv. ET VAL. Pisces.-PLATE XXX. Fig. 1 AND 1 a. M, capite superne dorsoque viridi-brunneis; lateribus superne pallide cæruleo-purpureis, inferne griseo- albis, lineis longitudinalibus novem signatis; corporis squamis in seriebus quindecim dispositis ; naribus duplicibus approximatis. WUGIL CAPENSIS, Hist. Nat. des Poisson's, par Cuv. et Val. tom. xi. fol. 108. Colour.— The upper surface of the head intermediate between light brownish red and oil-green; back and sides, superiorly, intermediate be- tween rose-red and lilac-purple; sides and belly inferiorly greyish white, all with tints of pale violet-purple. Back and sides with nine rather narrow longitudinal bars or stripes of a colour intermediate between brownish red and oil-green. Space under eyes strongly tinted with yellow; operculum pale lavender-parple with tints of violet-purple. Fins intermediate between pale brownish purple-red and pale lavender-purple, all, excepting the first dorsal, slightly tinted with yellow. Form, &c.—Figure moderately robust; dorsal outline slightly arched, ventral strongly arched in front of the dorsal fin, behind it nearly straight. Head rather small ; nose narrow and slightly arched; nostrils double on each side, close together, and the hinder one much the largest; body and tail measured to the centre of the latter four and a quarter times the length of the head. Scales under the eyes quadrangular, and arranged in four hori- zontal rows; scales immediately behind eye rather large, irregularly shaped, and directed downwards, those of operculum much larger and directed downwards and backwards ; scales of body large, and the hinder edge of each three-sided ; they are disposed in fifteen longitudinal rows, forty-four scales in the row immediately over the pectoral fin. The hinder edge of the second dorsal, the anal, and the caudal fins slightly lunate; the posterior and superior extremity of each pectoral fin pointed, the hinder edge nearly even. Base of anal and caudal fins coated with several rows of regular scales. Length of specimen described 12 inches. 1 D. 4; 2 D. 8; P. 16; V. }; A. 10; C. 15. Inhabits the seas of the eastern and western coasts, and also some of the rivers and lakes of the colony. MUGIL MULTILINEATUS.-SMITH. PISCES.--Plate XXX. Fig. 2 AND 2 a. M. capite superne dorsoque pallide griseo-purpureis ; lateribus abdomineque purpureo-albis, lateribus lineis duodecim longitudinalibus pallide brunneo-rubris signatis; corporis squamis in seriebus duo decim dispositis ; naribus duplicibus approximatis. Colour.— The upper surface of the head and the back intermediate be- tween brownish purple-red and lilac-purple, both tinted with oil-green ; sides superiorly the same colour only lighter; sides inferiorly and belly pale pearly white tinged with yellow, and clouded, like the upper parts of the sides, back, and head, with pale tints of violet-purple; the sides varied with twelve longitudinal interrupted pale brownish red lines, the uppermost the broadest. Infraorbital spaces strongly tinged with yellow ; fins interme- diate between pale bluish purple-red and lilac-purple, all but the first dorsal faintly tinted with yellow. FORM, &c.—Figure moderately slender; dorsal outline nearly straight, ventral considerably arched ; an elongated scale external to the base of each ventral fin proceeding from the first ray, and a similar one on each side of the base of the first dorsal fin. Head long, conical, and behind rather deep; nostrils double on each side, rather close, and the hinder one the largest ; upper surface of head slightly convex ; nose narrow and slightly rounded. Body with caudal fin measured to its centre rather more than three times the length of the head. Scales toward nose small, on the other parts of the upper surface of the head large and irregularly shaped ; scales under the eyes subquadrangular and disposed in four oblique longitudinal rows; scales behind eyes, and on operculum large and irregularly shaped. Scales of body moderately large, and the hinder edge of each arched; they are arranged in fifteen longitudinal rows, about forty-five in the row immediately over the pectoral fin. Hinder edge of second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins lunate; pectoral fin superiorly elongated and pointed. Length of specimen described 12] inches 1 D. 4; 2 D.7; P. 16; V. }; A. 9; C. 15. Inhabits the seas of the eastern and western coasts, also some of the rivers of the interior. XIPHIURUS CAPENSIS (Pisces_Plate 31 ) XIPHIURUS* CAPENSIS.-SMITH, PISCES. --PLATE XXXI. X. pallide carneus purpureo flavoque variegatus; maxillæ superioris dentibus versus apicem magnis ; pinna pectorali subovali. LONGITUDO è nasi apice ad caudæ extremitatem 38 unc. Koning Klip visch of the Cape Colonists. - COLOUR.-Prevailing colour light sienna-yellow, clouded or shaded with a variety of other hues; the sides of the head behind the eyes, the sides of the body inferiorly, the belly and the tail towards its point, faintly tinted with imperial-purple. The sides of the head under and in front of the eyes, and the sides of the body and tail in the course of the lateral line, are variegated with shades of pale saffron-yellow ; branchial membrane striped longitudinally with a colour intermediate between light red and gamboge-yellow, and tints of the same are observed towards the point of the upper jaw. Lower jaw pale imperial-purple. Pectoral fin sienna-yellow, shaded with yellowish- brown. The other fin, formed by the union of dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, pale aurora-red, shaded with purplish red. Eyes greenish white. VARIETY, FIG. 2.—Sides of head pale aurora-red, shaded immediately behind eyes with king's-yellow, and in front of eyes with pale brownish red ; preoperculum superiorly purplish red, with an intermixture of imperial-pur- ple; operculum, particularly the upper portion, strongly tinted with imperial- purple. Branchial membrane striped longitudinally with pale blackish purple. The sides of the body near the lateral line purplish red, clouded with oil- * Ch. Gen. Teeth of upper jaw in two bands, the intermaxillary and palatal; those of lower in one, the teeth of the outer row of each band long, and formed for holding, the others very small; vomer armed ; with teeth of the same description. Operculum near its upper and hinder edge armed with a strong, bony spine. Ventral fins wanting. Dorsal, caudal, and anal fins united. Barbels, two, pendent from the under surface of the lower jaw, a little in front of the angle of the mouth. Body subcylindrical. Tail compressed and ensiform. Scales small. Branchial rays, seven. XIPHIURUS CAPENSIS. a green ; of the tail, oil-green with faint shades of brown. The sides, below the lateral line, towards the head, imperial-purple, clouded close to the line with a clear deep green, towards the tail with pale brownish red. Sides inferiorly and belly pale aurora-red, clouded with pale purplish red; sides of tail inferiorly a pale purple, tinged with flesh-red; space immediately under base of pectoral fin, pale king's-yellow. Pectoral fins aurora-red, shaded strongly with hyacinth-red; the other fin on the back and at the point of the tail pale purplish red, the dorsal portion at its base shaded with imperial- purple, the anal to nearly the point of the tail light imperial-purple, edged towards its anterior extremity with greenish yellow. Eyes pale lemon- yellow. Cirrhi, pendent from anterior part of throat, aurora-red, tinted with brown. Form, &c.—Head long, and rather slender ; body moderately robust, and slightly compressed ; abdomen protuberant; tail narrow, tapered, and com- pressed strongly towards its apex. Gape moderately wide. The intermaxil- lary bones long, and the teeth towards the point of the jaw much the largest ; in the lower jaw, those towards the angle of the mouth the largest. The palatine teeth are nearly of the same size as those of the anterior portion of the in termaxillary row, those of the vomer, which form the junction between the palatal teeth of the two sides, are crowded and rather smaller. Each of the rows of large teeth, as well as those on the vomer but particularly the inter- maxillary row, has internally, at their base, a stripe of very short and slender teeth. Eyes rather large, and directly above the angle of the mouth. Nostrils longitudinally ovate, and about midway between the eye and the point of the nose. Operculum large; preoperculum rather narrow, with a strong osseous spine, towards its hinder edge, a little below the upperextremity of the branchial opening. Between the rami of the lower jaw, nearly directly under the angle of the mouth, there is a small bone included in the surrounding soft parts, from which depends two slender feelers, from two to three inches in length. These are, by means of a special mechanism, retained either in a vertical or horizontal position, according to the will of the fish. Skin of the head smooth and without scales, that of the body and tail covered with small subovate scales buried in the skin, scarcely imbricate, and not distinctly visible till the surface is quite dry. Pectoral fins oval, the central portion of the hinder edge rather projecting beyond the line of curve on each side of it, in which respect it differs slightly from the pectoral fin of Fig. 2. Dorsal, caudal, and anal fins, regularly joined, the anterior portion of the dorsal, and the greater part of the anal, rather narrower than the posterior portion of the dorsal and the caudal. The lateral line commences at the upper extremity of the XIPHIURUS CAPENSIS. branchial opening, and terminates at the base of the caudal fin, having a slightly waved course. Variety.—Body bulky; head large, and anteriorly, towards the nose, its curvature is abrupt instead of gradual, as in the individual already described. 0 DIMENSIONS. In. Lines. In, Lines. Length from the nose to the point of the Distance between the nose and the eye. 2 5 tail 38 the nose and the origin the nose to the upper extremity of the dorsal fin ... 10 of the branchial opening... 7 10 the nose and the origin the nose to the angle of the of the anal fin 8 mouth... 3 0 0 ...... 18 During one of the several earthquakes which occurred many years ago at the Cape of Good Hope, one or more sandbanks were formed near the entrance to Table Bay, and, not long after, the first specimens of this fish were obtained. Since then it has always been in the market; but on no occasion in great abundance : hence, owing to that circumstance and to the esteem in which it is held as an article of diet, it generally brings a high price. I am not prepared to say the two figures in the plate represent the same species, nor yet different ones. The one marked Fig. 2, is considered by fishermen to be different; and, in support of their opinion, they urge that it is always found on a bank which is at a very great depth below the surface of the water ; while that marked Fig. 1, is never found on that bank, but always on those with a less depth of water. It is fished after the manner of the cod-fish, and, in many respects, bears a close resem- blance to the Gadide. . PISCES. - INDEX. - PLATE PLATE Abrostomus umbratus 12 Mugil Richardsonii 29 12 euronotus 29 3 Capensis. 30 24 multilineatus 30 8 Ostracion undecim-aculeatus 17 10 18 bicuspes Otolithus aequidens 10 13 Capensis Agriopus spinifer Atimostoma Capensis Bagrus Capensis Barbus (Cheilobarbus) Capensis ------) Mariquensis (Pseudobarbus) Burchellii -) pallidus Carcharodon Capensis Clarias Capensis Cybium flavo-brunneum Dentex rupestris 11 Pentaceros Richardsonii 21 11 16 4 26 27 22 20 22 14 23 19 23 argyrozona Echinorhinus obesus Rhinobatus (Syrrhina) annulatus Rhinodon typicus Sebastes Capensis maculatus Sargus Hottentotus Capensis Sciaena hololepidota Scyllium Africanum variegatum Pantherinum Tilapia Sparrmanii Xiphiurus Capensis 1 15 7 25 6. 25 9 25 Elops Capensis Leptorhynchus Capensis Lophius upsicephalus Mustelus megalopterus Mugil Constantiæ macrolepis 2 5 28 31 28 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ZOOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICA; CONSISTING CHIEFLY OF FIGURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE OBJECTS OF NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTED DURING AN EXPEDITION INTO THE INTERIOR OF SOUTH AFRICA, IN THE YEARS 1834, 1835, AND 1836; FITTED OUT BY " THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE ASSOCIATION FOR EXPLORING CENTRAL AFRICA." BY ANDREW SMITH, M.D., DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF ARMY HOSPITALS; DIRECTOR OF THE EXPEDITION. Published under the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. INVERTEBRATÆ. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER AND CO. 65, CORNHILL. MDCCCXLIX. LONDON: PRINTED BY STEWART AND MURRAY OLD BAILEY. TO ZOOLOGISTS. Ar the request of my friend Dr. Smith, I have undertaken to lay before the public such Annulose forms collected by him in South Africa, as appear to be most worthy of notice. It may be well that I should mention here my having lately acquired, by purchase, the very extensive collection of Annulosa made by M. Verreaux during his long residence at the Cape, and also his manu- script notes on the species collected. Perhaps therefore no naturalist is better provided than I am with those materials which are necessary to enable us to form accurate notions of South African entomology. Upon this subject also, my personal acquaintance with the habits of many exotic genera, may to a certain degree be brought to bear. In his descriptions of the vertebrated animals of the Cape, Dr. Smith has adopted a plan of publication, which is at once convenient for himself and for his readers. The subjects which he brings under the notice of natu- ralists, are by reason of their size and importance in the economy of nature, sufficiently interesting to entitle each species to a distinct plate and a long description. He can, therefore, publish each animal in the order that best suits his convenience, reserving for the conclusion his general arrangement, when his readers can either adopt it or bind up the work according to that system which may most please their fancy. I need I scarcely say that the expense which would inevitably result from the adoption of any such mode of publication in the description of insects, renders it impossible for me to follow Dr. Smith's example. A whole plate devoted to a single species of annulose animal, would be obviously inconvenient for all parties, and to none more than to the purchasers of this work. It becomes therefore necessary to place several figures in one plate ; the only valid objection to which plan is the difficulty of finally arranging the plates according to system, since each of them must necessarily contain figures of species that belong to very different groupes. This evil, however, I shall endeavour to avoid, by describing as far as B 2. TO ZOOLOGISTS. convenient, my species in small natural groupes, and by confining each plate as much as possible to the representation of species that are nearly allied to each other. Such a mode of proceeding, like that of Dr. Smith, will allow of the work, when concluded, being bound up according to that system of arrangement which may appear to the reader most advisable to follow. I could wish that it had been in my power to describe these insects according to the general plan commenced in the Annulosa Javanica. Several circumstances, however, prevent such a scheme being followed, among which is the necessity in a work of this kind of each number possessing considerable variety. But although I am about to describe the Annulosa of South Africa in a miscellaneous order, I trust no one will detect symptoms of my being tormented by that morbid thirst for naming new species which makes so many modern works in entomology, rather magazines of undigested and insulated facts than harmonious histories of nature. It is really distressing to see the philosophy of our science lost sight of in a puling passion for that miserable immortality which is made to depend on the invention of some barbarous technical names. We cannot even say that the best entomologists are free from it, when we find the laborious author of the “Genera Curculionidum,” whose fame has arisen from his study of nomenclature, shewing utter contempt of its laws. The pre- servation of the earliest name is a duty not so much to the name as to the science; yet M. Schönherr has in 1833, attempted to alter the names of many genera published in 1825 in the appendix to Captain King's voyage. I shall not follow so mischievous an example; but as far as my humble means will allow, I shall endeavour to be rigorously observant of that leading principle of nomenclature which is the right of priority. This right, in my opinion, is so necessary to be sustained, if we have any regard for the interests of natural history, that I shall never for one moment wait to consider whether the first namer of a species be an author of reputation or not. W. S. M‘L. 1.-ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. In 1819 I distinguished a family of Petalocerous insects, under the name of Cetoniida, that had been originally marked out by Scopoli, as consisting of “ Scarabæi Anthophili.” I shewed their affinity and analogies to the other Petalocerous families, and characterized the groupe by that membranaceous texture of the labrum and mandibles, which proves that these insects in their perfect state are intended to live on vegetable juices ; very few exceptions to this general construction being known to exist in the family. I also described two or three new groupes belonging to the Cetoniide, but since that time many others have been named and characterized, particularly by MM. Lepelletier and Audinet de Serville, in the 10th volume of the Entomological part of the Encyclopédie, which was published in 1825. Mr. Kirby also, in a paper read before the Linnean Society, in 1824; and in a number of the Zoo- logical Journal, published in 1827, has given to the world some valuable remarks on certain groupes of the family. But the work, which above all others, claims our present attention, is the “Monographie des Cétoines,” commenced by MM. Gory and Percheron, in 1833, and now, I believe, concluded. These gentlemen had the admirable intention of giving us in this work a complete description, with figures, of all the species of Cetoniide—that is, of the family as I circumscribed it in the Hore Entomologica. The grand defect of their monograph is carelessness in the descriptions, in dates, and in names. Considerable reading and research was necessary for their undertaking ; but these authors appear to me to have scarcely ever consulted any other entomological work than Count Dejean's Catalogue. Although con- stantly referring to me, they do not seem to be acquainted with any thing I have written; nay, not even with that erroneous and somewhat piratical extract from my works, which in 1834 was printed in Paris, under the title of Annulosa Javanica. As for Mr. Kirby, they are entirely ignorant of his labours; and although they often in like manner make mention of his name, it is clear that they never read any of his instructive papers on the Cetoniide. Another great defect of this French monograph consists in the figures, which are only on a level with those of Olivier, and unaccountably bad, when we call to mind the beautiful entomological plates now in the course of publication in France by M. Guerin, and in our own country by Mr. Curtis. In short, the most praiseworthy circumstance connected with the Monographie des Cétoines is the intention of its authors. This it is which makes the book, with all its faults, a most useful work. It is truly the first entomological publication which has a right to be called a monograph; as it is not either a local catalogue, or the catalogue of one or two collections of a country, but professes to contain descriptions of all 4 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. the species which the authors could procure a sight of, whether in England, or on the continent. it was a happy thought to undertake a catalogue of such extent, we the more regret the way in which the undertaking has been executed. In fact, MM. Gory and Percheron had every thing in their favor, except the acquirements necessary for the task. The subjects of their monograph are large, handsome, and easily preserved. They were therefore more likely to be brought from abroad than perhaps any other insects. The Buprestida are also handsome insects, but as the species of this family often are very minute, and always very active, so complete a collection of them is of more difficult attainment. Indeed, we may fairly say, that with the exception perhaps of Central Africa, the world contains of Cetoniida few species unknown, at least in comparison with those which are known. MM. Gory and Percheron appear never to have seen the noble collection made by my father; and if their work had been more ably executed, I should have deeply regretted my absence from England at the time they were studying the museums of our Metropolis. Nothing, however, affords me a better conception of the extent of their labours, than to see so few generic forms, and even species in my collection, which do not find their portraits, such as they are, in the Monographie des Cétoines. It will be easily understood, therefore, why I now commence with the description of the Cetoniide of South Africa. It is not only because the Cape of Good Hope is the richest of all countries in the species of this beautiful family, but because every person who is in pos- session of the Monographie des Cétoines may, to a certain degree, have the power of studying analytically the affinities and analogies which I am about to explain, and of observing the manner in which, I trust, the whole of organized nature will one day be wrought out. I have also another object in commencing with the Cetoniida, which is, that having been long sensible of the great confusion existing between the words genera, sub-genera, sections, sub-sections, &c. I am naturally anxious to explain the meaning of these words, as I shall in future use them. Every one knows that sometimes sub-genera, and at other times even sub-sections of genera, are in the most unphilosophical manner published as genera. Too often we find every thing a genus which some gnathoclast, with Scapula in hand, has thought proper, in his good pleasure, to call so. Some persons again there are, who on a first inspection can oracularly decide that this groupe is a sub-genus, and that another groupe is of “full generic value.” To such clearness of vision I can lay no claim; yet I cannot help thinking that there is a mode of discovering the true subordination of these several kinds of groupes — nay, I am sure this , discovery will ever be the result of calm patience, of keeping before our view a great number of the species of any family, and finally of following up that aphorism of a distinguished botanist, which says, “ Omnis sectio naturalis circulum, per se clausum, exhibet.” When I , described the Geodephaga of the Annulosa Javanica, I had not that knowledge of a sufficient number of the species, which was necessary to enable me to work out my sub- ordinate groupes, and therefore I could only state that I did not exactly know which were genera, and which were sub-genera. If any one, for instance, were to publish a complete monograph of the Linnean genera Carabus and Cicindela, after the manner which MM. Gory and Percheron have adopted for the Fabrician genus Cetonia, it might be possible for the entomologist to distinguish the genera, sub-genera, sections, and sub-sections of Geodephaga, as well as to shew their reciprocal relations of affinity and analogy. That, however, which most tends to prevent young naturalists from taking this, the most honourable path of ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 5 - entomological science, is impatience. It is impatience which makes them dislike the study of affinities, which makes them delight in the grovelling task of making insulated descriptions of new species, and idly fancy that harmony does not exist in the creation, because, forsooth, they cannot immediately and intuitively perceive it. To this branch of natural history, indeed, there is no royal road. In order to exhibit the vagueness which hangs about the expressions — families, genera, and sub-genera, I cannot do better than cite from one of our late periodicals, the following words of an author : “These families which M. Wesmäel has since raised to sub- genera, but which I consider of full generic value,” &c. Here, the dispute obviously is, whether a certain groupe be a family, a genus, or a sub-genus ; and the first question that presents itself to the mind is, what was the writer's particular standard ? He certainly seems to have had some vague standard in his mind, for he talks of “full generic value.' But has this value ever been accurately defined, either by himself, or any one else ? Nay, has the word genus any signification which is universally deemed definite ? I fear in all such cases of assertion, there is a latent disposition of the human mind to erect an arbitrary standard, founded on the supposed value of some point of structure. Thus one person says that the genera of Mammalia ought to be established on the differences in their system of dentition ; and yet there are some genera of Mammalia where almost every species varies in the number and form of its teeth; so that to adopt the rule, we must consider every species of such genera to be a genus itself. Another person will tell us, like Linneus, that there are as many genera, as aggregations of different species present similar constructions of some arbitrarily selected organs, such as those of fructification in phænogamous plants, or the teeth in Mammalia. In , this sense it is evident that a genus may be made to signify any groupe whatever; as its extent will depend on the nature of the structure selected. The black and yellow Cetoniæ of South Africa will even form a genus, according to the Linnean definition of the word; and so also will all vertebrated animals. Cuvier's definition of a genus is, that it is a certain number of beings so nearly allied, that they differ from each other only in the least important points of their conformation, that is, specifically. A genus is, in fact, according to this naturalist, the smallest natural groupe of species we can find. Such indeed is the idea of a genus which prevails in the minds of most naturalists. We see every little groupe of species for which they can discover a character, immediately dubbed a genus; the absurdity of which is, that we often find these very same persons again sub-dividing their “genera,” although, according to their own definition, the groupes were already in rank only immediately above species. Even Cuvier himself calls Sus a genus, or, in other words, according to his definition, a collection of beings that only specifically differ from each other. Yet, inconsistently enough, he proceeds to name and characterize a part of Sus under the name of Dicotyle, as a still smaller groupe of species, and repeatedly makes mention of sub-genera. Let me be understood on this head. I do not object to giving the name of genera to sub-genera, nor that of sub-genera to sub-sections. The word genus may be applied as by Linneus to mark out all Petalocerous insects, or as by M. Dejean to designate only the Dorysceles of Madagascar. To either proceeding I have not the slightest objection; if we only understand each other, and that the word genus is to have a similar value in all cases. It is not to be defined the smallest possible groupe of species here, and in another place considered as a groupe which contains many other groupes of species. This cannot be a correct mode of using the word; although it may, from our ignorance of created species, 6 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. appear sometimes to be consonant with what we observe in nature. If we divide all animals into sub-kingdoms, classes, orders, tribes, stirpes, families, genera, sub-genera, sections, sub- sections, &c. &c. or any other names, we must not confound all these groupes together, but during our investigations, preserve each of them in that proper subordination which may have been agreed upon by naturalists. But here some one may observe that all groupes are arbitrary and artificial, since after all they must depend on the selection and good pleasure of man. To this I answer that affinities are natural; and if all these affinities are expressed by any mode of grouping, it follows also that the groupes must be natural; although, certainly, these last must in some degree have depended on our selection. But in fact, these groupes are only chosen because they coincide with the affinities which exist in nature. Our grand object, when we are trying to find out a natural arrangement, is not to give an arbitrary value to particular characters; but to express all the relations, whether of affinity or analogy, which may exist in the branch of natural history we study. If these relations are all indicated by the arrangement, our object is gained ; and it can be no objection whatever to the system, that in our pursuance of an eclectic plan, a character which at one time we set a value upon, is at another time esteemed of little worth. Indeed, it is obvious in every , part of natural history, that the most important characters break down in certain species, and become at times perfectly worthless. Comparatively constant as is the structure of the teeth in the genera of Mammalia generally, we find in some groupes, such as the Edentata, or the genus Rhinoceros, that the dentition varies extensively in almost every species. Again, in Botany, how steady is the dicotyledonous character of Exogenous plants; yet we have even this most important distinction breaking down in certain families. One naturalist arranges animals according to their brain and nervous system; another tells us, he prefers their osteology, and so on. Each point of structure, being of the utmost consequence to animal economy, is concluded by its peculiar partisan to be therefore infallible as a ground of arrange- ment. Very little experience, however, is sufficient to shew that each of these favorite hobbies is unsafe to ride upon; and we are in our search for an accurate way of expressing the relations which connect various beings, obliged to adopt another plan of calculating the value of principles of arrangement. My plan, as is well known, has ever been not to estimate the value of any arrangement by the value in animal economy of the structure upon which this arrangement is founded, but to make the importance of every organ or structure for purposes of arrangement, rise in inverse proportion to its degree of variation. The consequence of this rule of procedure, has been the birth of an arrangement which is universally applicable. And yet, even this rule is nothing more than an abstract measure of the importance of some individual character in the arrangement of that particular groupe, where we may happen to make use of it. It is a rule, moreover, that we cannot always with safety put in practice; for although with respect to arrangement, it is ever an admirable instrument of correction, it is sometimes also a dangerous one of discovery. Indeed, in discovering natural arrangement, we can never safely swerve from the Linnean axiom, which although it alludes more immediately to “genera,” holds good equally of all groupes; “Scias characterem non constituere genus sed genus characterem, et characterem non esse ut genus fiat sed ut genus noscatur.” We truly make use of a process of tatonnement. We do not argue that such must be the groupe, because such and such are, in our opinion, good and distinct characters; but we say, such happens to be the character, of no matter what importance, which prevails throughout the groupe, and ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 7 which serves in some degree to insulate it from other groupes. But it is evident that we must previously have arrived at the knowledge of the groupe ; and this is effected by a close watching of the variation of affinity, and by considering the groupe to be complete only when the series of natural objects returns into itself. It is more particularly when we have satisfac- torily applied this test of the groupe’s completeness, that we ought to look out for its natural character. Still, after all, we may be wrong; we may sometimes imagine a groupe to return а into itself, when it does not; or we may consider what in reality are two groupes, to form only one. The best way I know of correcting such evils, is to recollect that the natural system ought to express all the relations which exist between the various objects of our study, and that if any of these are left unrepresented in our arrangement, there must be some latent error, in the formation of our groupes. I repeat, that the process is one of tatonnement. The marsupial animals have clearly some kind of relation to Primates, to Insectivorous Fere, to Edentata, and also to Glires. Now, if a naturalist cannot express all these relations, and at the same time all the various relations which exist among the other groupes of Mammalia, he ought to be convinced that his arrangement is wrong. It is of no use to talk about the importance of this organ, or of that other, in the structure of these animals. If even we were right in any such comparative estimate of the importance of organs in general economy, we ought not to forget that the true question under consideration is, the natural arrangement of the animals themselves; and that this is to be attained only by the expression of every affinity, and every analogy that can be detected. The unnatural groupe Testacea, was founded on the important character of the presence of a shell; and we shall see among the Cetoniida, that genera were erroneously separated from this family because they wanted its leading characters, which consist in the membranaceous texture of certain parts of the mouth. I have before alluded to the fact, that when a series of affinity is followed, it is observed to return into itself, and thus to form a closed groupe. Now, if we start from the principle that when a few species first agree in some particular character, they combine into a series that will return into itself, we shall probably imagine every such series, so forming a circle in practice, to be in theory the first natural assemblage of species. Yet this will be an incorrect mode of viewing the matter; for owing to the rarity of its species, the first known circular grouping of the species of Cryptodinus, for instance, is into sub-genera ; whereas the first known circular grouping of the species of Cetoniida is into certain sub-sections. But, if the above hypothesis were true, the sub-genera of one genus would be equivalent in value to only sub-sections of the other. I conceive, therefore, that in order to attain accuracy in the distinction of groupes, we must proceed in a totally different manner to investigate the subject. In the first place, we must commence from some given point in which all naturalists agree. Such a point undoubtedly is the animal kingdom. Every one acknowledges this groupe. Now I observe the animal kingdom to resolve itself into five natural groupes, forming a circle. I observe again, each of these circular groupes to resolve itself into five others, and so down, until I arrive at species. Now it is clear that I may term the animal kingdom a genus, or I may call the groupe Vertebrata a sub-genus, and Mammalia a kingdom; the word given as a name to the class of groupe, being adopted for convenience, and being merely conventional. My aim is not to dispute about the propriety of the names given to these various groupes, but merely to express the proper subordination of one groupe to another, even supposing that they had no names. If, therefore, 8 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. mouse. I say that I will call the first five divisions of the animal kingdom, sub-kingdoms or provinces ; the second 25 divisions of these, classes ; the third 125, orders; the fourth 625, tribes ; the fifth 3125, stirpes or races ; the sixth 15625, families ; the seventh number of circles, genera; the eighth sub-genera ; and the ninth sections; and the tenth sub-sections, &c. &c.* shall obtain one general rule for the Annulose creation, and at least obtain the great advantage of understanding definitively what we are talking about. Theoretical, and to a certain degree artificial, as this view of the matter may be, it will assuredly tend to clear up our practice. It may indeed be urged that difficulty occurs with respect to what are called insulated species. A Cryptodinus is more insulated than a Cetoninus, and an Hippopotamus than a This is true; but then I understand that the genus Cryptodinus, were it more perfect, ought to contain as, many groupes of species as Cetoninus is known to do, and that to comprehend perfectly the affinities of a Hippopotamus, we must suppose it to be immediately surrounded with as many sections, sub-genera, and genera, as are known immediately to surround the mouse. Thus, when the naturalist talks of any anomalous structure, I understand merely that so many links, that is, so many groupes, of the great plan of creation are wanting, as would connect this singular being with some other and better known form. If I say that the Hippopotamus forms a stirps by itself, I only mean that it is the sole species of its stirps known; and that, speaking theoretically, four families are wanting, or rather twenty-four genera to connect it well with the other tribes of Pachyderms. It is of no consequence whether the families and genera supposed according to this theory to be wanting, have disappeared, or whether they have never been created. I merely suppose them to be wanting, in order that I may obtain something like a just notion of the relation which the Hippopotamus bears to the other Pachyderms. It will be seen on a review of the preceding remarks, that Cuvier's definition of a genus above given, most truly answers to what in the following observations on the Cetoniide I shall call sub-sections, or even to still smaller groupes, if any such can be pointed out; and that if genera are found to contain sometimes a few beings only specifically differing from each other, this results from our ignorance of certain sub-genera, sections, and sub-sections that are wanting. To those persons who may choose to give the name of genera to the entomological groupes which I call sub-sections, I have only to say that they ought to do it in all cases. They have no right to call the groupe named Cetonia by MM. Gory and Percheron, a genus, and also that which is termed by those gentlemen “Dicheros.” I have avoided this confusion in entomology,t by invariably considering genera to be that sub-division of the animal kingdom which is the seventh in degree downwards ; that is, to be the first sub-division of families. In the same way that we discover confusion to proceed from that definition of genera which asserts them to be the next class of groupe above species, we shall also find a certain degree of confusion to proceed from the definition of the word Family, as depending on * Some persons have imagined that I only assign five species to the lowest groupe in nature ; but the above theory evidently proceeds on the assumption that if we knew all the species of the creation, their number would be infinite, or in other words, that they would pass into each other by infinitely small differences. This actually takes place sometimes in nature; and as yet I do not know any good distinction between a species and what is called “ a permanent variety.” + I suspect that genera among the Vertebrata may, from the comparative paucity of species, conveniently be considered as standing one degree higher in the scale, or in other words, that we may in that sub-kingdom, neglect the use of the word stirpes. a ON THE CETONIIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 9 the above awkward one of genera. A family, in entomology, is held to be the next groupe in rank above genera; as, indeed, I myself consider it. I only differ from others in the value of the word genera. What, for instance, is the consequence if Cuvier's definition of genera be adopted ? A most natural groupe has been marked out, and distinguished under the name of Cetoniide. In process of time some naturalist discovers within it other combinations of groupes which he considers genera, because, so far as he knows, they are the first groupes of species. Gnorimus, for instance, is such a groupe of species. Our naturalist forth with calls it a genus : and he observes, that a number of such genera combine to form another groupe, which he calls Trichiide. Of course, he makes this combination of “ genera” a family; and knowing that it cannot possibly be of the same rank as the original family of which it only forms a part, he is obliged to change the name of this from Cetoniide to Melitophile. It is thus that we have now every day such “ families” formed as Sericida, Diplotaxida, &c., excellent groupes perhaps in themselves, but which their authors have been led away by a mere love of changing names, to consider as equivalent in rank to true families, such as Trogida and Rutelida, Any person gifted with a pair of eyes can analyse. The difficulty is to employ synthesis. In botany, every fraction of the ancient families has in like manner been also called a family, and the consequent confusion arrived at such a pitch, that Bartling and Lindley have lately been obliged to attempt the re-grouping, if I may so express myself, of the modern small “families” of plants. I have in the following observations on the Cetoniida, also endeavoured to avoid this confusion, and to preserve consistency; first, by considering such new-fangled families, as the “ Trichiada,” “ Sericide,” “ Diplotaxide," “ Goliathida,” &c. to be only genera or sub-genera, containing minor groupes of species; and, secondly, by keeping them in proper subordination to their original families, the Cetoniide, Melo- lonthida, &c. These last, as families, I also agree to be the next groupes above genera, once that I have conveniently defined families to be the sixth degree of groupe downwards from the animal kingdom. Having said this much, I am ready to allow in behalf of those who are so fond of imposing new names on the science, at whatever expense of confusion, that if, for instance, a sub-section of Goliathus like that which is called Mecynorhina, by my friend Mr. Hope, be considered a genus, it follows, that the next groupe above it, and of which Mecynorhina forms a part,—viz. the groupe which I call Smithii, may, without blame, be called a family. But then such a family would be the ninth degree of groupe downwards from the animal kingdom. In order to exhibit clearly the place of the Cetoniida in nature, I shall now give the following series of groupes. Regnum, ANIMALIA. 1. Subregnum, ANNULOSA. 2. Classis, MANDIBULATA. 3. Ordo, COLEOPTERA. 4. Tribus, CHILOGNATHOMORPHA. 5. Stirps, PETALOCERA, THALEROPHAGA. 6. Familia, CETONIIDÆ. Although I observe that of late various entomologists of great reputation have been designating families without venturing to give characters to them, I shall not follow their example; since I consider no name of the least weight that has not some character attached to it, enabling us to discover the accurate limits of the groupe which that name designates. It may be true that we have not always the good fortune to alight on the с 10 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. real character which insulates the groupe, but this is a venial defect, into which every naturalist is, at times, liable to fall. Mr. Vigors, for instance, discovered and pointed out the natural groupe of Insessores among birds; but their true characteristic was not known until I observed that these are the only birds which have "callow” young. Fam. CETONIIDÆ, Mihi. - Antenna of ten joints (very rarely nine), terminating in a triphyllous club composed of the three last joints. Labrum compressed, generally membranaceous, often emarginate, with rounded corners, and always concealed under the clypeus. Mandibles in general compressed, and furnished on the inside at the base with a subquadrate membrane, while the base and produced outer side are corneous. Maxilla corneous, and rather of a prismatic form, having their inner side often membra- naceous, and fringed with hairs, but sometimes corneous, and armed with teeth. Maxillary Palpi of four joints, the first joint being often evanescent, and the last never compressed. Labium and Mentum more or less confluent, sometimes completely so; and the mentum is anteriorly truncated or emarginated, but never trilobed. Head often subquadrate. Body always winged, and in general depressed. Feet in general slender, with the fore tibiæ for the most part dentated, more particularly in the females. Tarsi pentamerous, terminating in two equal sharp undivided claws, between which often intervene a plantula and pseudonychia. 1. This family consists, to my knowledge, of more than 600 species, of which only five are natives of Great Britain. The groupe has been most erroneously characterized by MM. Gory and Percheron. These gentlemen distinguish the “ Scarabées Mèlitophiles,”—a name, be it observed, which although Latreillian, is very erroneous,—by the mandibles being rudimentary, or even by these organs of the mouth being altogether absent. A description so anomalous of Cetoniida, in a work entirely devoted to them, is not very creditable to these gentlemen as entomologists; since I need scarcely say, that the mandibles are never absent. True it is that in general these organs are compressed, and often even extremely thin and membrana- ceous; but sometimes again, as in the Macroma scutellaris, G. P., and Cryptodus para- doxus, M'L., &c. the mandibles and maxillæ are as solid, thick, and corneous, as in any Melolonthidous insect of equal size. 2. The Cetoniida pass off to the Glaphyrida on one side, and to the Rutelida on the other. Those species of the sub-genus Trichius, which Mr. Kirby has called Archimedii, shew us that by the Trichius lineatus, Fab. (Lepitrix lineatus, Lp. Sr.) an insect of the Cape, we may arrive among the Glaphyride ; and Mr. the Glaphyrida ; and Mr. Kirby has, by the description of his genus Cnemida, explained to us how we may also pass from Macroma to the family of Rutelida. While on this subject, I may express my regret that an entomologist so distinguished as M. Dejean, and who has merely named this and other species in his catalogue without describing them, should have endeavoured to set aside the name Chemida Curtisii, which Mr. Kirby has given with a description. The right of priority in entomology is usually held sacred, yet Cnemida Curtisii, K. is called C. crassipes by Dejean without any assigned reason. It is unfortu- nate for Mr. Kirby that he should so often have set the example of reckless change to foreigners. ON THE CETONIIDZE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 11 3. Mr. Kirby, in the 14th volume of the Linnean Transactions, following perhaps an opinion I had thrown out on the Hore Entomologice, appears to consider Chasmodia, MʻL., to be close in affinity to the Cetoniide. But the relation of Chasmodia to Lomaptera, G. P., is one of analogy: the two groupes being corresponding points of contiguous families. Both are pol- lenivorous groupes, agreeing in brilliancy of colour, and in their cleft clypeus ; but in no essen- tial respect are they so constructed that they can be brought close together in affinity. 4. In some species of the Cetoniide the tergum of the prothorax (which shall, in my obser- vations on this family hereafter, be generally called thorax, for convenience and in conformity to the vulgar notion) is apt to have the middle part produced behind into a laminar lobe, which covers the scutellum in a greater or less degree. In proportion as this structure occurs, we always find the insect to be more sluggish and inactive. Thus the insects which compose the American subgenus Gymnetis are incomparably more sluggish in their habits than our European Cetonia. 5. M. Dufour has given us the anatomy of the perfect insect of the well-known English species Cetonia aurata, Fab.; and Professor Dehaan has favoured us with the anatomy of its larva. I shall in this place only observe, that the internal anatomy of the insects of this family is subject to greater variation than their external anatomy; and it must therefore be more distrusted in classification, according to the principles I have ventured to lay down in the 14th volume of the Linnean Transactions. 6. In the following enumeration of the various groupes into which the Cetoniida have been broken up, I shall endeavour to be strictly just in assigning them to their proper disco- From the respect due to the labours of my predecessors, I shall try to retain every name that has been published; but I would have it here clearly understood, that the name of the author annexed to a technical word does not always signify that he invented that name, but rather indicates the particular value given by that person to the groupe. Thus, for instance, Trichinus, Fab., will indicate the groupe called Trichius by Fabricius; and Trichius, MʻL. ; the value given to the Fabrician name by myself. The discoverer of a natural groupe may have some merit, but the mere inventor of a name has really none. On this principle, therefore, I have generally acted ; and more particularly when, in order to distinguish genera from sub-genera, I have given the former a termination always in inus. verers. . Genera. 1 TRICHINUS, Fab. Aberrant Groupe. 2 CRYPTODINUS, M'L. Larva having its mandibles unidentate towards the extremity. Terminal process of maxillæ always furnished with a brush but not with teeth. Epimeron never prominent between angles of thorax and elytra. (Terminal process of maxillæ never furnished with a brush, but always dentated. Epimeron never prominent be- tween angles of thorax and elytra. (Terminal process of maxillæ generally furnished with a brush and always with teeth. Epimeron always distinct between angles of thorax and elytra. Thorax lobate behind in the middle, and covering the whole scutellum more or less with the lobe. (3 MACROMINUS, M'L. . Normal Groupe. (4 GYMNETINUS, K. Larva having its mandibles pluridentate towards the extremity. Thorax not so lobate behind, and leaving the whole scu- tellum always distinct. ( 5 CETONINUS, M'L. c2 12 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 7. I term these genera, because they are the first class of groupes into which the Cetoniide resolve themselves. They form a series returning into itself. Some persons may call them sub-families, or give them any other name. This is quite a matter of taste; but I choose to call them genera, in order that I may more easily hereafter shew the relation borne to each of them by the groupes of modern entomologists. Of these genera then, Trichinus appears to have been discovered by Fabricius, and to answer tolerably well to his genus Trichius. I have therefore assigned the groupe Trichinus to him, because Trichius denotes, with modern authors, a groupe of more limited extent. Cryptodinus and Macrominus are groupes now, I believe, for the first time, clearly pointed out, although the former nearly corresponds with what Gory calls his genus Cremastocheilus. I have assigned the groupe Gymnetinus to Kirby, because it answers very nearly in extent to the sub-family called by him Gymnetida, and by Gory Gymnetides. Cetoninus is a groupe which I am not aware has ever until now been properly distinguished. 8. I am acquainted with larvæ of the genera Trichinus, Gymnetinus, and Cetoninus ; but I believe no larva of Cryptodinus or Macrominus is as yet known. It is probable, however, that the larvæ of these last, when discovered, will be found to have the mandibles formed like those of the larvæ of Osmoderma eremita, that is, unidentate at the extremity; for they are insects which have great affinity to each other in the manners of their perfect state. 9. I have attempted in the above table to distinguish the normal groupe by its larva ; but it may also be not badly distinguished by the imago, which has the terminal process of the maxilla almost always without teeth, and, at the same time, the epimeron almost always appa- rent between the angles of the thorax and elytra. By the first of these characters the normal groupe may be separated very nearly from the genus Macrominus, and by the latter very nearly from the genus Trichinus. There are exceptions to the rule, such as Philistina and a section of Goliathus, which have maxillæ with corneous teeth, and Inca, which has the epimeron not apparent between the thorax and elytra; but these are osculant groupes, the former leading to Macrominus, and the latter to Trichinus. 10. Of the five British species that belong to the family of Cetoniida, three are to be assigned to the genus Trichinus, and two to Cetoninus. But no one who confines his atten- tion to the above five species can form any notion of the beauty and variety of form that prevails throughout the family. 11. I do not venture to alter the terminations of the sub-genera, in order that they may agree with that of the genus to which they belong; nor can I make the terminations of the genus apply to that of all the sub-genera which it contains. The consequence of this is, that we have often strange concords, such as Trichinus Platygenia Zairica; but in such cases I have always made the trivial name agree with the sub-genus rather than with the genus. To this last I have given the termination, which corresponds with that of the majority of the sub-genera. Genus I. TRICHINUS, Fab. 12. This genus is easily known from Cryptodinus, MʻL. by its flat mentum and maxillæ provided with a brush of hairs; while from the genus Cetoninus, it is separated by its never having the epimeron prominent between the thorax and elytra, as well as by the anterior femora having no spines at their junction with the tibiæ. I do not place so much confidence in Latreille's character drawn from the mode in which the labial palpi are inserted. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 13 а. 13. In this genus, generally, the terminal brush of the maxilla is inserted in the triangular orifice of a short triangular corneous process, which terminates the maxilla, and appears articu- lated to it. In some of the floral species, this pencil of hairs or brush is very long, and admirably calculated for sucking up the honey of flowers; but in other sub-genera, such as Platygenia for example, the terminal brush may rather be considered to line the edge of the small trian- gular corneous process which terminates the maxilla and appears articulated with it. In such insects this process of the maxilla is not so palpiform as in those Trichini which inhabit flowers. 14. The larva and metamorphosis of the sub-genus Trichinus have been perfectly well explained by Professor Dehaan of Leyden, who shews that they bear more similarity to those of Glaphyrida and Melolonthida, than to those of the sub-genus Cetonia. This is a curious fact, and strongly illustrative of the danger attendant on our assuming a method of division instead of following the mode of variation. What groundwork for a natural division, for instance, appears more natural than metamorphosis ? Certainly none; and yet if we divide the family of Cetoniida by this rule, we shall place half of the contents along with the genus Melolontha! If, on the other hand, we follow the maxim of variation, and watch how the metamorphosis changes, we only arrive at the fact, that Trichinus (i. e. an aberrant genus of Cetoniida) is intermediate between the Glaphyride and the typical Cetoniida, inasmuch as it has the larva of the former, and the imago of the latter. But we proceed to detail the various sub-genera of Trichinus. Fabricius was not acquainted with the singular insects which compose the first of them. Sub-genera. A.-Body depressed and sides thin. (1 PLATYGENIA, MÅL. Anterior tibiæ externally bidentate. First joint of maxillary palpiz distinct. 2 CAMPULIPUS, K. Anterior tibiæ externally tridentate. Anterior tibiæ externally bidentate in general. Body 3 TRICHIUS, M'L. covered with hairs or scales. B.--Body and sides thick. First Anterior tibiæ externally multidentate. Body spotted joint of maxillary palpi eva-{ 4 Valgus, Sc. with scales. nescent. ſ Anterior tibiæ externally tridentate. Body depressed, -5 OSMODERMA, Lp. Sr. without hair or scales. Sub-genus 1. PLATYGENIA, MʻL. 15. Of this sub-genus only one species is certainly known ; although, to say the truth, Gory's figure of what he calls Platygenia Zairica, is so unlike the insect which I so named some years ago, that one is almost inclined to believe he may have fallen accidentally upon a new species of the groupe. Indeed, I consider the Trichius barbatus of Schönherr to belong certainly to the sub-genus. The mouth of Platygenia approaches very near in structure to that of Osmoderma, however different it may seem in external appearance. It is in fact, the mouth of an Osmoderma, with all the parts flattened, and excessively widened, differing only in having the terminal lobe of the maxillæ transversal and small. I imagine, indeed, that the true character of this sub-genus is founded on the comparative evanescence of the palpiform terminal process of the maxillæ. 16. The general form of the thorax of Platygenia, and its very depressed body, make me think that we can proceed from it to Campulipus, by means of some sections hitherto 14 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. unknown. M. Latreille perceived this affinity; but we only know one section of Platy- genia, and consequently, must reckon several forms wanting before we can closely connect it with Campulipus. Both are sub-genera peculiar to Africa. Sub-genus 2. CAMPULIPUS, Kirby. 17. This groupe agrees with the last, and differs from all the other sub-genera of Trichinus in having its body depressed, and the four joints of the maxillary palpus distinct. The elytra also nearly cover the podex, and the terminal process of the maxilla is very long, so as sometimes to resemble that of a bee. These are most likely floral insects. The following sections appear to be known. SECTIONS OF CAMPULIPUS. A.-Body depressed. Intermediate tibiæ incurvated in ſ1 AGENII, Lp. Sr. 2 STRIPSYPHERI, G. P. Clypeus entire. Clypeus bifid. one sex. B.-Body more convex. 3 ** 4 MYODERMI, Dej. 5 ZEBRÆI, M'L. Clypeus not simple. Clypeus simple. a 18. I have given the credit of this sub-genus to Mr. Kirby, but in fact his Campulipus is a groupe which only answers to the normal groupe of this sub-genus as above characterized. Mr. Kirby first observed Trichius limbatus of Olivier to be distinguished from its congeners by the remarkable intermediate tibiæ, which are curved into an obtuse angle, and appear thus as if broken. This character, however, is still more developed in an undescribed species in my collection, of M. Gory's singularly-named genus* Stripsypher, which species I shall here call Campulipus incurvatus. It is black, with yellow elytra, having four square black spots. This incurvation of the intermediate tibiæ appears to be a sexual character, for I possess a specimen of Campulipus limbatus, without this distinction being strongly marked. Of the section AGENII, we have the following from the Cape. Sp. 1. (Trichinus) Campulipus limbatus, Ol. Agenius limbatus, G. P. p. 95. tab. 11. fig. 4. Note. I may here remark that the figure of the mentum and maxilla of Agenius limbatus as given by Gory is all wrong. The mentum comes much nearer to that of his groupe Stripsypher, and the maxillæ in both sections have a long penicilliform terminal process. Sp. 2. (Trichinus) Campulipus Horsfieldii, n. s. DESCR. Campulipus atronitidus, punctatus, clypeo quadrato, thoracis lateribus albo-marginatis, scutello punctis duobus albis, elytris puncto-substriatis vittis duabus mediis abbreviatis ma- culâque utrinque ad scutellum flavis: punctis quatuor discalibus quatuor que lateralibus albis. Antennæ testaceæ clavâ piceâ. Corpus infra nigronitidum. Podex punctis quatuor, abdomen quinque lateralibus et epimeron maculâ semicirculari albis. Pedes picei, tibiis pos- ticis postice emarginatis. LONG. 7 lines. Note. Campulipus Horsfieldii is a beautiful species which appears to connect the two sections, AGENII and STRIPSYPHERI. Stripsypher niger, G. P. a Cape insect, truly belongs to the section STRIPSYPHERI. Yet, while the Agenii belong truly to Southern Africa, the STRIPSYPHERI are found more in the intra- * What Gory intends by this word I know not. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 15 B.-Terminal lobe of the tropical regions of that vast continent. As to the section which I have named MYODERMI, and which corresponds with the genus Myoderma of Dejean's Catalogue, I only know it by M. Gory's bad figure and worse description of “ Stripsypher sordidus," which comes from Senegal. Of the section ZEBRÆI we have one species at the Cape. Sp. 3. (Trichinus) Campulipus Zebra, Klug. Stripsypher Zebra, G. P. p. 98. tab. 12. fig. 1. NOTE. I may here observe that the Stripsypher called by Gory in his text the S. bimaculatus of Schönherr, and in his plates S. 6-maculatus is neither. It is called by Schönherr Trichius 6-guttatus. Sub-genus 3. TRICHIUS, MʻL. 19. This may be known from Campulipus by having a much shorter palpiform process to the termination of the maxillæ, as well as by the podex being in general more covered by the elytra. It has also a more convex form, and thus it may be distinguished from the sub-genus Valgus, as well as by its longer elytra. Trichius haunts flowers, and may be found in Great Britain. It is the sub-genus which passes off to the Glaphyrida. SECTIONS OF TRICHIUS. Body hirsute above and below. Last joint of maxillary 1 LEGITIMI, MʻL. palpi grooved. Inhabit Europe and America. Body only hirsute on the under side. Last joint of max. maxillæ provided with 2 ALEUROSTICTI, K. illary palpi rather grooved. Inhabit Europe and a short pencil of hairs. North America. 3 GEOMETRICI, M‘L. Body clothed with scales. Last joint of maxillary palpi not grooved, Inhabit America. A.-Terminal lobe of the ( 4 * maxilla provided with ſ Canthus almost bisecting the eyes. Last joint of max- 5 TETROPHTHALMI, K. a long pencil of hairs. illary palpi grooved. Inhabit Africa and Asia. 20. Under the name of “ LEGITIMI,” I have included Mr. Kirby's two sections, “ Legitimi” and Trichini, which last he now terms a sub-genus. The evanescent difference between these two groupes of the reverend gentleman appears to be of a very low order, and probably, therefore, only indicates sub-sections. Indeed, it chiefly consists in his Trichini being nitid and æneous, and his Legitimi not. However, Mr. Kirby thinks he can discover some slight difference in the last joint of the palpi. The type of the section I have termed LEGITIMI is the well-known Trichius fasciatus of Fabricius. Mr. Kirby makes the type of his section ALEUROSTICTI to be Trichius nobilis of Fabricius. This last section is, therefore, identical with the groupe called Gnorimus in the “ Encyclopédie,” by MM. Lepelletier and Serville. 21. Under the name of GEOMETRICI, I have included Mr. Kirby's two sections Archimedii and Enclidii, because there is, in my opinion, no sufficient difference between them to entitle them to be made distinct sections of the sub-genus. They may, however, ultimately prove to be distinct sub-sections of the section Geometrici. I consider the type of the Geometrici to be Trichius delta of Fabricius. 22. Of the section TETROPHTHALMI, as distinguished by Kirby, we have among the insects collected by Dr. Smith, the following species. Sp. 4. (Trichinus) Trichius vittatus, Fab. Trichius vittatus, G. P. p. 83. tab. 9. fig. 5. Sp. 5. (Trichinus) Trichius suturalis, G. P. Trichius suturalis, G. P. p. 84. tab. 9. fig. 6. 16 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. Sub-genus 4. VALGUs, Scriba. 23. This answers to the genus Acanthurus of Kirby, easily known by its depressed form, long trapezoidal prothorax, and short elytra. In the only section of this sub-genus which I know, there is a mucro arming the anus in one of the sexes, and which is probably the ovipositor. I have always found the species of Valgus, either at the roots of trees, or at the foot of walls, but never on flowers as Latreille says that he has found them. The section Geometrici of the last sub-genus is covered with scales, and so is this sub-genus ; but we still want some sections of Valgus to connect the Geometrici with the common Trichius hemipterus of Fabricius. Indeed, I am not aware that the present sub-genus has ever been resolved into sections. There is one species at the Cape, viz. Sp. 6. (Trichinus) Valgus Smithii, n. S. DESCR. Valgus thoracè postice utrinque maculâ nigrâ abdominisque fasciâ albâ. Long. Corp. 4 lines. Note. This species is scarcely distinct from the Valgus hemipterus of Europe. It has the same rugæ of the thorax, the same size and general form, and only differs slightly in the disposition of the scales. In V. hemipterus for instance, the abdomen is quite white with thickly set scales. In V. Smithii there is merely a white band. V. Smithii has also a white mark in the black lateral spot of the thorax. But in truth these species come very near to each other. Sub-genus 5. OSMODERMA, Lp. Sr. 24. This groupe has been hitherto described and figured with little care. It is said to have the terminal lobe of its maxillæ corneous. This lobe is not, however, more corneous than in any of the other sub-genera of Trichinus. It is an elongated hollow triangle, filled with a short thick pencil of hairs. The true characteristic of the sub-genus is the strong corneous hook which arms the maxillæ on its inner side. These insects live with their larvæ in rotten wood. They have been called Gymnodi by Mr. Kirby, and made by him part of his genus Trichius. I am acquainted with two sections of Osmoderma, which are peculiar to Europe and North America. The type is Trichius Eremita of Fabricius. I have already said that, different as Platygenia Zairica is in aspect from all the other known species of the genus Trichinus, it comes in every essential respect exceedingly close to Osmoderma. I suppose name given by Lepelletier and Serville to this sub-genus, alludes to the scent of Russia leather, which the European species 0. Eremita emits when it is handled. the Genus II. CRYPTODINUS, Mihi. 25. We have seen that none of the known species of the genus Trichinus have the terminal lobe of their maxillæ furnished with teeth. The sub-genus Osmoderma, was indeed sup- posed to possess this structure, but erroneously; although it has certainly a tooth at the point of the inner process. This formation appears to prepare us for the maxillæ of the present genus Cryptodinus, of which the character is always to have a corneous tooth or teeth on the terminal process. Indeed, that tooth which Osmoderma possesses on the inner process of the maxillæ, brings it, of all the sub-genera of Trichinus, the nearest to the genus Cryptodinus. This genus may be always known by its depressed elongated form, and by the under side of the mentum having a process, while the outer side of the terminal process of the maxilla has no brush. Cryptodini are found in all the principal divisions of the globe, Europe excepted. They are nevertheless chiefly intratropical insects, which are ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 17 great lovers of sand on the banks of rivers, and so far as my observation has gone, they are not authobious. This genus is nearly the same in extent as the genus Cremastocheilus of Gory and Percheron, and is easily known by the first joint of the antennæ being large, triangular, and broad. I am acquainted with the following sub-genera. Sub-genera. 1 CREMASTOCHEILUS, Kn. B.-Clypeus not plain and not semicircular. 2 CYCLIDIUS, M'L. Prothorax quadrate, with the angles acute. Vertical pro- cess of mentum hollow, oval, pelviform. Fore tibiæ bidentate. North America. Prothorax orbicular. Vertical process of mentum trian- gular and hollow. Fore tibiæ bidentate. South Ame- rica. Prothorax subquadrate, with sides and angles rounded off. Vertical process of mentum triangular and flat. Fore tibiæ tridentate. Africa. S Antennæ ten-jointed. Anus with spines. Elytra with lobate shoulders. 3 GENUCHUS, K. 4 CYMOPHORUS, K. A.-Clypeus plain semicir- cular. 5 CRYPTODUS, M'L. Antenna with nine-joints. Anus without spines. Elytra with parallel sides. New Holland. 26. All the foregoing five sub-genera agree in the clypeus having a reflexed margin in front. They agree also in the curiously dilated triangular scape of the antennæ, and in the epimeron not being prominently distinct between the thorax and shoulders of the elytra. Sub-genus 1. CREMASTOCHEILUS, Knoch. 27. This groupe answers to the genus Cremastocheilus of Knoch, Latreille, and Kirby; but it is here reduced to its proper rank, that of a sub-genus only. It differs from the other sub-genera in having the vertical process of the mentum hollow, and basin-shaped, while the terminal process of the short maxilla, is a straight blunt tooth, and the inner process is a sharp minute tooth surrounded with a few hairs. These insects are North American, and differ in their manners from the Cetoniida in general, but probably agree in this respect with all the other sub-genera of Cryptodinus. The species of Cremastocheilus are not common. In company with Dr. Pickering, and Mr. Titian Peale, I found C. castanea of Knoch, in June, 1836, on the banks of the Delaware, on the new Jersey side, opposite to Philadelphia. These singular beetles are never found except flying, like Cicindela, over the sand which there lines the bank of that noble river. They are certainly not flower-frequenting insects, and what they find in the sand to their taste I do not know. Mr. Kirby has made some good remarks on this sub-genus in the third volume of the Zoological Journal ; only without giving any sufficient reason for so doing, he has termed that part the labium which Latreille has called the mentum. I am not acquainted with the sections into which Cremastocheilus may be divided . Sub-genus 2. CYCLIDIUS, MʻL. 28. To this groupe belongs C. elongatus of Olivier, and C. axillaris of Dupont. I shall add another species which stands in my cabinet as C. Nero. It is as large as Platygenia Zairica, and of a velvetty black hue, with two large long nitid and blood-coloured spots in the middle D 18 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. and towards the apex of the smooth and perfectly flat elytra. It is the giant of the genus Cryptodinus. The sub-genus Cyclidius, appears to be peculiar to South America. Sub-genus 3. GENUCHUS, Kirby. 29. MM. Gory and Percheron do not adopt this groupe, and in their usual self-sufficient way, state that I first separated it from Cremastocheilus, and that I have erroneously charac- terised it. To this I answer, that never until now, have I published a word on the subject. It is true that Mr. Kirby, who instituted the sub-genus in the Linnean Transactions, erroneously characterised it by saying that the maxillæ are membranaceous. But it is truly, nevertheless, a natural groupe, and differs from the North American sub-genus Cre- mastocheilus, with which Gory and Percheron confound it, not only in having the mentum not hollowed out, but also in having the maxilla composed of two sharp round claws, the larger one being exterior, and answering to the terminal process in the Cetoniida generally. The truth is, that these French critics know nothing of Mr. Kirby's groupe Genuchus, except that in Dejean's Catalogue, apparently their only work of reference, the Cetonia cruenta of Olivier, is assigned to “ Genucus of Macleay.” I am unacquainted with the cause of this, and of a myriad of smaller errors mixed up with my name in Dejean’s Catalogue ; but MM. Gory and Percheron copy the mistake even to the cacography of “ Genucus ;” and thus appear, when writing a monograph on the Cetoniida, to have never consulted any of Mr. Kirby's writings on the subject, although some of them are printed in so well known a publication as the Transactions of the Linnean Society. But to proceed. The sub- genus Genuchus is, so far as I know, entirely African, and Afzelius says that the species are always found on the ground like Aphodii. Dr. Smith has brought two species to Europe. Sp. 7. (Cryptodinus) Genuchus cruentus, Oliv. Cremastocheilus cruentus, G. P. p. 115. tab. 16. fig. 3. SP. 8. (Cryptodinus) Genuchus sanguinolentus, n. 8. Descr. Genuchus glaber, ater elytris striato-punctatis externè subsulcatis ad suturam utrinque bistriatis maculis duabus oblongis et apice subsanguineis, ano bimaculato maculis rufis. LONG. 5 lines. 30. Cremastocheilus capensis, of Klug, and several other African species, particularly from Senegal, belong to the sub-genus Genuchus, of which there are several sections known. I am not acquainted with the C. Brahma of Gory and Percheron, but I know their Cre- mastocheilus maculatus, which I suspect will be found eventually to enter the genus Macrominus. Their bad figure and description of this last-mentioned species, make it come far too close to the Cetonia maculata of Fabricius, which insect, by the way, is not a native of the Cape, as they say, but of the Mauritius. Sub-genus 4. CYMOPHORUS, Kirby. 31. I have never seen any species of this groupe which is the genus Cymophorus of Mr. Kirby. It is the only sub-genus of Cetoniida which I do not possess. Judging, however, from Mr. Kirby's description and figure of the Cymophorus undatus, the insect appears to come into this place. We may, perhaps, associate with it the Cremastocheilus spiniventer of Gory, in which case it would appear to be an African form of the genus Cryptodinus. I suspect it, nevertheless, to be an Asiatic sub-genus, and that C. Brahma; of Gory, belongs to it, forming, perhaps, another section. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 19 Sub-genus 5. CRYPTODUS, MʻL. 32. When my description of a New Holland insect of considerable size, which I called Cryptodus parodoxus, was published in 1819, I had never seen any species of the genus Cryptodinus, and I was even ignorant that any insect belonging to the family Cetoniidæ could possess corneous mandibles and maxillæ like the insects I shall hereafter describe under the names of Macroma and Oplostomus, or could have a semicircular clypeus like that of Cymophorus. The consequence was, that when a beetle was presented to me with antennæ of nine joints, like those of Machidius, which it also resembled in general form, and when, in addition, it offered to my notice sharp arched horny mandibles, and maxillæ termi- nated by sharp horny hooks, I assigned it to the family of Trogida, merely stating my doubts and difficulties, while I gave it the name of Cryptodus paradoxus. Since that period, I have become acquainted with many Cryptodini, and have found their habits to be analogous to those of the Trogida, which they represent in the family of Cetoniida. It is now long since that, by reflecting on the concealed labrum of Cryptodus, the dilated triangular scape of its antennæ, the horny mandibles and maxillæ, similar in form to those of Macroma and Oplostomus, the large mentum closing up the mouth, and concealing the palpi, with its naked podex so different from that of the Trogida, its depressed body, and peculiar structure, I became convinced that I ought to have assigned this most curious insect to the family of Cetoniida, and that it ought to have been placed in the immediate vicinity of Cremastocheilus. Still, however, the insect well merits the title of paradoxus, since it is as unlike Cetonia aurata, or any of the usual types of the family, as well may be; and besides, is the only known insect among the Cetoniida that has not ten joints to the antennæ. In short, this species serves to demonstrate the difficulty of discovering rigid characters for any family; and ere we have finished with the Cetoniida, we shall find almost every character of this groupe to give way except, perhaps, the concealed labrum. Yet no groupe of Coleoptera seems better marked out by nature. 33. Without having any thing very remarkable in its external facies, Cryptodus, perhaps, is the most singular sub-genus of all the Petalocera in an entomological point of view. It differs from the generality of its family, almost as much as Hexodon does from the Rutelida. Its flat depressed body, its broad mentum, and black colour, seem all to indicate that its place in the genus Cryptodinus is exactly analogous to that which the sub-genus Platygenia holds in the genus Trichinus. I am well pleased now to have an opportunity of correcting my original mistake as to the affinities of Cryptodus, since the correction will tend to enlarge the characters I have given to the Cetoniida, and to restrict those of the family of Trogida. It is satisfactory also to find after so many years, that this is almost the only error of conse- quence in my collocation of the new forms described in the first part of the Hora Entomologica, and that even this error was suspected at the time of its publication. I possess two species of the genus Cryptodus, both from New Holland. 34. But we shall now return to the sub-genus Genuchus, which alone of all the sub-genera of Cryptodinus indicates a tendency to have the epimeron prominently intervening between the thorax and shoulders of the elytra, and so we proceed to the next genus Macrominus. Genus III. MACROMINUS, Mihi. 35. This groupe differs from the last genus Cryptodinus, in having the epimeron distinct D 2 20 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. between the angles of the prothorax and elytra; it also differs in having the scape of the antennæ reduced to a more ordinary size, and in having the maxillæ often furnished with hair, among which occur those horny teeth which always arm the terminal process of these organs of the mouth, and thus form the distinguishing character of the genus, which how- ever approaches near to the genus Cetoninus, by the affinity of transultation. Sub-genera. 1 OPLOSTOMUS, M‘L. Mentum having a process on its under side. A.-Mentum not emarginate. 2 ANOPLOCHEILUS, M'L. Mentum narrow with its under side simple. 3 DIPLOGNATHA, G. P. Mentum broad with its under side simple. Outer side of terminal process of maxillæ clothed with a B.---Mentum deeply emar- 4 GNATHOCERA, K. brush of hairs. ginate. (5 MACROMA, K. Outer side of terminal process of maxillæ with no brush. Note. The plantulæ and pseudonychia are distinct in all these sub-genera except in Macroma, where they are evanescent. I have given Gory the credit of the sub-genus Diplognatha, although he has in- cluded insects in it which do not belong to the groupe. Sub-genus 1. OPLOSTOMUS, MʻL. 36. This sub-genus retains many of the characteristics of Cryptodinus, particularly in the antennæ, mentum, maxillæ, &c. as will be seen from the following description, viz. Antenna of ten joints, with the scape sub-triangular depressed above, and as long as the next six joints taken together, or as the ovate clava, which consists of three joints. Mandibles corneous, with a blunted point, having the membranaceous part small. Maxilla corneous, prismatic, hirsute at the back, with the terminal process composed of a long sharp hooked tooth, and the inner process armed at the point with a smaller sharp tooth. Maxillary palpi shorter than maxillæ, with the last joint twice as long as the rest taken together, and having the first joints evanescent. Labial palpi remarkably short, with the two first joints evanescent. Mentum sub-quadrate, forming a transverse triangular prism; in front it is truncated with the sides rounded off; in the middle is the transverse ridge, forming a prominent obtuse angle ; at the sides there is a tooth, that projecting forms a sinus for the labial palpus, which appears at first sight to have only one joint. Head small, with quadrate clypeus. Prothorax trapezoidal, emarginate behind. Scu- tellum large, triangular. Epimeron distinct between prothorax and elytra. Elytra with shoulders slightly lobate. Body depressed like Cetonia morio. Mesosternum narrow, blunt, not advanced between the legs. Feet short, with the anterior tibiæ externally bidentate. 37. Olivier has described an insect from Senegal, under the name of Cetonia fuliginea, which MM. Gory and Percheron, have, with some reason, assigned to their genus Cremastocheilus. It may however be easily separated from that groupe by the circumstance of the epimeron being prominently distinct between the prothorax and the shoulders of the elytra. I believe the following insect brought from the Cape by Dr. Smith, to be identical with the Senegal species. At least I can observe no very important difference between the description of Olivier’s insect ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 21 and that of the present Cape species. The whole insect is black, except the nine last joints of the antennæ, which are fulvous. M. Gory only states that the three joints of the clava are fulvous in the Senegal species; but, perhaps, this is a mere omission, and therefore I shall register our Cape insect as follows. Sp. 9. (Macrominus) Oplostomus fuligineus, Oliv. Cremastocheilus fuligineus, G. P. p. 110. tab. 15. fig. 1. 38. We have to pass on now to the following sub-genus. Sub-genus 2. ANOPLOCHEILUS, MʻL. Antenna of ten joints, the first obconic, and the second globose. Mandibles having their corneous external process very little longer than the membranaceous part. Maxilla horny, prismatic, and long, having the terminal process not distinct from the inner. Mentum narrow convex, with the anterior edge semicircular. Head small, subquadrate. Body convex and thick. Epimeron very visible between thorax and elytra. Scutellum large, triangular. Mesosternum blunt, and not produced. Feet short and strong, with the fore tibiæ tridentate, and the posterior femora some- times incrassated, as are also the posterior tibiæ, which are always externally sub- bidentate. This sub-genus has a prismatic maxilla, something like that of Genuchus; only terminating in three equal horny teeth. Genuchus has only two teeth to its maxillæ. But both sub- genera agree with Oplostomus in the outer side of the terminal process of their maxillæ, having no brush of hair. Sp. 10. (Macrominus) Anoplocheilus spinitarsis, n. s. DESCR. Anoplocheilus nigronitidus punctatus, clypeo minuto emarginato lateribus rotundatis, suturâ prominente, vertice pilis flavis hirsuto, thorace sub-semicirculari posticè sinuato, elytris striato-punctatis, corpore subtus pilis hirsuto, femoribus posticis valde incrassatis, articulo primo tarsi medii et postici extùs in spinam longam triangularem producto, pseudo- nychiis distinctis. LONG. 5} lines: 39. I do not know whether I am altogether accurate in placing the following Cape insects with indistinct pseudonychia in this sub-genus, because I have not dissected them ; but they appear to agree in several respects, and possibly only differ as belonging to another section of the sub-genus. In external appearance they are all three very much alike. Sp. 11. (Macrominus) Anoplocheilas setosus, n. 8. DESCR. Anoplocheilus fuliginosus capite quadrato clypeo antice reflexo, elytris supra foveolis semi- circularibus setigeris impressis, corpore subtus pilis aureis raris vestito. Long. 52 lines. NOTE. This species like the following, differs from Anoplocheilus spinitarsis, in having no spines on the first joint of the posterior tarsi. Sp. 12. (Macrominus) Anoplocheilus tomentosus. Cetonia tomentosa, G. P. p. 226. tab. 51. fig. 5 ? 5 Note. The description and figure of Gory and Percheron answer so well to my insect, that I am un- willing to believe it to be a distinct species, although they say that the Cetonia tomentosa of Klug is a Mexican insect. By the way, with their usual accuracy, these gentlemen have another “ Cetonia tomen- tosa” from Mexico, which is probably a true Cetonia. I shall merely now repeat that as the clypeus of . a 22 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. Anoplocheilus tomentosus is sub-emarginate, the species appears to belong to a different section of the sub- genus when compared with Anoplocheilus spinitarsis. If on dissection of the mouth they should agree with the genus Cetonia, these two species A. setosus and A. tomentosus will evidently enter into the last Trichoid section of the sub-genus Cetonia. Sub-genus 3. DIPLOGNATHA, G. P. 40. This sub-genus of M. Gory agrees with Anoplocheilus in having the end of the maxilla armed with sharp teeth. Indeed this is the character of the whole genus Macrominus ; but the terminal process is in Diplognatha distinct from the base of the maxilla, and is furnished on the outside with a brush, as in the genera Trichinus, Cetoninus, and Gymnetinus. The mentum also is broad, truncated, scarcely emarginate in front, and having the corners rounded off. But for the rest I refer to MM. Gory and Percheron's description of this groupe, which appears to admit of the following sections. As all the sections, however, are not yet known, it is difficult to place them accurately; and I give the following arrangement only provi- sionally :- SECTIONS OF DIPLOGNATHA. -1 CARBONARIÆ. Terminal process of maxillæ ending in a blunt tooth. In- habit Asia. Maxillæ having one tooth on the inner 2 PORPHYREÆ. process. ſ Terminal process of maxillæ ending in a sharp tooth. In- habit Africa. 3 GAGATESIÆ. Terminal process of maxillæ ending in two sharp teeth. Inhabit Africa. 41. The first of these sections is numerous in species. The type of it may be considered to be Cetonia crucigera of Olivier. Cremastocheilus maculatus of Gory appears to form another section. The general colour of the first section is black, often variegated with white spots. 42. To the second of these sections appears to belong the common Cape insect, Scarabaus carnifex of Linnæus. Sp. 13. (Macrominus) Diplognatha carnifex, Fab. Cetonia Carnifex, Fab. Syst. Eleuth, 2. 143. 39. Diplognatha Carnifex, G. P. p. 124. tab. 18. fig. 2. 43. The two following Cape species belong to the third section :- Sp. 14. (Macrominus) Diplognatha hebræa, Olio. Cetonia hebræa, Oliv. tab. 12. p. 115. Diplognatha hebræa, G. P. p. 125. tab. 18. fig. 3. Sp. 15. (Macrominus) Diplognatha silicea, n. 8. DESC. Diplognatha atronitida glabra polita, clypeo vix punctato palpis labialibus haud ultra mentum prominulis, elytris anticè latioribus, tibiis anticis extus vix tridentatis, mesosterno subacuto. Long. Corp. 15 lines. NOTE. MM. Gory and Percheron seem to have confounded this last species with the true Cetonia Gagates of Olivier, which is a Senegal insect, and smaller, having the labial palpi stretching beyond the mentum, the sides of the elytra parallel, the anterior tibiæ tridentate, and the mesosternum rather obtuse. I have found Diplognatha Gagates common at Porto Praya in the Cape de Verds ; but I cannot say that it is a flower-frequenting insect, as I never met with it except in the Cocoa-nut groves below the town, and ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 23 always on the foliage of the underwood which grows beneath the Palms. The whole section of Diplog- natho Gagatesiæ is remarkable for having a thorax lobed behind like that of the genus Gymnetinus. Sub-genus 4. GNATHOCERA, Kirby. 44. This is the genus Gnathocera of Kirby, as published in the Linnean Transactions; but it is not the genus Gnathocera of Gory. By the last entomologist our present groupe is called Amphistoros, and although he has adopted the very same type for it as Mr. Kirby, namely, the Cetonia elata of Fabricius, he has given Kirby's name Gnathocera to another groupe ! This confusion has arisen from indolence, or rather from the usual unwillingness of the French to consult original authorities. Mr. Kirby, not aware that the type of his new genus had been described by Fabricius, called it Gnathocera vitticollis. But instead of reading Mr. Kirby's well-known papers, M. Gory appears to have merely consulted the catalogue of M. Dejean, a work too full of this kind of error. The name Amphistoros, therefore, can never be applied, unless perhaps to some hereafter-to-be-discovered section of this sub-genus; and the groupe called “Gnathocera” by Gory requires another name. I shall, however, save naturalists the trouble of inventing a new one, by adopting for Gory's groupe the name of Coruphes or Coryphe, which, according to what is stated in his introduction, he originally intended to give to it. 45. The sub-genus Gnathocera is tolerably well marked out by Kirby, but by M. Gory the parts of the mouth are badly described, and erroneously figured. The outer and inner lobe of the maxilla are both furnished with about three or four small teeth in each. This curious form of maxillæ, the dentated clypeus, the advanced mesosternum, and emarginate mentum, all serve to separate Gnathocera from Diplognatha. As yet we only know one section of it, which is from Intratropical Africa. Sub-genus 5. MACROMA, G. P. 46. This is one of the most singular sub-genera of the Cetoniida yet known, so far as the organs of the mouth are concerned ; but it shews that M. Gory neither understood the true character of the family, nor had fully investigated the structure of the sub-genera, when he distinguished the Cetoniida from the rest of Petalocera, by their having the mandibles “ rudimentary or even absent.” Here is a sub-genus, called “ Macroma” by Gory, which has , mandibles and maxillæ as strong, hard, and corneous as any melolonthidous insect. Still they are but modifications of the usual manducatory organs of the Cetoniida. The maxillæ and mentum are more accurately figured than usual by Gory; of the mandibles he says nothing. These are shaped like those of Machidius, only sharper; the membranaceous subquadrate part being evanescent. The maxillæ have two strong teeth at the apex of the inner lobe, and one strong sharp curved one holding the place of the terminal process. I understand this maxilla to be that of Gnathocera, only modified in as far as that the several teeth in each lobe of the latter sub-genus are here confluent, so as to form a maxilla which has nothing resembling it among Petalocerous Coleoptera, unless it be that of Oplostomus, Cryptodus, or Cremastocheilus. There is no pencil of hair on the outside of the terminal process. If Macroma javanica and M. bicolor of Gory belong to this sub-genus, as I believe they do, then they will probably form distinct sections of it. The type of the sub-genera has hitherto been brought from Senegal; but Dr. Smith having gone north within the tropics, has brought it also from the extreme point of his journey. This is the more curious, as he was on the east coast, so a 24 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. that it appears to be an insect having a very wide range. But the truth is, that Dr. Smith has brought many species which I find to be identical with those of Senegal, and some with those even of Upper Egypt. Sp. 16. (Macrominus) Macroma scutellata, Fab. Macroma scutellaris, G. P. p. 148. tab. 23. fig. 4. 47. M. Gory assigns the name Macroma to Mr. Kirby. I am not aware of the work in which Mr. Kirby has published it, but, at all events, this would not seem to have been the name given by him to Macroma scutellata. If Mr.Hope be correct, the true Macroma of Mr. Kirby is probably one of the sections of the sub-genus Schizorhina. Gory, in his “errata,” says, with a ludicrous desire to be profoundly accurate, “Aux genres Macroma et Schyzorhina de Kirby il y eu par mégarde une transposition de noms; ainsi nos Macroma sont les Schyzorhina de Kirby, et les Schyzorhina de Kirby sont nos Macromes !” Now, this is rather unfortunately asserted, since, as S. 4-punctata is the first species of the genus “ Schyzorhina” mentioned by Gory, and S. atropunctata is Mr. Kirby's type of his genus Schizorhina, (called Schyzorhina in Dejean's catalogue,) and since these two species are so close as to be scarcely more than varieties, why it is very clear that the Macroma scutellaris of Gory is not a Schizorhina of Kirby, but that the Schizorhina of Kirby is the very same groupe as that mis-called Schyzorhina by M. Dejean and his copier Gory. Whether Mr. Kirby be really acquainted with the singular sub-genus Macroma, I know not; for Gory, when he attributes the institu- tion of his “genus Macroma” to our venerable countryman, evidently follows his usual, sole, and sovereign authority, Dejean’s Catalogue. I shall only say, that whoever first named this sub-genera, pointed out a most natural and curious groupe. 48. We shall now return to the sub-genus Diplognatha, which has a quadrate clypeus and a thorax that commences to be lobate behind. It has also the terminal process of the maxilla clothed behind with a brush of hair, and armed with curved corneous teeth at the apex, while one of its sections has an irregular clypeus. But all these characters belong to Philistina, which is a sub-genus of my Gymetinus. a Genus IV. GYMNETINUS, K. This is a groupe which is distinguished by the middle of the thorax being produced behind into a lobe that conceals the scutellum in a greater or less degree, sometimes even entirely. It is a genus which has the mentum always emarginate, and, like Macrominus, is entirely extra-European. None of the species, however, are found on the African Continent.* This genus answers to the family Gymnetide of Kirby, and Gymnetides of MM. Gory and Percheron ; but it is not easy to discover the rules which these gentlemen have followed in distinguishing families from genera, or whether indeed they have had any rule at all, as they rarely deign to characterize their groupes. All the sub-genera which I shall now proceed to detail have the pseudonychia very distinct, except Agestrata and Lomaptera, where they appear in some degree to be evanescent. I need scarcely say that I have not ascertained the proper character by which to separate the normal from the aberrant groupe. * I see no good reason for believing that the Cetonia strigosa of Fabricius is a native of the Cape of Good Hope. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 25 Sub-genera. (Maxillæ armed with corneous teeth. Scutellum distinct. 1 PHILISTINA, M'L. Clypeus porrect and bifid at apex. © Clypeus quadrate, entire. India. B.- Sides of the elytra in Maxillae armed with one corneous tooth. Scutellum 2 AGESTRATA, Esch. general parallel. visible. Clypeus quadrate and entire. India. Maxillæ armed with no corneous tooth. Scutellum eva- 3 LOMAPTERA, G. P. nescent. Clypeus deeply cleft. India. Posterior margin of thorax as wide as elytra. Scutellum -4 GYMNETIS, M'L. A.-Sides of the elytra rarely evanescent. America and India. parallel. Posterior margin of the thorax narrower than the elytra. 5 MACRONOTA, Wied. Scutellum distinct. India and Madagascar. 49. In the Zoologisches Magazin, Band 2, Stück 1, published in 1823, M. Wiedemann described a Javanese insect under the name of Goliathus rhinophyllus. As such the insect appears in Dejean’s Catalogue; and I confess that when I first saw the species many years ago in the collection of M. Bosc, at Paris, I also considered it to belong to the sub-genus Goliathus. In the monograph of MM. Gory and Percheron, however, the insect is called “ Macronata rhynophylla,” and Wiedemann is erroneously cited as the authority for this double barbarism. These French naturalists are so far right in assigning our insect to the sub-genus Macronota of Wiedemann, that it certainly comes much nearer to this groupe than to Goliathus. M. Latreille seems, nevertheless, to have been the first who observed that it was not a Goliathus. From this sub-genus it differs in the long corneous part of the mandibles, in the maxillæ being armed with corneous teeth, in the mentum being very slightly emarginate, and in various other particulars, so important as to prove to us that the obvious relation which this Javanese insect bears to Goliathus is nothing more than one of analogy; and on account of this analogy I have assigned the species to the Sub-genus 1. PHILISTINA, MʻL. Antennæ of ten joints, the scape being long and obconical, the second joint globose, larger than the remainder, the three joints excepted that compose the long pear-shaped clava. Labrum membranaceous, emarginate. Mandibles having the corneous part sharp, lanceolate, and twice as long as the square mem- branaceous part. Maxilla short, prismatic, and terminating in three, if not more, sharp corneous teeth, which are covered behind with a long pencil of hairs. Maxillary palpi differing in the sexes. Labial palpi differing in the sexes. Mentum quadrate, truncated in front, and very little emarginate. Clypeus produced into a long horn in male, and quadrate in female. Body depressed. Thorax much narrower than elytra, and not very much lobed in the middle behind ; in the male it is horned. Scutellum large, triangular. Epimeron transversely distinct. Mesosternum not produced. Anterior tibiæ in both sexes externally tridentate, and with very long tarsi in the male. Feet with plantula and pseudonychia very distinct. NOTE. As there is only one species known which is the “ Macronata rhynophylla” of Gory, it is very E 26 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. probable that the above description is rather the character of a section than that of the sub-genus to which this section belongs. I believe that this sub-genus contains many forms, all resembling Goliathus. Mr. Hope, for instance, indicates, as a section, a genus called Jumnos which may possibly come here. But I know it not. Sub-genus 2. AGESTRATA, Eschscholtz. 50. This groupe agrees with Philistina, inasmuch as the maxilla is armed with a corneous tooth, which is covered with a long pencil of hairs, while the clypeus is quadrate and formed like that of the female of the foregoing sub-genus. But here the mentum is deeply emargi- nate, the mesosternum is advanced, the scutellum is minute, and the sexes differ in only one of them having the anterior tibiæ externally tridentate. The type is the common Agestrata chinensis, and there is no other section as yet known, although Mr. Hope says that he is acquainted with ten species. Sub-genus 3. LOMAPTERA, G. P. 51. This sub-genus differs from Agestrata in having the clypeus and mentum deeply cleft, while the maxilla terminates in a mere pencil of hairs, the mesosternum is produced into a spine, and the scutellum disappears under the enormous sharp-pointed lobe of the thorax. In neither this nor the preceding sub-genus are the pseudonychia very distinct. Lomaptera is a groupe composed of beautiful insects, which appear to have their metropolis in Timor and New Guinea. A good type is the splendid Lomaptera bivittata of MM. Quoy and Gaimard. But the truth is, that only one of the sections is known. Sub-genus 4. GYMNETIS, MʻL. 52. This sub-genus has the clypeus entire, and the quadrate mentum simply emarginate at the front. Here, moreover, the scutellum altogether disappears under the great lobe of the thorax. Only two American sections have as yet been characterised, viz. 1. SUB-CORNUTÆ, of which the type is Gymnetis nitida (Horæ Entomologicæ, p. 153,) which may be charac- terized by their sub-cornute clypeus, and very minute scutellum ; and 2. MARMORINÆ, K., of which the type is Gymnetis marmorea, (Zool. Journal, vol. 3. p. 153,) and which may be distinguished by their simple clypeus, and their having no visible scutellum. But there are other sections known, one at least of which is Asiatic. Sub-genus 5. MACRONOTA, Wiedemann. 53. MM. Gory and Percheron exhibit their acquaintance with the signification of this name by always terming it" Macronata.” The sub-genus comes very close to Philistina. As in it, the elytra are here much wider than the thorax, which is not deeply lobed, and the scutellum is conspicuous, while the mesosternum is not far advanced. But, on the other hand, the deeply emarginate mentum, and the maxilla without corneous teeth, serve to separate it from Philistina, and to join it to Gymnetis. Macronota is an extensive groupe, offering sections and sub-sections. I am not aware, however, that any have been hitherto separated except the genus Dorysceles of Dejean, which is merely a section of the sub-genus Macronota, and of which the type is Macronota calcarata of Klug, which is a native of Madagascar. This section is to be known from the rest of the sub-genus Macronota by the clypeus being narrower at the apex, and by the mentum not being so deeply emarginate. The male of the only known species has two long spines inserted in the extremity of the posterior tibia, and articulating ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 27 with it, of which the inner one is curved, falciform, exceedingly acute, and nearly as long as the whole tarsus. 54. As none of the above five sub-genera are found at the Cape-nor indeed in Africa-I have no occasion to say more of them, than that all, except Philistina and Agestrata, have the external process of the maxillæ membranaceous. Yet I have never seen the American species of Gymnetis on flowers, but invariably have found them by beating the leaves of trees, out of which they fall on the ground, as if dead, not moving a limb. I suspect that the other sub-genera, from their superior brilliancy of colour, are more fond of flowers than Gymnetis. 55. From Lomaptera, the metropolis of which is New Guinea, and which has its clypeus deeply bifid, we pass possibly by one of the sections unknown, to the New Holland groupe Schizorhina, which also has the clypeus forked. But Schizorhina is a sub-genus of the Genus V. CETONINUS, Mihi. The thorax of Cetoninus is never lobed behind, but rather emarginate. The mandibles are membranaceous, and the maxillæ scarcely ever armed with corneous teeth, but merely furnished with a pencil of hairs. The females always have the anterior tibiæ externally dentated; and both sexes almost always have the epimeron prominent between the angles of thorax and elytra. The species of this genus are found in all quarters of the globe, but particularly in Africa. In America they are comparatively rare, the sub-genus Gymnetis of the preceding genus Gymnetinus assuming their place there in the economy of nature. The following are the ex- Sub-genera. B. Males having the an- Clypeus emarginate in both sexes. Mentum somewhat 1 SCHIZORHINA, K. terior tibia without emarginate. teeth, except where 2 CORYPHE, G. P. Clypeus not emarginate. Mentum not emarginate. the insects are tremely close to the 3 GOLIATHUS, Lam. Clypeus of males horned. Mentum deeply emarginate. normal groupe. A.-Males having the ante- ( 4 IsCHNOSTOMA, G. P. Mentum not sub-quadrate, but generally convex in front, rior tibiæ externally dentated. 5 CETONIA, G. P. Mentum sub-quadrate, and almost emarginate in front. 56. They who study natural history philosophically, must have observed with Fries how strongly marked are those analogies which exist between the corresponding points of the two parallel divisions of a normal groupe. Here the genera Cetoninus and Gymnetinus form the normal groupe of the family of Cetoniida, and the analogies between their sub-genera are as follow:- 1 LOMAPTERA. Clypeus cleft in both sexes. 1 SCHIZORHINA. 2 AGESTRATA. Males with unarmed anterior tibia. 2 CORYPHE. 3 PHILISTINA. Males with a horned clypeus. 3 GOLIATHUS. 4 MACRONOTA. Thorax narrower than elytra ; feet long. 4 ISCHNOSTOMA. 5 GYMNETIS, Body depressed ; feet short. 5 CETONIA. Again the Sub-genera of Cetoninus represents the five Genera of the Family, thus : SCHIZORHINA by its cleft clypeus represents Lomaptera of GYMNETINUS. CORYPHE is a part of and the very perfection of CETONINUS. GOLIATHUS by the epimeron of the Ince represents TRICHINUS. ISCHNOSTOMA by the convex mentum of the Colocephala CRYPTODINUS. CETONIA in exterior form agrees peculiarly with MACROMINUS. Note. Thus we learn that although Cetonia be a normal sub-genus of Cetoninus, it does not repre- E 2 28 ON THE CETONIIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA. sent it in the genus. In fact, no insects of this genus have such a peculiarly cetonine aspect, if I may use the expression, as the brilliant species of Coryphe. But I proceed to the discussion of the sub-genera. Sub-genus 1. SCHIZORHINA, Kirby. 57. This is remarkably like Lomaptera, for the clypeus in both sexes is more or less cleft. The mesosternum, in like manner, is often prominent and acute. The females have the anterior țibiæ externally tridentate, but the males have them without teeth. The maxillæ are long, with the terminal lobe also long and villose. The mentum is more or less emarginate ; and the groupe is almost peculiar to New Holland and the adjacent islands. The species called Schizorhina Brownii by Kirby is evidently the nearest to Lomaptera, as it presents vestiges of the lobate thorax. There are five sections known, for which the following names may serve in want of better :- SECTIONS OF SCHIZORHINA. (1 BRUNONIÆ, MʻL. A.-Elytra broader at their base. 2 PHILLIPSIÆ, M'L. (3 INTEGRÆ, M‘L. Mesosternum produced, narrow, flat. Elytra spinose at apex. Type, S. Brownii, K. Mesosternum broad, flat, lanciform. Elytra with subsi- nuated sides and spinose at apex. Type, S. Phillipsii, Schreibers. Mesosternum short, flat. Clypeus rather entire. Elytra with sinuated sides and no spines at apex. Type, S. frontalis, Don. Mesosternum produced, flat. Clypeus emarginate. Elytra with sinuated sides and no spines at apex. Type, S. punctata, Don. Mesosternum produced, narrow, cylindrical. Clypeus emar- ginate. Elytra spinous at apex, and with parallel sides. Type, S. cyanea, Oliv. B.-Elytra not broader at base. 4 GYMNOPLEURA, M'L. 5 INSULARES, M'L. NOTE. As none of the above sections occur in Africa, I shall say little of them, except that Gory erroneously confounds the Cetonia carinata of Donovan with the C. Phillipsii of Schreibers. Being in possession of the identical specimens described by the latter naturalist in the Linnean Transactions, I have the means of judging; but I must confess that the two species come very near to each other. The last section, which I have called INSULARES because they are in general natives of Mada- gascar or of the islands adjacent to New Holland, has a narrow advanced mesosternum elytra with parallel sides, and which are spinose at apex. The inner process of the maxilla in these insects has no tooth, and their mentum is deeply emarginate. All these circum- stances, and others, such as their peculiar colours, and the females having the anterior tibiæ externally tridentate, show us how we may pass to the next sub-genus, which however will be found to have the clypeus never cloven. Sub-genus 2. CORYPHE, G. P. 58. This, as I have already stated, is called the genus Gnathocera of Kirby, in the monograph of Gory and Percheron. Now, as I have shown this to be an error borrowed from Dejean's Catalogue, and as the present groupe is an excellent one, which had previously been named Coruphes” by M. Gory, on account, as he says, of its carinated vertex, I think no one will object to his first nomenclature, unless perhaps they may think it necessary to correct his 66 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 29 ور spelling, which certainly ought to be Coryphe or Coryphæd. I prefer the former word, as it appears to be what M. Gory was aiming at; and, besides, means a lady's ornament, for which purpose, in fact, some of the brilliant species of this sub-genus serve in the Phillippine islands.* It is true that Dr. Leach gave this name “ Corypha” to a groupe of Staphylinida ; but it has never been adopted, so far as I know; and Gory has certainly the right to name a groupe of which he first pointed out very nearly the true limits. It is distinguished from Schizorhina by the porrected mesosternum diverging from the prothorax, by its often carinated vertex, and clypeus always entire in front. From the sub-genus Goliathus, to which it is exceedingly close, this sub-genus may be known by the maxillæ having the terminal process shorter and in a line with the base, and by the mentum being more truncated, but, above all, by the horny part of the mandibles being much longer than the square membranaceous part. The males scarcely ever have any teeth on the external side of their anterior tibiæ, and when they possess such teeth it is merely because they belong to aberrant species. SECTIONS OF CORYPHE. 1 NARICIÆ, Dup. B.-Mentum emarginate. ! with anterior tibiae exter- nally bidentate, rarely tri- 2 DICEROS, G. P. dentate. Asiatic Insects. S Maxi (3 RĦOMBORHINÆ, H. Maxilla having the inner process generally unidentate. Thorax not semicircular. Clypeus sometimes horned or bifurcate. India. Type, Cetonia MacLeaii, K. (Maxilla having the inner process unidentate. Thorax semicircular. ſ clypeus bifurcate. Indian Islands. Type, C. bicornis, Lat. Maxilla having no tooth on the inner process. Thorax not semicircular, with clypeus generally horned. Asia. Type, C. Hardwickii, G. P. Maxilla with no tooth on the inner process. anterior tibiæ externally tridentate. Southern Africa. Type, C. suturalis, Fab. Maxilla with its inner process unidentate. O anterior tibiæ without teeth. Tropical Africa. Type, C. Iris, Fab. ( 4 SCHÜPPELLIÆ, MʻL. A.-Mentum not emarginate. African Insects. 5 CHLOROCALÆ, K. I have named one of these sections after a prominent species. Mr. Kirby indicated another under the name of Chlorocala, as did Mr. Hope another under the term Rhomborhina. The second section in the above list is what MM. Gory and Percheron term their genus “ Dicheros.” And as for the first, M. Dupont has some right to name it, since one of the insects he calls “ Narycius” appears to belong to it. 59. With respect, then, to the section NARYCIÆ of Dupont, I would observe, that it is remarkable for its brilliant green colouring, which is sometimes rendered still more vivid by spots of some different hue. The groupe is entirely Indian, and the Coryphe MacLeaii (the Cetonia MacLeaii of Kirby) seems to be its best type. Here I may remark, that the Gnatho- cera MacLeaii of Gory is not the Cetonia MacLeaii of Kirby. In the latter species the black discal spot of the thorax does not touch its hinder margin, and besides the clypeus of the male has not two parallel horns proceeding from its sides, but only one short vertical horn, something like that of the well-known insect Coryphe flavomaculata, Fab. The Gnathocera MacLeaii of Gory ought therefore to retain the trivial name it originally received from its disco- verer Eschscholtz, and be henceforth called Coryphe pretiosa. But this species, together with the insect called Narycius olivaceus by Dupont, and the beautiful Cetonia guttata of Olivier, * See Linn. Trans. vol. 12. p. 409. 30 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. appear to be aberrant in the section, and to connect it with the following one called Diceros. The following species indeed may perhaps represent so many sub-sections:- ſi Cetonia elegans, Fab. Colour green. Clypeus with no horn. 2 Cetonia MacLeaii, K. Colour green with black spots. & Clypeus with a short vertical horn. (3 Cetonia pretiosa, Esch. Colour green with black spots. Clypeus with two lateral horns. 4 Cetonia guttata, Oliv. Colour green and red with white spots. Clypeus with two lateral horns. 5 Narycius olivaceus, Dup. Colour green. ☆ Clypeus with two lateral horns. 60. With respect to the section DICEROS, it is true that MM. Gory and Percheron have made a genus of it; but except a slight difference in the form of the thorax, and the colour, we find little to distinguish the groupe from the section Naricia, which I have founded on the badly characterized groupe which has been called Narycius by Dupont. The organs of the mouth are the same in both. However, there are as yet only two species described of the section Diceros; namely, the Cetonia bicornis of Latreille, a Timor insect, which is figured in the fourth volume of the first edition of Cuvier's Regne Animal, and the Dicheros decorus of Gory, which is a Javanese insect. The Cetonia bicornis of Latreille is called “ bicornuta” by Gory, and, what is singular enough, is erroneously assigned by Mr. Kirby to his own genus Gnathocera. 61. The type of the third section RHOMBORHINÆ is the Gnathocera Hardwickii of Gory, a Nepaul insect, which is horned, and comes very near to the Goliathus 4-maculatus of Africa. The difference between them consists in both sexes of Coryphe Hardwickii having the clypeus alike, and in the female having the anterior tibiæ externally bidentate. Although I am not acquainted with the insect, I suspect that the Goliathus opalinus of Gory, which Mr. Hope is said to have made the type of his groupe Trigonophora, will eventually be found to form a sub-section of Rhomborhina, where the female has a simple clypeus. And I have reason to suspect, moreover, that the insect called “ Jumnos Ruckeri” in Mr. Hope's Coleopterist's Manual, forms still another sub-section of the Rhomborhine, which comes yet nearer to the sub-genus Goliathus than either of the former sub-sections, and osculates with it. All the species of this section are Asiatic. 62. The fourth section, SchüPPELLIÆ, is African, and may be easily known by the sharp prominent sternum, and by the anterior tibiæ of the males being without teeth, while those of the females have externally three. This groupe will admit of sub-sections, of which the following insects appear to be types. A. --Males without teeth on 1 Cetonia flavomaculata, Fab. ã with clypeus horned. the outer side of an- 2 Cetonia tania, P. B. with clypeus simple. Posterior tibiæ without a tooth. 3 Cetonia umbonata, Klug. with clypeus simple. Posterior tibiæ unidentate. B.-Males having the ante- (4 Cetonia suturalis, Fab. terior tibia. rior tibiæ somewhat bidentate. 5 Cetonia **** 63. Dr. Smith has brought home the type of the first of the foregoing sub-sections, viz. :-- Sp. 17. (Cetoninus) Coryphe flavomaculata, Fab. Gnathocera flavomaculata, G. P. p. 139. tab. 21. fig. 5. NOTE. MM. Gory and Percheron have only described the female. The male has a short horn on the vertex, and the apex of its clypeus is recurved and emarginate. The male has also its anterior tibiæ without teeth. By the way, the trivial name of this common species ought to be “bimaculata," for no less an entomologist than Degeer originally described and figured it under this name. If this change be adopted, the Cetonia bimacula, Wiedem., which if it be the same as the Gnathocera bimaculata of Gory, appears to belong to some sub-section of Diceros, may then be called Coryphe Wiedemanni. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 31 I 64. Of the second sub-section of Schüppellie, Dr. Smith has also brought home one species, which M. Gory confounded with the Cetonia Tania of Palisot de Beauvois. happen to possess both species, and find them to be quite distinct. In the true Coryphe Tania the margin of the thorax is not yellow, while the body is wider than that of the new Cape species, and the colour more viridi-æneous. I shall honour my new species with the name of the distinguished philosopher to whom Dr. Smith's expedition was so much indebted. It will also commemorate his uncle, who was a meritorious entomologist, particularly attached to the study of Coleoptera. I may here observe, that M. Gory has only described the male. Sp. 18. Cetoninus) Coryphe Herschelii, n. s. DESCR. Coryphe olivaceo-ænea nitida, corpore subtus thoracisque margine rufescentibus, elytris fasciâ emarginatâ flavâ notatis, tibiis tarsisque nigris. Gnathocera tæenia, G. P. p. 138. tab. 21. fig. 4. LONG, 11 lines. 65. Of the third sub-section of Schüppellia, Dr. Smith has collected the type. Sp. 19. (Cetoninus) Coryphe umbonata, Klug. m Gnathocera umbonata, G. P. p. 141. tab. 21. fig. 4. & Cetonia propinqua, G. P. p. 265. tab. 51. fig. 3. NOTE. Here MM. Gory and Percheron appear to have described the male and female as different genera. The female has a simple quadrate clypeus, and the anterior tibiæ tridentate. According to M. Gory, she comes from Mexico. However this may be, Dr. Smith has brought her also from the Cape of Good Hope, from whence M. Verreaux has also brought me the male. 66. The fourth sub-section, as yet, has only been found in intratropical Africa. Its type is Coryphe suturalis, Fab., which resembles C. umbonata exceedingly in colour and markings; but the body is narrower, and this insect leads us to the Coryphe bimacula, Wiedem., by the affinity of transultation. 67. I now proceed with the sections of Coryphe, as the fifth, which Mr. Kirby has called CALOROCALÆ, has not yet been particularly noticed. The Coryphe Africana, Fab., is a very good type of this groupe, which is entirely African and intratropical. It comes very near to the Asiatic section “ Nariciæ," and like it, is remarkable for its brilliant green colouring, only here this colouring is pure and without spots. But we must now return to the aberrant section “ Rhomborhina,” as it leads us to what may be deemed the principes Coleopterorum. а Sub-genus 3. GOLIATHUS, Lamarck. As this is perhaps the most beautiful groupe of Coleoptera known, and as one of the sections consists of the largest as well as rarest insects that can grace our cabinets, I shall give a brief view of all the species of the sub-genus which are known to me. The males have the clypeus always horned, but the thorax never; which, by the way, will distinguish Goliathus from Philis- tina. The maxilla has rarely any corneous teeth, and its terminal lobe, crowned with a pencil of hair, is always bent inwards at right angles to its back. The corneous lobe of the mandible is very short, and rarely longer than the square membranaceous part. The mentum is deeply emarginate or bilobed. * The males have the anterior feet elongated, while the females have the anterior tibiæ always externally tridentate. The three species called by MM. Gory and Percheron Goliathus heros, Goliathus Melly, and Goliathus opalinus, appear all to belong to the last sub-genus Coryphe, although they undoubtedly approach very closely to that section * Professor Klug describes it as trilobed in the female of his Goliathus regius, but this is probably a mistake. 32 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. of Goliathus, which I shall call Smithii, after my friend Dr. Smith. There is another species mentioned by M. Schönnherr, and described in his appendix under the name of Cetonia geotru- pina, which I am clearly of opinion belongs to the sub-genus Ischnostoma, and to the section of it called by me Colocephale. SECTIONS OF GOLIATHUS. 1 SMITHII, M.L. B.-Male having the anterior tibiae never like those of the female. Thorax semicircular and truncated behind. Body de- pressed. ſ anterior tibiæ internally multidentate, the teeth very minute, sometimes evanescent. Tropical Africa. (Thorax trapezoidal and truncated behind. Body depres- sed. Santerior tibiæ without any teeth. North Tropical America. Thorax sub-lobate behind. Body sub-convex. ã ante- rior tibiæ without any teeth. Tropical Africa. 2 HÖPFNERII, M'L. (3 GIGANTEI, M'L. 4 INCA, Lep. & S. A.-Male having the anterior tibiæ externally den- tated like those of female. 5 DICRONOCEPHALI, H. Thorax rather circular, lobate behind. Body convex. Anterior femur with a spine on the inside at the extre- mity. Epimeron not prominent between the angles of the thorax and elytra. South Tropical America. Thorax circular. Body depressed. Anterior femur with no spine on the inside at the extremity. Epimeron prominent between the angles of thorax and elytra. Tropical Asia. Section 1. SMITHII. 68. This section inhabits intratropical Africa. It may be easily known by having the elytra wider at the base, by having the body very depressed, by the thorax being nearly truncated behind, or, at least, being only slightly emarginate, to receive the scutellum. In short, this groupe comes very close to the general form and colouring of the sub-genus Coryphe, and the female indeed, not having a horned clypeus, can with difficulty be distinguished from it. The males have almost always the anterior tibia denticulated on the inside. The Goliathi Smithii have a quadrate head, and admit of the following sub-sections, which I shall not name, as my object is merely to shew their structure and affinities :- Sub-sections. Types. 1 g Clypeus with a single porrected simple horn. G. torquatus, Drury. A.-Males having the ante- rior tibiæ externally 2 & Clypeus with three horns, the middle one diverging tridentate. or bifid at the apex. G. Polyphemus, Fab. (MECYNORHINA, Hope.) (3 Anterior tibiæ internally denticulated ; last joint of the anterior tarsus with a brush on the inside above G. micans, Fab. the unguis. B. – Males having the ante- (DICRONORHINA, Hope.) rior tibiæ externally 4 ở Anterior tibiæ internally denticulated ; last joint of G. Smithii, M'L. without teeth. the anterior tarsus without a brush. } 5 Anterior tibiæ having no teeth externally or in- ternally. G. 4-maculatus, Oliv. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 33 Sp. 20. (Cetoninus) Goliathus torquatus, Drury. DESCR. Goliathus velutino-viridis ; vertice, thoracis margine antico, vittis duabus triangularibus anticis abbreviatis, elytrorum lineis duabus marginalibus interruptis maculisque octo sutura- libus albescentibus, pygidio viridi maculis duabus albis, corpore infrà viridicupreo, tarsis nigris. g Capite albo, clypei cornu simplice porrecto subrecurvo apice acuto. & Clypeo quadrato simplice. Scarabæus torquatus, Drury, III. p. 60. tab. 44. fig. 1. Cetonia collaris, Schönnherr, Syn. Ins. 1. 3. p. 127. 36. LONG. 32. lines. Note. The original specimen was a female badly described and figured by Drury. It is now in my cabinet. Drury says that it was received from Sierra Leone. Within these few days Mr. Strachan has brought the male from that colony. It differs from all the other known males of Goliathus in not having the horn of the clypeus bifid. I am ignorant of the grounds upon which Schönnherr assumed the right to change Drury's unobjectionable specific name. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Polyphemus, Fab. DESCR. Goliathus velutino-viridis, thorace quinque-lineato lineâ mediâ abbreviatâ, elytris maculis albis seriatim dispositis. Capite tricorni cornu medio porrecto apice bifido Incognita. Cetonia Polyphemus, Oliv. Ins. tab. 8. fig. 61. LONG. 30 lines. NOTE. An unique specimen of this rare and valuable insect was for many years the chief ornament of the Entomological Cabinet bequeathed by the late Sir Joseph Banks to the Linnean Society. It was the male described by Fabricius and figured by Olivier. This specimen however appears to have been stolen since the insects of the Banksian Cabinet were arranged in 1826 by the late Messrs. Bennett and Haworth. MM. Gory and Percheron state that their figure of the male is from a specimen in their pos- session. The above description of the species is compiled from the works of Fabricius, Olivier, and Gory. There appears however to be more than one specimen known, for Mr. Melly of Liverpool assures me that an insect of this species was lately exhibited for sale at Glasgow, and purchased by Sir William Hooker the Professor of Botany. Mr. Hope, however, is of opinion that Sir W. Hooker's species is different. Perhaps it is the male of G. torquatus. The above two normal sub-sections differ from the following aberrant sub-sections in not having the vitreous lustre of these last, but on the contrary, having a velvetty aspect. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus micans, Drury. DESCR. Goliathus viridi-nitens, antennis palpis tarsisque nigris. Clypeo lateribus unispinosis, cornu medio porrecto recurvo apice bifido. & Clypeo simplice quadrato. Scarabæus micans, Drury, II. p. 59. tab. 32. fig. 3. LONG. 25 lines. NOTE. Both male and female are in my cabinet. I may here observe that the species is truly African, and that in Mr. Kirby's Introduction to Entomology, 2d edit. vol. iv. p. 506, G. micans is erroneously mentioned in place of G. Inca.--I have lately seen another species of the same sub-section larger than this, in the possession of Mr. Strachan who brought it from Sierra Leone. It is quite new, and differs from Goliathus micans in a broader form and in the clypeus being entirely black. The horn of the male is also quite different, approaching more closely to that of a Coryphe. I believe that gentleman intends to describe it. F 34 ON THE CETONIIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA. SP. (Cetoninus) Goliathus splendens, n. s. DESCR. Goliathus viridi-nitens, thorace punctis duobus cæruleis, elytris vix striatis lineâ obliquâ humerali cæruleâ. g Clypeo lateribus bispinosis, cornu medio porrecto recurvo apice bifido. ¢ Incognita. LONG. corp. 24 lines. The male is in my cabinet. It is a species that comes very close to G. micans, and belongs to the same sub-section. Mr. Hope has given the name Dicronorhina to this sub- section ; but for such minute groupes as the present, generic names are useless. Our grand object ought to be to demonstrate their affinities. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Grallii, Buquet. DESCR. Goliathus viridi-micans, elytris flavo-circumdatis. g Capite tricorni, clypei cornu medio porrecto recurvo ad basin brunneo, caule rufo bifido ramis divergentibus extus arcuatis reflexis apicibus dentatis. & Incognita. Goliathus Grallii, Ann. de la Soc. Ent. vol. vi. p. 201. tab. 5. fig. 3. Long. corp. 15 lines. Note. This species I only know from the above description and figure of M. Buquet, who says that it was brought, as he believes, from Western Africa. SP. 20. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Smithii, n. s. DESCR. Goliathus vertice thorace scutelloque viridi-olivaceis, elytris testaceis suturâ margine maculisque duabus humeralibus duabus apicalibus abdominisque lateribus nigris; corpore infrà ano pedibusque rufis, femoribus anticis intus hirsutie obtectis. Capite tricorni, clypei cornu medio porrecto recurvo rufo apice bifido, ramis divergentibus rectis. ç Capite quadrato simplice, clypeo rufo. LONG. corp. 16 lines. Note. This elegant species is now for the first time introduced to the notice of entomologists. Dr. Smith discovered it near the Tropic of Capricorn, and I have given it his name, as being that of a naturalist to whom every department of Zoology is most deeply indebted. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Daphnis, Buquet. DESCR. Goliathus vertice thorace scutelloque viridi-micantibus, elytris aurantiis suturâ viridi margine maculisque duabus humeralibus duabus apicalibus nigris, corpore infra femoribusque viridibus, tibiis brunneis, tarsis nigris. & Capite tricorni, clypei cornu medio brunneo porrecto recurvo bifido ramis extus arcuatis. & Capite quadrato clypeo viridi. Goliathus Daphnis, Ann. de la Soc. Ent. vol. iv. p. 136. tab. 2. fig. 3-4. LONG. corp. 14 lines. Note. This species is a native of Senegal, and I only know it from the above description and figure. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus quadrimaculatus, Oliv. DESCR. Goliathus capite lato quadrato, thorace scutello corporeque subtus viridi-nitentibus, clypeo elytris femoribusque suprà viridibus fulvo-micantibus, elytris maculis duabus hume- ralibus duabusque apicalibus nigris, pygidio fulvo. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 35 fClypeo antice concavo, cornu medio brevi recurvo apice dilatato triangulum obversum simulante. $ Clypeo quadrato antice subsinuato. Cetonia quadrimaculata, Oliv. tab. 8. fig. 73, Gnathocera 4-maculata, G. P. p. 131. tab. 19. fig. 4. LONG. corp. 12 lines. NOTE. Messrs. Gory and Percheron have figured the female from Mr. Hope's collection, taking it for a Coryphe (or as they erroneously call it, Gnathocera) to which sub-genus all the females of the Smithian section of Goliathi, so nearly approach. Olivier, Fabricius, and Schönnherr, seem also to have known only the female. On the other hand I possess only the male, and as my specimen has lost the last joint of all its tarsi, I cannot say whether the last joint of the anterior tarsus has a brush on the inside above the ungues or not. The species comes close on the confines of the following sub-section, as may be seen by the structure of the anterior tibiæ of the male, which are not multidentate on the inside, according to the rule of the Goliathi Smithii in general. My friend Mr. Hope says that this species is identical with the Goliathus Daphnis of M. Buquet ; but the last named entomologist is nevertheless right in consider- ing the two be distinct species, since the horns of the clypeus of the males are different as well as their anterior tibiæ. Goliathus Daphnis in fact belongs to the same section as G. Smithii, and beautifully connects that species with the Goliathus 4-maculatus. So true it is, that while analysis is necessary for correct synthesis, sometimes also synthesis conducts us to correct analysis. Section 2. HÖPFNERII. 69. This section I only know by M. Gory's description and figure of an insect from Mexico, in the collection of the Count Dejean, and called by him Goliathus Höpfneri. It seems to me to belong truly to the sub-genus Goliathus, differing from the section of Smithii, in the form of its head, and from the Gigantei in the form of its thorax, which is neither convex nor lobated behind in the middle. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Höpfneri, Dej. DESCR. Goliathus clypeo nigro, corpore subtus thoraceque obscuris villo flavescente obtectis, elytris rufo-brunneis nigro-carinatis, femoribus subtus fulvis. & Clypeo porrecto dilatato bifido, vertice transverso elevato, ramisque divergentibus. 옥 ​Goliathus Höpfneri, Dej. Cat. Ed. 3. p. 188. Goliathus Höpfner, G. P. p. 154. tab. 26. fig. 2. NOTE. An unique specimen of the male is said to be in the collection of M. Dejean, and from Gory's description of it I have ventured to compile the preceding character. Little value however ought to be assigned to compilations of this kind, or indeed to any description which is not founded on actual inspec- tion. I hope, therefore, that Comte Dejean will favour us soon with a detailed description and accurate figure. Ot a Section 3. GIGANTEI. 70. These of all insects are the most esteemed by collectors, because they are exceedingly rare, and at the same time most conspicuous for their size and beauty. Even the rich collection of M. Dejean contains no specimen according to the last edition of his catalogue. I have known fifty guineas asked for Goliathus giganteus, and a specimen now in my col- lection is known formerly to have cost 291. This section of the sub-genus is distinct from all the others, and, indeed, from all the other sections of the genus Cetoninus, in having the F 2 36 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. terminal lobe of the maxilla armed on the inside at the middle with a corneous tooth. We thus have a character which clearly proves that these gigantic insects are aberrant, and that they pass off by the affinity of transultation to the genus Macrominus, of which the maxilla, internally toothed, is an essential character. The gigantic Goliathi are, at first sight, easily distinguished from the Höpfnerii by their back being convex, and they are known from that other section of the sub-genus which MM. Lepelletier and Serville have called Inca by the large and conspicuous axillary pieces or epimera of the mesothorax, (See Zool. Journal, vol. v. p. 165.) which intervene between, what is, to speak accurately, the prothorax and the shoulders of the elytra. The Goliathi Gigantei have a strong plantula * between the ungues of the anterior feet, and probably it exists in all the feet. Unfortunately, my specimens, although good, are not in this respect thoroughly uninjured, and thus I am also ignorant whether the plantulæ be attended or not with pseudonychia. The feet are all black, but the four posterior tibiæ are along the inside fringed with a close fulvous down, while the males have the anterior tibiæ thus lined only half way. The abdomen beneath is more or less covered with the same close down. The mesosternum is advanced, broad and pointed, some- thing like a gothic arch. It is difficult to imagine how insects so large and weighty, can possibly live on flowers ; at least the corolla, which would receive in its bosom any species of this section, must necessarily approach in size to that of the Rafflesia. These gigantic Goliathi may possibly live therefore on the juices that exude from the wounds of trees. One thing is sure, namely, that the penicilliform structure of the back of the terminal process of their maxillæ proves that they do live on juices of some kind. This section is confined to intra- tropical Africa, and, as far as I am aware, only two females of it have ever as yet been brought to Europe. There are, indeed, only five species of the section, with certainty known; and of all these five, I believe specimens may be seen in Great Britain. I shall now take the oppor- tunity of distinguishing them, since some peculiar circumstances attending this magnificent groupe, give me the means of communicating information that certainly no other person ossesses ; and because I have now before me the very specimens described by Drury and Linnæus, and upon which specimens the genus Goliathus of Lamarck was originally founded. SP. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Drurii, West. Descr. Goliathus niger, capite thoracisque vittis quinque elytrorum ferrugineorum basi scutello- que medio albis, vittæque thoracicæ marginalis maculâ nigrâ. g Clypeo albo, lateribus unidentatis: dente latè emarginato, cornu medio porrecto bifido: ramis nigris divergentibus arcuatis apice dilatatis obliquè truncatis. & Incognita. Scarabous Goliathus, Drury, vol. i. tab. 31. Linn. Syst. Nat. Mant. p. 530. Cetonia Goliathus, Oliv. tab. 1. fig. 33. LONG. 3 inches 6 lines. Note. The above synonyms of the male are, I believe, the only original ones founded on actual inspection of the insect. The other writers who have touched on the subject, and they are not a few, have merely known the species from the above figures. Now the original specimen, from which all the above notices were taken, existed unique in Drury's collection, and was the first species of the Gigantic section ever published. I therefore consider it as the type. The specimen was found dead, and floating down the river * Professor Klug and Mr. Hope, who have given us figures and descriptions of the only two females of the section hitherto known, make not the slightest allusion to the existence of plantula. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 37 Gaboon, which is nearly on the equator, in front of the Isla de Principe. It passed by the public sale of Drury's Cabinet finally into that of my father, so that I am now in possession of the original specimen of this, as well as of the still more magnificent species Goliathus giganteus, with which it has in general been confounded. It has long been labelled in my cabinet as Goliathus typus ; but I understand that in a new edition of Drury, lately published, Mr. Westwood has called it G. Drurii. I need scarcely say that MM. Gory and Percheron are mistaken when they assert that “Les types originaux du genre Goliath ne se trouvent dans aucune collection." Drury's figure of G. Drurii is good, except that it is coloured much too highly. SP. (Cetoninus) Goliathus regius, Klug. DESCR. Goliathus subtus nigro-olivaceus, supra nigro-piceus, elytris ad suturam latè, margine, scutello utrinque, thoracisque vittis quinque albis, harum mediâ discali brevi tenui fusiformi, reliquis marginem thoracis posticum attingentibus, vittis marginalibus maculâ nigrâ. Ineditus. & Capite nigro simplice subquadrato, angulis anticis rotundatis lunulisque ad basin duabus albis. Goliathus regius, Klug. Catalogue of Animals and Plants collected by A. Erman in his Voyage Round the World, p. 36. n. 87. tab. 15. fig. 7. LONG. corp. 3 inches 6 lines. Note. Professor Klug of Berlin has given us, in a work published in 1835, an excellent figure and elaborate description of the female of this new species, which was brought by Erman from the Isla de Principe in the Bight of Benin, and is now deposited in the Royal Museum of Berlin. As far as my recol- lection will now serve me, I believe it was a specimen of the male of this species which last year, under the name of “Goliathus magnus," was exhibited to a meeting of the British Association by Mr. Frederic Taylor of Liverpool. Goliathus regius comes exceedingly close to the next species Goliathus giganteus, and indeed principally differs from it in being of less size, and in the markings of the thorax, which are very distinct. The elytra are wonderfully alike in both, but the pure white scutellum of G. giganteus, and its white thorax, with six more or less abbreviated black longitudinal bands, may at once separate it from the present species G. regius, where the scutellum is black, having only a white mark on each side, and where the black thorax has five white longitudinal bands, of which the fusiform middle one neither reaches to the neck on one side, nor to the scutellum on the other, but is placed exactly in the middle. G. regius is at once to be known from G. Drurii, by the colour of the elytra. It is singular that Klug should have accurately separated this species from Drury's figure (vol. 3. tab. 40.) of G. giganteus, and yet have erroneously confounded G. Drurii with G. giganteus, although these are far more distinct. We may thus see, however, the advantage of the inspection of specimens over that of figures. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus giganteus, Lam. DESCR. Goliathus subtus nigro-olivaceus, supra rosaceo-albus, thoracis vittis sex, exterioribus bre- vioribus, elytrorum vittâ discali latâ foveolâque minutâ versus suturam mediam irregulari nigris. ☆ Clypeo albo lateribus unidentatis; dente laterali lato truncato, cornu medio porrecto bifido ramis nigris divergentibus apice dilatatis posticè acumi tis. & Incognita. Scarabæus Goliathus, var. ? Drury, vol. iii. tab. 40. Cetonia Goliathus, var. B. Oliv. tab. 9, fig. 33. LONG corp. 34 inches. NOTE. According to Drury, the specimen now before me came from Sierra Leone. I have seen another specimen of the male from that colony, of which a most wretched figure has been lately published in London, under the title of “ Cetonia Golianthus." Drury's figure, on the other hand, is excellent in every respect. This entomologist suspected it to be a different species from that now called G. Drurii, by 38 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. the editor of a late edition of Drury's work. Fabricius, Olivier, Lamarck, and Klug, have all confounded the two foregoing species, and made them one, although the two first entomologists must have seen both specimens, although the original describer suspected them to be distinct ; and although they will to the eye of any modern entomologist who inspects them, appear totally different from each other. The bifurcation of the extremity of the clypeus in the male, is of a different form from that Goliathus Drurii, inasmuch as the latter is curved backwards so as to resemble the Greek letter Y, whereas in G. giganteus it resembles more the letter Y. The marking, colour, and size, are also so different, that one is really amused to find Klug, in a late publication, * gravely laying down a theory to account for the two unique insects of Drury's Collection forming only one species. It is true that he never saw them; but he read in Drury's work that the former of these species (Goliathus Drurii,) was found dead, and floating on the surface of the river Gaboon. Catching at this fact, in the “Verzeichniss von Thieren und Pflanzen," which were collected by Adolph Erman in his voyage round the world, Klug says that the identity of the two species being fully proved by Drury's figures, which represent the clypeus porrected in both beetles, and the colouring of the thorax not essentially distinct, no regard ought to be paid by us to the very different colouring of the elytra, since the specimen figured by Drury, vol. i. t. 31., having been found dead in the water, may have lost its original white covering, and may thus appear to us now of a brown colour. Such reasoning is certainly ingenious, but the colouring of the thorax is very distinct, and, I will venture to say, that the clypeus will be found bifid and porrected even in the male of G. regius when known; and besides, I have pointed out sufficient differences to make it certain that Drury was right when he suspected his two unique specimens to belong to different species. I am not much inclined to adopt Lamarck's trivial name “giganteus,” because he applied it to both species, G. Drurii and this ; nor can I adopt Klug’s trivial name “ imperialis," for, in fact this is in like manner applied by its author to an imaginary being, made up of the two foregoing species united, which, be it observed, neither he nor Lamarck ever saw. In my specimen of G. giganteus there are two small black spots on the hinder part of the thorax which is quite white, the two middle vittæ being abbreviated. In the other specimen which I have seen, the two middle black vittæ reach to the hinder margin of the thorax, and the two small black spots above mentioned become connected with the other vittæ on each side. Mr. Kirby, in his Introduction to Entomology, vol. iv. p. 506, alludes to some private letter of mine to him, in which mention was made of Goliathus giganteus. I suppose, there- fore, that at the time of writing that letter, I assigned the name which Lamarck has given both to G. Drurii and this, to the latter species alone. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Cacicus, Oliv. DESCR. Goliathus niger, thorace flavescente vittis sex abbreviatis nigris, exterioribus brevioribus, scutello flavo, elytris albido-glaucis margine maculaque humerali subtriangulari nigris. Clypeo albo lateribus unidentatis, dente lato truncato, cornu medio porrecto bifido ramis nigris divergentibus apice dilatatis obliquè truncatis. . Incognita. Scarabæus Cacicus, Voet. Col. tab. 22. fig. 151. Cetonia Cacicus, Oliv. tab. 3. fig. 22. LONG. corp. 3 Inches 6 lines. NOTE. This insect, like the last, is truly from Africa, as Professor Klug perceived. The first describers of it, however, made it to be an American species, and so dubbed it “a Cacique.” The original specimen is said to be at Glasgow in the Hunterian Museum. I believe Mr. Hope possesses one in spirits, and I have seen another in the National Museum at Paris. Of this last we have an excellent figure given by M. Gory. Goliathus giganteus comes exactly between this species and G. regius, for if we look at the marking of the thorax, we find G. giganteus to agree with G. Cacicus, and if we look at * Reise um die Erde ausgeführt von Adolph Erman. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 39 the marking of the elytra, we find G. giganteus to agree with G. regius. The three species are very close to each other ; but G. Drurii is so different from them all, as almost to form another sub-section of Gigantic Goliathi. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Princeps, Hope. DESCR. Goliathus nigro-piceus, thorace vittato etc. (Vide Hope's Coleopterist's Manual.) im Incognitus. & Clypeo simplice sub-quadrato anticè subsinuato, maculis duabus verticalibus fere mediis fulvis. Goliathus princeps, Hope, Col. Man. p. 117. LONG. corp. 3 inches. Note. Mr. Hope has given a figure and an excellent detailed description of this insect, of which an unique female specimen exists in his collection. To his work I refer the reader for observations on the section, as well as on the species. Although it remains doubtful whether this be not the female of C. Cacicus, I am, for my part, inclined to believe Mr. Hope to be in the right when he considers it as the I female of a new species. 71. In concluding my remarks on this interesting section, I have to state that it corresponds exactly with the limits which Professor Klug, in the Appendix to Erman's Voyage, above mentioned, has assigned to his genus Goliathus. Nevertheless, I consider the most typical Goliathi, in other words, those species of Goliathus, which are most distinct from all other species of their common genus Cetoninus, to be contained in the section Inca. Thus Inca is aberrant when we refer to the sub-genera of Cetoninus, but on the other hand it is typical when we are referring it to the sections of Goliathus. Section 4. INCA, Lepell. et Serville. 72. This groupe has been most properly placed by MM. Latreille and Kirby, among the Goliathi of Lamarck. But MM. Gory and Percheron have more lately, with a singular taste for affinities, interposed between Inca and the other sections of Goliathus, not only the sub-genera Platygenia and Cremastocheilus, but I know not what besides. The section of Goliathus, called Inca by MM. Lepelletier and de Serville, has the back even more convex than that of any of the gigantic Goliathi ; but it may easily be known from all the rest of the sub-genus by its proximity to the genus Trichinus. It is, in fact, the Trichinus form of the sub-genus Goliathus, and by it the genera Cetoninus and Trichinus meet so as to close that circle which constitutes the family of Cetoniida. The section may be characterized by its labrum, which is almost lobate in the middle, by the subcircular convex thorax with denticulated margin, by the convex elytra, by the internal spine of the fore femur, by the epimeron not being prominent between the thorax and elytra, and, finally, by the bicornuted clypeus of the male, although this last character is not to be considered by any means as peculiar to the groupe. Here it may be noticed with respect to the whole sub-genus Goliathus, that I consider the true clypeus of the groupe, that is, the clypeus of the female, which is nearly of the same form and construction throughout the various sections, to be in all essentially quadrate, having the anterior angles in general sharp, and the fore-margin rather concave. This general form of clypeus becomes horned in two ways. In the section of Gigantei, the trunk of the bifid horn proceeds from the middle of the emargination of the anterior margin of the clypeus, and what are called the lateral teeth, are merely the angles of the quadrate clypeus. In the section of Smithii, particularly in Goliathus Polyphemus, 40 ON THE CETONIIDE OF SOUTH AFRICA. we see that in the male these angles of the clypeus project into horns on each side of the large central horn. In the present section, Inca, but still more in the next section, which Mr. Hope has marked out under the name of Dicronocephalus, the male has no horn proceeding from the middle of the margin of the clypeus, but only those horns which arise from the angles of the clypeus. Inca is a section entirely confined to South America. I shall now content myself with the enumeration of the species described by authors, and merely observe that my collection is in want of specimens of G. bifrons, rufipennis, and the male of Goliathus Ynca, Fab. Sp. (Cetonina) Goliathus Ynca, Fab. Cetonia Ynca, Fab. Syst. Eleuth, vol. ii. p. 136. Inca Ynca, G. P. p. 103. tab. 13. fig. 1. Note. This species possesses the thorax marked in that very peculiar way which so singularly charac- terizes the Gigantic section. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus bifrons, Fab. Cetonia bifrons, Oliv, tab. 12. fig. 117. Inca bifrons, G. P. p. 107. tab. 14. fig. 2. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus barbicornis, Lat. i Goliathus barbicornis, Cuv. Regne Animal, vol. iv. p. 187. tab. 13. fig. 1. Inca barbicornis, G. P. p. 105. tab. 13. fig. 2. Cetonia pulverulenta, Oliv. tab. 10. fig. 95. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus irroratus, G. P. Inca irrorata, G. P. p. 106. tab. 14. fig. 1. p. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus fasciatus, Kirby. g Goliathus fasciatus, Kirby, Linn. Trans. vol. 12. p. 407. ¢ Inca serricollis, G. P. p. 108. tab. 14. fig. 3. NOTE. The Goliathus inscriptus of Kirby appears to be only a variety of this species. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus rufipennis, G. P. Inca rufipennis, G. P. p. 109. tab. 14. fig. 4. NOTE. I am aware that MM. Gory and Percheron assign some of the above names to certain of their private friends. But I find it convenient for quotation to consider the true namer of an insect to be that person in whose work I find it for the first time described. p Section 5. DICRONOCEPHALI, Hope. 73. This section is Asiatic, and has the sides of the elytra nearly parallel. It agrees with the last in having the anterior tibiæ furnished externally with teeth in both sexes, but it differs in having the epimeron more or less prominent between the angles of the thorax and elytra. It agrees with the section of Smithii in its body being depressed, but then the male has never the anterior tibiæ internally multidentate. Between the anterior ungues there is a plantula in form of spine, which is armed at the apex with diverging pseudonychia. The mesosternum is not much produced between the legs, and sometimes is barely visible. The horns of the head seem, as I have said before, to be productions of the lateral teeth of the clypeus in the Gigantic section, that is, of the angles of the female clypeus, and the bifurcated horn of the middle of their clypeus is wanting. The section admits of the following sub-sections : ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 41 Sub-sections. Types. 1 * * * * * 2 Horns of head dentated. Thorax sub-circular. Anterior tibiæ externally more or less tridentate. G. Wallichii, G. P. 3* 4 * * 5 Horns of head not dentated. Thorax sub-elliptical. Anterior tibiæ externally bidentate. G. opalus, Dup. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus Wallichii, G. P. DESCR. Goliathus glauco-flavidus, oculis, unguibus, ano, thoracis lineis duabus abbreviatis, litu- risque elytrorum duabus humeralibus duabus apicalibus nigris. Ś Clypeo antice cavo, bicornuto, cornubus resupinis supra dentatis apice bifidis, clypei linea verticali pedibusque ferrugineis. & Clypeo antice bidentato, vittâ verticali pedibusque nigris. Goliathus Wellech 7. G.P. p. 154. tab. 26. fig. 1. LONG. 12 lines. NOTE. It is but just to Dr. Wallich, after whom I suppose this insect was named, to correct the mistake which M. Gory has made in the orthography of his name. I have both sexes in my col- lection, from Nepaul. In one specimen of the male, the upper tooth of the anterior tibia is evanescent, so as to make it appear externally sub-bidentate. Sp. (Cetoninus) Goliathus opalus, Dupont. DESCR. Goliathus nitidus flavescens viridi-micans, thorace vagè punctato viridi-ignescente, tarso- rum articulis apice unguibusque nigris. Clypeo antice cavo, bicornuto, cornubus productis triquetris supra haud dentatis apice antrorsum arcuatis. q Narycius opalus, Dupont, Mag. Zool. Cl. ix. p. 128. Note. In Guerin's Magazine, M. Dupont gives the figure and description of an insect from Madras, which he places in a new genus, called by him Narycius and Naricius. He gives no distinct character to the genus, but describes two species, of which, although they are exceedingly close to each other in affinity, I suspect his Narycius olivaceus to belong rather to the sub-genus Coryphe. The present species (his Narycius opalus) is curious, as being exactly intermediate between Goliathus Wallichii, G. P., and those brilliant green Goliathi which form the beauty of the section which I have called Smithii. Thus do we return to those Goliathi with the description of which we commenced our observations on this rich and rare sub-genus. I must, however, before I leave the groupe, call attention to the . curious analogy that exists between Goliathus opalus and Lamprima ænea, and remark how the clypeus in one takes the form of the mandibles of the other, making Latreille fancy that they were annectent genera. I need scarcely observe that the Goliathus opalus must not be confounded with the Goliathus opalinus of Gory, which is a Coryphe. a 74. Of true Goliathi, I consider that the above-mentioned species may be accounted as dis- tinctly known. But we have now to return to the aberrant groupe of Goliathi Gigantei, and we may observe a Cape insect, which M. Gory has described under the name of Diplognatha concava, to present several points of structure held by it in common with those gigantic beetles. Like them this insect has a three-horned clypeus, although the horns are here considerably modified, particularly the central one, which is short and trifid. The anterior tibiæ are externally tri- dentate, as in the females of the gigantic Goliathi, but here they differ, in being tridentate in both sexes. The body is likewise convex. The thorax is rounded. The scutellum is sharp, The epimeron is prominent between the elytra and thorax. The mesosternum is short, broad, a G 42 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. and subacuminate at apex. The pseudonychia are large and conspicuous. The mentum, however, is here not deeply emarginate as in Goliathus, but, on the contrary, rather convex in front, so that we have arrived at another sub-genus which has been called Ichnestoma, by M. Gory; but as this gentleman has favoured us with the derivation of the word which he intended to write, I shall correct his mistake, and call the Sub-genus 4. ISCHNOSTOMA, G. P. 75. It is true, that taking a more extended view of natural affinities than M. Gory, I have given greater latitude, than he has done, to the groupe here called Ischnostoma, but I do not, on that account, conceive myself entitled to deprive that entomologist of the credit of naming this curious sub-genus. Ischnostoma is distinguished from Goliathus, by the mentum never being deeply emarginate, and from the sub-genus Cetonia, by the terminal lobe of the maxilla being excessively small, and almost evanescent. This lobe, as may be expected, is largest in the two aberrant sections which lead to Goliathus and Cetonia ; but still is short, in proportion to what we find it to be in those two sub-genera generally. The mandibles here are peculiarly small and rudimentary, as is also the labrum, which is of a singular form in the typical sections,-a form which indeed is different from that of the labrum in all other Cetoniide. The mentum is never emarginate, but in general convex at the apex. All the known species are of a black hue, that makes them little interesting except to the entomologist. From the grains of sand which I have generally found adhering in quantity to the hair which covers the under side of many of these insects, we may imagine that they are inhabitants of a sterile country. Schönnherr, Latreille, and, more lately, Klug, have all placed certain insects which belong to this sub-genus close to the genus Goliathus of Lamarck. - SECTIONS OF ISCHNOSTOMA. 1 CELOCEPHALÆ, M'L. B.-Epimeron distinctly visi- ble between the elytra and 2 XIPHOSCELIDEÆ, MʻL. thorax. Mentum never with an acute apex. 3 ARCADEÆ, M'L. Clypeus horned. Mentum convex in front. Clypeus not horned. Thorax narrower than elytra. Men- tum broader in front. Clypeus not horned. Thorax at base as wide as the elytra. Mentum sub-emarginate. Sides of clypeus not sinuated. Mentum rather short and wide. Clava of antennæ very short. Anterior tibiæ tridentate externally. Sides of clypeus sinuated. Mentum long, narrow. Clava of antennæ very long. Anterior tibiæ externally bi- dentate. A.-Epimeron not very con- 4 HETEROCLITÆ, M‘L. spicuous between the elytra and thorax. Mentum tri- angular with acute apex. (5 CUSPIDATÆ, M'L. 5 a 76. The first of these sections, here called CELOCEPHALÆ, contains two known species which MM. Gory and Percheron have erroneously assigned to their genus“ Diplognatha.” The Cetonia geotrupina of Schönnherr is possibly a third distinct species. The maxilla here, how- ever, has no tooth on the inner process, like Diplognatha; and if there be any thing like a tooth on the outer process, of which I am not quite sure, it appears to be merely the acute corner of the horny part which stretches beyond the pencil of hairs. However, I think this must be an approach in some degree to the structure of Diplognatha ; and although I am not prepared to say with M. Gory that it belongs to that sub-genus, I certainly consider it as I evidently serving to connect the genera Macrominus and Cetoninus by what is called the ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 43 affinity of transultation. I conceive Macrominus to approach Cetoninus somewhere between the gigantic Goliathi and the colocephalous Ischnostoma. I shall now therefore place here the following species brought home by Dr. Smith, and which is very curious, on account of its mentum being something like that of a Cremastocheilus. SP. 21. (Cetoninus) Ischnostoma concava, G. P. Diplognatha concava, G. P. p. 121. tab. 17. fig. 4. NOTE. This appears to be the insect alluded to by M. Latreille in the second edition of the Regne Animal, as a Goliathus brought from the Cape by M. Verreaux. Diplognatha albopunctata of Gory, which is also a Cape insect, is evidently to be placed in the same section. So also is the Cetonia geotrupina of Bilberg, which both Schönnherr and Latreille consider to be a Goliathus, (See Syn. Ins. App. p. 46. 69.) Professor Klug has stated likewise his opinion that the Diplognatha albopunctata of Gory, and the Cetonia geotrupina of Schönnherr come close to the gigantic Goliathi. They are, in fact, only to be distinguished from them by their porrected clypeus, which, like that of Goliathus, has a central horn with a smaller lateral tooth on each side. Here, however, this middle horn is trifid, and the maxilla is of a different structure. 77. The second section, XIPHOSCELIDEÆ, has for its type an insect in my collection, which I suspect to be from Swan River in Australia. It is remarkable for its small round thorax, long arched posterior legs, incrassated femora, and for the apex of the posterior tibiæ being produced into a strong curved spine. The mouth agrees nearly with that of the following section. . 78. The third section, ARCADEÆ, comes very close to the sub-genus Cetonia, so close indeed as almost to make one suspect that it may form part of the Trichioid section of that sub- genus; nevertheless, the smallness of the mandibles and of the terminal lobe of the maxilla induce me to place it here. It is a groupe peculiar to the Cape, and offers two sub-sections, which completely agree in the organs of their mouth. Types. a * * * * B.-Body convex. Thorax not horned. 2 Ischnostoma sanguinipes. (3 * * * * $ 4 Ischnostoma cornuta. 4 A.-Body depressed. Thorax subcornute in the male. (5 * * * * a Both the above species have been brought from the Cape by Dr. Smith, and I shall there- fore enumerate them. Sp. 22. (Cetoninus) Ischnostoma sanguinipes, G. P. Cetonia sanguinipes, G. P. p. 254. tab. 48. fig. 4. NOTE. This is an insect that is almost as much a Cetonia as an Ischnostoma. I am not sure whether Cetonia sanguinipes and C. talpina of Klug, ought to be considered as distinct species, but I think that they are not the same. Sp. 23. (Cetoninus) Ischnostoma cornuta, Fab. Cetonia cornuta, Fab. Syst. Eleuth. vol. ii. p. 143. Scarabæus Arcas, Oliv. tab. 9. fig. 83. Cetonia cornuta, G. P. p. 252. tab. 48. fig. 2. NOTE. MM. Gory and Percheron say of Ischnostoma cornuta as follows: “Cette espèce quoique tres anomale par la forme ne nous a paru susceptible de former un genre propre ; les parties de la bouche la rapprochant tout a fait des vraies Cetoines.” This is quite correct; the only difference between this species and the true Cetoniæ being the cornuted thorax, and the comparative minuteness of the terminal lobe of the maxillæ. It is truly osculant, between Ischnostoma and Cetonia, and comes close to the G 2 44 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. Cetonia hispida of Olivier. There is no affinity to the genus Syrichtus whatever, or to any of the Dynastido. The relation between them is one of analogy. 79. The fourth section is from the Cape, and is, like the fifth, typical of Ischnostoma. I have called it HETEROCLITÆ, because I suspect the insect described by M. Gory as “ Ischnostoma heteroclyta” will be found to belong to it. A species of this section has been brought home by Dr. Smith ; but, like that of the Museum of Natural History at Paris, is in sad preservation. I must here observe, that M. Gory's figure of Ischnostoma albomaculata is singularly incorrect, and therefore I am led to infer that the figure of I. heteroclita is incorrect also; the more so as M. Gory's description of the heads of these two insects does not agree with his figures. Sp. 24. (Cetoninus) Ischnostoma spatulipes, n. s. DESCR. Ischnostoma atronitida, capite porrecto clypeo quadrato margine reflexo apice emarginato lobis rotundatis, corpore valde convexo, thorace subsemicirculari punctato marginato, scutello magno, elytris sub-rugosulis apice subtruncatis, metasterno brevissimo truncato, tibiis anticis extus tridentatis, calcaribus posticis spatuliformibus. LONG. 10 lines. NOTE. This species may be the C. cordata of Fabricius. It has an indentation in the centre of the thorax, being the first vestige of the deep one that exists in Ischnostoma cornuta. 80. The section CUSPIDATÆ is, like the last, singular for its trichioid form, but differs in the body being more depressed, and in the clypeus being of a very peculiar form, owing to its extreme length, and the sides of it being at the base deeply emarginate. The feet are also longer and less strong; but both sections are remarkable for a long narrow labrum, which, however, is exceedingly minute in proportion to the size of the insect. Sp. 25. (Cetoninus) Ischnostoma pica, n. s. Descr. Ischnostoma atroviolacea velutina punctata, pilis nigris operta, thoracis vittis marginalibus elytrorumque vittâ marginali humerum nec suturam mediam attingente albis, corpore infra atronitido, pygidio maculis duabus albis magnis, pedibus nigerrimis calcaribus posticis acutis. > LONG. 10 lines. Note. This species is very close to the Cetonia cuspidata of Fabricius, but there are no “puncta duo cinerea inter autennas,” and the whole of the margin of the thorax is not cinereous. Whether Ischnostoma pica be identical with the Melolontha albomarginata of Herbst, I know not; but certainly it is very different from the Ischnostoma albomaculata of Gory, which is in my collection. But we now return to the section of Arcadece, which, as I said before, comes so close to the Cetonia hispida of Olivier. By this section we arrive at the Sub-genus 5. CETONIA, G. P. 81. This groupe is typical of the genus Cetoninus, and contains perhaps more species than all the rest of the family of Cetoniide put together. Cetonia may be distinguished from Goliathus by the males not being horned, but having their clypeus of the same shape as that of the females. The anterior tibiæ are also similar in the sexes, which distinguishes the sub- genus from Schizorhina, to which it closely approaches. From Ischnostoma, Cetonia may be separated by the sub-quadrate and emarginate mentum, and by the long penicilliform terminal process of the maxillæ. In Cetonia the plantula between the ungues appears to be generally present, only it is apt to be rubbed off by use. The pseudonychia do not seem always to be ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 45 present. This sub-genus has been left in disorder by Gory and Dejean, because it is very difficult to be sub-divided. I offer the following rough approximation to the truth :- SECTIONS OF CETONIA. Clypeus almost always entire. Elytra hirsute. Fore tibiæ (1 TRICHIQIDEÆ, M‘L. tridentate. Plantula with two pseudonychia. Clypeus entire. Elytra not hairy. Plantula with one B.-Pseudonychia apparent. 2 TYPICÆ, M'L. pseudonychion. Clypeus more or less cloven, Elytra smooth and polished. 3 GYMNETIDEÆ, M‘L. Plantula with two pseudonychia. Fore tibiæ externally bidentate. A.-Pseudonychia inconspi- S 4 POLYBAPHEÆ, K. cuous. (5 CREMASTOCHEILIDEÆ, M‘L. Fore tibiæ often externally subtridentate. 82. Of the trichioid section of Cetonia, I believe no species comes from Asia or New Holland. It It represents the genus Trichinus, and therefore all the typical species of it have the elytra, or at least the lower surface of the body, covered with hair. Fabricius placed one species of this groupe in his genus Trichinus. The TRICHIOIDEÆ, for the present, may be sub-divided as follows:- Sub-sections. Capenses. Type, C. capensis, Fab. A.-Body rather depressed. 2 Europeæ. 3 Americano-boreales. 4 * * * * * 5 Americano-meridionales. Type, C. stictica, Fab. Type, C. areata, Fab. Type, * * * * Type, C. lurida, Fab. B.-Body rather convex. . 83. We have principally to do with the first of these sub-sections, which contains a number of Cape species brought home by Dr. Smith ; such as Sp. 26. (Cetoninus) Cetonia pubescens, Oliv. Cetonia pubescens, Oliv. tab. 11. fig. 100. G.P. p. 259. tab. 49. fig. 4. SP. 27. (Cetoninus) Cetonia hispida, Oliv. C. hispida, Oliv. tab. 12. fig. 110. G.P. p. 260. tab. 47. fig. 5. NOTE. The French give me the credit of calling this species “ferrea. ." Sp. 28. (Cetoninus) Cetonia albopicta, G. P. C. albopicta, G. P. p. 256. tab. 49. fig. 1. SP. 29. (Cetoninus) Cetonia capensis, Lin. Scarabeus capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. Cetonia capensis, G. P. p. 257. tab. 49. fig. 2. Sp. 30. Cetoninus (Cetonia) hirsuta, n.s. DESCR. Cetonia rufa, capite nigro punctato fasciâ hirsuto, thoracis albopunctati pilis vestiti vittis marginalibus scutello elytrorumque suturâ nigris, scutello punctis duobus albis. Thorax vittis marginalibus albopunctatis, vittâ mediali rufâ triangulari punctis duobus albis. Elytra pilis raris albis vestita. Pygidium nigrum maculis intermediis duabus rufis, later- 46 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. Abdomen vitta alibus minoribus albis. Corpus infra nigrum hirsutie flavâ opertum. mediali rufâ. Pedes nigri. LONG. 9 lines. Sp. 31. (Cetoninus) Cetonia oculata, n. s. DESCR. Cetonia rufa capite, scutello, scapulis, thoracis albopunctati maculis duabus, elytrorumque suturâ nigris, corpore infrâ hirsuto, abdominis rufi maculis lateralibus pedibusque nigris. LONG. 9 lines. NOTE. This may possibly be the Cetonia Rauperi of Dejean's Catalogue. It comes very near to the preceding species C. hirsuta, and may possibly even be only a variety of it. The place of both is between C. capensis and C. signata, Fab. Sp. 32. (Cetoninus) Cetonia signata, Fab. C. signata, Fab. Syst. Eleuth, vol. ii. p. 245. 42. G. P. p. 248. tab. 49. fig. 3. . Sp. 33. (Cetoninus) Cetonia tigrina, Oliv. Cetonia tigrina, Oliv. tab. 12. fig. 111. NOTE. Schönnherr makes the Cetonia furcata of Fabricius to be synonymous with this, but I am far from being sure of their identity. Sp. 34. (Cetoninus) Cetonia bella, n. 8. DESCR. Cetonia atrovelutina, vertice albo bimaculato, clypeo quadrato argenteo bimaculato antice vix emarginato angulis rotundatis, thorace albomaculato vitta laterali irregulari albâ, scutello albo-bimaculato, elytris albo maculatis maculis seriatim dispositis, ano albo- 4-maculato maculis intermediis elongatis, corpore subtus atronitido abdominis lateribus albo- bimaculatis, pedibus atronitidis, tibiis anticis vix tridentatis, femoribus posticis albo-lineatis. LONG 5} lines. 84. We now proceed to the European sub-section of Trichioid Cetoniæ ; and here we find two Cape species at the entrance. Sp. 35. (Cetoninus) Cetonia funesta, Fab. Cetonia funesta, Fab. Syst. Eleuth. 2. 155. 103. NOTE. This species is different from the Cetonia stictica of Fabricius, although confounded with it by Gory. Sp. 36. (Cetoninus) Cetonia melæna, n.8. Descr. Cetonia atra punctata, clypeo quadrato antice subemarginato, thorace subquadrato late- ribus rotundatis carinâ mediâ lævi, elytris striis inter tres lineas elevatas læves impressis, tibiis anticis vix tridentatis. LONG. 5 lines. 85. With respect to the section of Cetonia which I have termed CREMASTOCHEILIDEÆ, I may safely say that it deserves the name ; for, in fact, these several sections of the sub-genus repre- sent the five genera of the family; and thus the extraordinary similarity in colour and marking that is found to exist between such insects as Cremastocheilus maculatus, G. P., and Cetonia maculata, Fab., may be accounted for. This section of Cremastocheilideæ is peculiar to Asia and Africa, and offers various sub-sections, which for the present may be distributed as follows: ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 47 Sub-sections. Type, C. acuminata, Fab. B.-Fore tibiæ externally tri- dentate. Asiatic. Type, C. alboguttata, Vigors. 1 Elytra spinous at apex. Fore tibiæ scarcely with three teeth on the outside. 2 Elytra spinous at apex. Fore tibiæ with three distinct teeth. 3 Elytra not spinous at the apex. 4 Elytra with parallel sides. Clypeus quadrate, scarcely emarginate in front. Type, C. histrio, Fab. Type, C. ærifera, MʻL. A.--Fore tibiæ externally bi- dentate. African. 5 Elytra narrower at apex. Clypeus elongate, acuminate with emarginate apex. Type, C. hæmorrhoidalis, Fab. , 86. Of the three first sub-sections, we have no species brought by Dr. Smith, as they are typically Asiatic. I shall merely therefore take the opportunity of mentioning that M. Schönnherr is wrong in stating C. acuminata to be a native of the Cape, and that MM. Gory and Percheron are equally wrong in stating C. maculata to be a Cape species. The former inhabits India, and the latter the Mauritius. Many insects are said to be natives of the Cape of Good Hope, merely because they have been brought from thence. 87. Of the fourth sub-section of Cetoniæ Cremastocheilidea, we have several Cape species in the collection ; such as, Sp. 37. (Cetoninus) Cetonia numismatica, n. 8. DESCR. Cetonia clypeo anticè rotundato, capite thoraceque violaceo-æneis, scutello elytrisque æneis fusco-maculatis, his striis punctorum tribus inter tres vittas læves elevatas impressis, corpore subtus nigro villoso, abdomine pedibusque fulvo-æneis, ano nigro maculis cinerascentibus. LONG. 6 lines. Sp. 38. (Cetoninus) Cetonia ærifera, n. s. DESCR. Cetonia clypeo antice rotundato, capite thoraceque violaceo-æneis, hujus margine postico scutello elytrisque ferrugineis ; his striis geminatis impressis nigro-maculatis, scutello ad basin scapulisque nigris, ano ferrugineo albomaculato, corpore subtus nigro-nitido villoso, femoribus posticis ad tibias rufescentibus. LONG. 5. lines. SP. 39. (Cetoninus) Cetonia puma, n. s. DESCR. Cetonia antennarum clavâ elongatâ, clypeo elongato antice rotundo, capite thoraceque obscuris subæneis, thoracis vittâ laterali albescente maculâ nigrâ, scapulis albis, scutello elytrisque ferrugineis, his inter tres lineas elevatas læves nigro-maculatis, lateribus albomaculatis, corpore subtus æneo squamis albis obsito pilisque hirsuto, ano rufo albomaculato. LONG 52 lines. Sp. 40. (Cetoninus) Cetonia cinerascens, Fab. Cetonia cinerascens, Fab. Syst. Eleuth. 2. 156. 104. Scarabæus cinereo-nebulosus, Degeer, vii. 643. tab. 48. fig. 7. Note. The Cetonia cinerascens of Gory is not that of Fabricius. Degeer's original name for the present species is too clumsy. 48 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 88. Of the fifth sub-section, which is also peculiar to Africa, we have the following species :- Sp. 41. (Cetoninus) Cetonia adspersa, Weber. Cetonia adspersa, Weber. Obs. Ent. p. 71. 8. G.P. P. 297. tab. 57. fig. 7. Sp. 42. (Cetoninus) Cetonia dysenterica, n. 8. DESCR. Cetonia clypeo elongato apice angustato recurvo emarginato, capite thorace scapulis scutelloque nigro-nitidis, elytris viridibus nigro-lineatis, corpore subtus pedibusque nigris, ano ferrugineo. LONG. 5 lines. Sp. 43. (Cetoninus) Cetonia hæmorrhoidalis, Fab. Cetonia hæmorrhoidalis, Fab. Syst. Eleuth. 2. 154. 97. G. P. p. 298. tab. 57. fig. 8. Sp. 44. (Cetoninus) Cetonia ruficollis, Deg. Scarabæus ruficollis, Degeer, vii. 642. tab. 48. fig. 5. Sp. 45. (Cetoninus) Cetonia amethystina, n. s. DESCR. Cetonia thorace supra punctato rufo, margine postico scutello scapulisque nigris, elytris amethystinis nitidis striato-punctatis, corpore subtus nigro, prothorace anoque rufis, pedibus nigris. LONG. 5 lines. SP. 46. (Cetoninus) Cetonia rubra, Deg. Scarabæus ruber, Degeer, vol. vii. 643. tab. 48. fig. 6. Cetonia rubra, G. P. p. 299. tab. 58. fig. 1. . 89. Let us now return to that Asiatic sub-section, the type of which is C. histrio of Fabricius. From it we may proceed to that section of the sub-genus Cetonia, which answers nearly, though not exactly, to a groupe which Mr. Kirby has indicated under the name of Polybaphes. If this learned entomologist had attempted to give his Polybaphes a character, he probably would not have joined C. histrio with C. equinoctialis; but nothing is so easy as to follow the indolent plan invented by M. Dejean of giving to groupes generic names unac- companied by descriptions. I hold in utter contempt that privilege of naming for which naturalists are so much in the habit of squabbling; and, on the contrary, am always grateful to those persons who kindly provide me with an unobjectionable word. Nevertheless, I am bound to protest against any name that is published without a character ; since it ought not to be of the slightest authority in the science. It certainly is not the individual placing two Greek words barbarously in juxta-position who deserves the credit of discovering a genus, but he who accurately distinguishes the groupe, to which that barbarous name is given, from all others. With respect, however, to the beautiful groupe which Mr. Kirby has called POLYBAPHES, I am disposed to retain the name, and shall merely therefore say, in addition, that I am acquainted with three sub-sections of it. A.-Elytra spinose at the (1 ***** 2 Head sub-quadrate. Clypeus emarginate. Type, C. sanguinolenta, Oliv. African. 3 Head triangular. Clypeus scarcely emarginate. Type, C. discoidea, Fab. B.- Elytra without spines at 5 Head sub-quadrate. Clypeus emarginate. apex. 4 * * * Type, C. marginicollis, G. P. the apex. Asiatic. ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 49 The following Cape species belong to the third sub-section :- SP. 47. (Cetoninus) Cetonia balteata, Degeer. Scarabous balteatus, Degeer, vii. 642. tab. 48. fig. 4. Cetonia controversa, G. P. p. 246. tab. 46. fig. 6. NOTE. I do not allude here to Schönnherr, because his “Synonymia Insectorum” is altogether wrong with respect to the species of this particular section Polybaphece. Sp. 48. (Cetoninus) Cetonia discoidea, Fab. Cetonia discoidea, Fab. Syst. Eleuth. 2. 158. 116. Cetonia velutina, Oliv. tab. 12. fig. 114. G.P. P. 246. tab. 46. fig. 5. Cetonia flammea, Zool. Journ, vol. 2. p. 237. tab. 9. fig. 2. 90. As this last-mentioned section of the sub-genus Cetoninus bears a resemblance in form to Diplognatha, and represents the genus Macrominus, so the section to which we now pass bears a strong resemblance to Lomaptera in the genus Gymnetinus which is here represented. This section I have therefore called GYMNETIDEÆ, and it belongs typically to Madagascar, although found also in New Holland. There are several known sub-sections; but as they present no Cape insects, I need not detail them here. I shall only say, that the Cetoniæ Gymnetidee, by their beautiful form and polished flat elytra, with serrated sides, by their often cloven clypeus, long maxillæ, and emarginate mentum, close the circle of the genus Cetoninus by uniting them- selves with the sub-genus Schizorhina, and thus forming the junction between it and the sub- genus Cetonia. 91. By means of Cetonia cincta of Donovan, we arrive at the only remaining section of Cetonia, which I have called TYPICÆ, not because they are typical of the sub-genus, but because they represent the genus Cetoninus, as it were, par excellence. This section is so numerous as to offer sub-sections, which, however, as may be expected, depend on very refined and even evanescent considerations. Perhaps, however, I have not yet been able to seize the true characters of distinction; and, indeed, it is of little consequence, provided I can explain the series of affinity, which appears to me to be as follows :- B.-Typically European. 1 Black. Type, C. morio, Fab. 2 Viridiæneous. Type, C. fastuosa, Fab. 3 Viridiæneous spotted with white. Type, C. aurata, Lin. S4 Green with white or yellow lines. Type, C. aulica, Fab. 5 Yellow or black spotted with yellow. Type, C. sinuata, Fab. A.-African. 92. As we have no species from the Cape of the three first sub-sections, I shall begin with the one which is here numbered the fifth, and designated “Nigræ flavomaculatæ vel flavæ.” To this beautiful African groupe belong the following described species :-1. Cetonia punctato- marginata, Degeer; C. impressa, G. P.; C. inscripta, G. P.; C. marginata, Fab.; C. postica, G. P.; C. fimbriata, G. P.; C. monacha, G. P.; C. fasciata, Fab. (Savigny, G. P.); C. olivacea, Ol.; C. interrupta, Fab., &c. &c.; and also the following species brought from the Cape by Dr. Smith :- Sp. 49. (Cetoninus) Cetonia sinuata, Oliv. DESCR. Cetonia nigrofusca, thoracis elytrorumque margine, thoracis maculis quinque, scutelli duabus, elytrorumque quatuor flavis, thoracis maculis marginalibus elytrorumque duabus nigro-fuscis, corpore subtus nigro. H 50 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. Note. This well known species is subject to very great variation in the discal špots of the thorax, which are all five placed in a triangle thus : ; the two reniform middle ones being the largest and most constant, although even they will sometimes disappear, VAR. a. Thorax with only the two reniform middle spots. Cetonia sinuata, G. P. p. 182. . NOTE. I do not here refer to Gory's figure, because it wants these two thoracic yellow spots, although they are expressly mentioned in his description. VAR. B. Thorax without any discal yellow spots. Cetonia sinuata, G. P. tab. 32. fig. 5. VAR. y. Thorax wanting the vertical yellow point, but having the four lower. Note. In this variety the triangular lower yellow spots of the elytra extend so as almost to meet the corresponding enlargement of the marginal vitta, and thus to form as it were a band. VAR. &. Thorax wanting the two lower spots, but having the three vertical ones. NOTE. I may here observe that the Scarabæus punctato-marginatus of Degeer, appears, as Schönnherr thought, to be another variety of C. sinuata, Fab. It is in my collection, and may be easily known by having no yellow points either on the thorax or scutellum. I am in possession of a series of specimens, that makes me think the following species communicated by Mr. Hope to MM. Gory and Percheron, may only be another variety ; although it is more in consonance with nature to imagine that all these varieties are formed, like those of certain flowers, by the crossing of two very contiguous species, the two parents of all the intermediate varieties being as it were, C. sinuata, as I have described it, and the C. flaviventris of MM. Gory and Percheron. Sp. 50. (Cetoninus) Cetonia flaviventris, Hope. Cetonia flaviventris, G. P. p. 178. tab. 31. fig. 6. Sp. 51. (Cetoninus) Cetonia leonina, n. s. DESCR. Cetonia supra atro-viridis, thorace elytrisque flavo-marginatis, elytrorum limbo medio dilatato bifurcato maculisque discalibus obliquis subinterruptis flavis, corpore subtus ferrugineo, ano albomaculato. LONG. 9lines. Note. This species comes the nearest to Cetonia impressa of Goldfuss and Gory, but differs much in the marking of the elytra. Being in possession of that species also, I have had no difficulty in deter- mining the distinction that exists between the two. Sp. 52. (Cetoninus) Cetonia carmelita, Fab. Cetonia carmelita, G. P. p. 238. tab. 45. fig. 2. Note. This is the C. badia of Burchell; and most likely Schönnherr is right in considering it to be the Scarabæus rufus of Degeer. It is easily known from other three species that come very close to it, by the two large white anal spots. Sp. 53. (Cetoninus) Cetonia bachypinica, Burchell. Cetonia bachypinica, G. P. p. 237. tab. 45. fig. 1. NOTE. The testaceous or yellow colour of this species, passes off in some varieties to green. And I wish to remark here, in general, that the black colour of some African species, such as C. marginata, Fab. for instance, becomes brick red, as in C. carmelita, Fab. and passes off to ochry yellow, as in C. bachypinica, which again passes into green, as in C. aulica, Fab., and so to the viridiæneous colour, such as C. fastuosa, Fab. which returns to black, as in C. morio, Fab. 93. We shall now proceed to the last sub-section we have to allude to among the Cetonia typica, that is, to those species which are generally of a green colour, and are marked with white or yellow lines. Dr. Smith has brought the following:- ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. 51 Sp. 54. (Cetoninus) Cetonia semipunctata, Fab. Cetonia semipunctata, G. P. p. 233. tab. 44. fig. 3. Cetonia Stephensii, Zool. Journ. vol. 2. p. 513. tab. 19. fig. 2. Sp. 55. (Cetoninus) Cetonia chalca, Herbst. Cetonia chalca, G. P. p. 235. tab. 44. fig. 5. Sp. 56. (Cetoninus) Cetonia aulica, Oliv. Cetonia aulica, G. P. p. 236. tab. 44. fig. 6. Note. This species varies in the number of white spots on the elytra, but may always be known by three that are placed in a transverse oblique line on each elytron, and by the two large triangular white spots on the anal plate. Sp. 57. (Cetoninus) Cetonia nympha, n. s. DESCR. Cetonia viridis, nitida, capite quadrato vix emarginato, vertice ad oculos albo-bimaculato, prothoracis punctati margine laterali, elytrorum vix striato-punctatorum maculâ humerali longitudinali, aliis quinque marginalibus duabusque discalibus albis, elytris apice triangulari depresso, scapulis maculâ albâ, ano maculis duabus emarginatis albis, corpore subtùs piloso, prothorace mesothorace et metathorace subtus albo-bimaculatis, mesosterno viridi, abdominis segmento ultimo bimaculato tribusque penultimis quadrimaculatis maculis albis, pedibus viridibus. Long. 102 lines. Sp. 58. (Cetoninus) Cetonia fascicularis, Linn. Cetonia fascicularis, G. P. p. 255. tab. 48. fig. 6. NOTE. We thus return to Cetonia pubescens, and those other species having the elytra, or at least the body covered with hair, and which form that section of the sub-genus Cetonia which I have termed Trichioidece. Thus, therefore, the circle composed of the five sections of Cetonia is complete. 94. We have now gone through a complete revision of all the sub-genera composing the family of Cetoniide, and which are as follow; the sub-genera, in italics, being those by which the passage is made from one genus to the other. 1 TRICHINUS. 2 CETONINUS. 3 GYMNETINUS. 4 MACROMINUS. 5 CRYPTODINUS. 1 Osmoderma. 2 Valgus. 3 Trichius. 4 Campulipus. 5 Platygenia. 1 Schizorhina. 2 Coryphe. 3 Goliathus. 4 Ischnostoma. 5 Cetonia. 1 Lomaptera. 2 Agestrata. 3 Philistina. 4 Macronota. 5 Gymnetis. 1 Oplostomus. 2 Anoplocheilus. 3 Diplognatha. 4 Gnathocera. 5 Macroma. 1 Genuchus. 2 Cyclidius. 3 Cremastocheilus. 4 Cryptodus. 5 Cymophorus. a Were nature to set before our eyes every one of these groupes in a state as complete, for instance, as is that section of Cetonia which I have called Typica, we should, of course, have of the Cetoniide 125 sections and 625 sub-sections, &c. &c. But this is not the case ; since, from some unexplained cause, each groupe of the same rank contains a different number of species, and thus throughout the creation we see certain parts of the chain comparatively complete in all their links, and others again offering nothing but objects which appear to the superficial observer at first sight to be insulated, and, in fact, require deep study on the part of the naturalist before he is enabled to make out their accurate affinities. It is needless to repeat that I, as well as others before me, have imagined the cause of this insulation of particular objects to arise from the connecting species having been either lost or undiscovered. 95. The conclusion to which we tend by such an analysis as the foregoing, is, that the lowest 2 52 ON THE CETONIIDÆ OF SOUTH AFRICA. groupe in which species combine will be found, provided all the species are known, to return into itself, so as to form, as it were, a circle ; and if we could suppose no species to be lost or to remain undiscovered, we should further find five of these lowest groupes to form another circle, and five of these last circular groupes to form another, and so on until we arrived at that grand circular groupe which is called the Animal Kingdom. But setting aside this theoretical use of the foregoing analysis, the practical entomologist will soon discover that in no other way have we ever had the singularly complicated relations, that exist between the different species of the natural family of Cetoniide, so well represented. It must not be supposed, however, that I offer this essay as perfect and complete, or that I absurdly pretend, as some have most unjustly laid to my charge, to have positively arrived at the Natural System. I merely publish this paper on Cetoniide, as another, and perhaps closer approximation to that Divine plan, which, every hour I have devoted to nature, whether in tropical forests or in the museums of Europe, has shewn to be the branch of natural history most worthy of being studied by rational beings. But the truth is, that this Divine plan is not one particular branch of natural history, but the study of it necessarily includes the knowledge of every branch. It is the whole, of which each branch of natural history is but a part, and which I shall ever regard with gratitude, as having been the source of many moments of the purest pleasure while my residence was in an unhealthy climate. ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPOD CRUSTACEA. BROUGHT FROM THE CAPE BY DR. SMITH. . The most interesting observations on Crustaceous animals which have of late years been given to the public are those of Dr. Vaughan Thompson, relating to their metamorphosis. It had been long recorded that many Entomostraca undergo metamorphosis; but no naturalist before Thompson ever ventured to affirm that crabs, lobsters, and the higher Crustacea generally, pass through certain changes of form after leaving the egg. It is true, that in conse- quence of the publications of Professor Rathke, some persons disputed the truth of Dr. Thompson's assertions; but so far as my own observations allowed me to form an opinion on the subject, I was ever inclined to think that this gentleman merited well of science, which is far more than could be said of any of those persons who by crude inferences, but never by direct obser- vation, ventured to attack him.* I have never myself lived sufficiently near the sea-side to enable me conveniently to repeat Dr. Thompson's experiments ; but looking merely to what I have seen with my own eyes, I think it will eventually be found that the Ptilota of Aristotle may be characterized by their change of form taking place during their last two or three stages of ecdysis; while the metamorphosis of all other Annulosa only occurs during the first or second moult after leaving the egg. When I come to treat of the Macrourous Decapods, I shall return to this subject. At present my attention must be more particularly confined to the classification of the Brachyura, as being the best known groupe of all Crustacea. M. Latreille and Dr. Leach left systems behind them for the arrangement of Crustacea, which were professedly artificial, although the former naturalist made several praiseworthy attempts to arrange these animals naturally. Since the death of these eminent naturalists, two authors have appeared with higher pretensions to acquaintance with the class. The first of these, M. Milne Edwards, having previously made some ingenious observations on the economy and internal anatomy of Crustacea, has lately, in the “ Suites de Buffon,” produced a classification, of which I can only say, that it makes an approach to be a rare exception to the well-known fact, that professed comparative anatomists are the persons, of all others, who in general are the most incapable of using their own observations for purposes of natural arrangement. And indeed this very arrangement of Edwards is not natural, since he unfortu- nately conceives that every groupe he can invent, provided he can furnish it with a character, must be therefore a good one. As, on the contrary, the true definition of a complete natural groupe is, that it must be a series returning into itself, many of the groupes of Milne Edwards, when weighed by this scale, will be found wanting. For instance, of his four grand groupes, Oxyrhynques, Cyclometopes, Catomètopes, and Oxystomes, perhaps only his Cyclomètopes form a * The credit of confirming Thompson's observations belongs to my friend Captain Ducane, R. N., who has made at Southampton most interesting observations on the Metamorphosis of Crustacea, which I trust he will soon give to the Public. a 54 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. a complete natural groupe. Still the “ Histoire Naturelle des Crustacés” is a book full of facts, which ought to be in the hands of every carcinologist. The second naturalist, above alluded to, is Professor Dehaan of Leyden. He has treated the subject in another manner, and deserves to be considered of a more philosophic stamp. What he has published on Crustacea in the Fauna Japonica is a magnificent tribute to science. Milne Edwards rarely takes notice of any of the maxillæ, except the external or fifth pair; and if any objection can be made to Dehaan's arrangement, it is that he likewise is not sufficiently eclectic, and appears to make too much use of the organs of manducation. Nevertheless, as he rigorously follows the mode in which these organs vary, and not that by which they might arbitrarily be combined, it is satisfactory to find that the result, generally arrived at, very nearly approaches to the plan of nature. Nothing further has been published on Crustacea of late years, unless we except some interest- ing descriptions of new species by MM. Say, Guerin, Bell and others. As for M. Dehaan's system, it is not completely worked out; so that I am obliged to offer the following arrange- ment, provisionally, as being that by which I have been able to express the affinities which exist among the Decapods of my own collection. It will at least serve to unite all those rela- tions, whether of affinity or analogy, which have been recorded by Latreille, Milne Edwards, and Dehaan, and will prove that, by means of a moderate exercise of patience, order may some- times be made to arise out of an apparent chaos. 1. The modern art of describing is too often insufferably long, while human life remains short as ever. I shall endeavour, therefore, as in the former paper, to condense my descriptions as much as possible. Order DECAPODA, Lat. Tribes. Oral orifice broad in front. The afferent canals of the branchial cavity opening behind the mouth. Epistome distinct. Normal Groupe. 1 TETRAGONOSTOMA. BRACHYURA, Lat. Abdomen having no appen- dages attached to the pen- ultimate segment. Internal 2 TRIGONOSTOMA. antennæ lodged in fossulæ. Oral orifice triangular and narrow in front. The afferent canals of the branchial cavity opening in front of the mouth. Epistome in general rudimentary. Aberrant Groupe. 3 ANOMURA, M.E. 4 SAROBRANCHIA. MACROURA, Lat. Abdomen having appendages attached to the penultimate segment. No fossulæ for the reception of the in- ternal antennæ. Abdomen not furnished with false natatory feet. Abdo- minal appendages not forming a natatorial tail. Bran- chiæ lamellate. Peduncle of external antennæ not covered by any moveable scale. (Abdomen furnished with false natatory feet. Abdominal appendages forming a natatorial tail. Branchiæ peni- cilliform. Peduncle of external antenne with its scale null or rudimentary. Abdomen furnished with false natatory feet. Abdominal appendages forming a natatory tail. Branchiæ lamel- late. Peduncle of external antennæ covered by a large moveable scale. 5 CARIDEA, Lat. 2. It is only with the normal groupe that we for the present have to concern ourselves. I shall therefore proceed provisionally to arrange the Brachyura into Stirpes, merely observing, that in ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 55 a the following descriptions I shall rarely allude to colour, since experience has taught me that in this respect dried specimens of Crustacea are not to be trusted. I would also observe, that as the groupes of degree next inferior to families—namely, genera—have never been worked out in this class, I have for the present considered almost all the various groupes under families to be sub- genera, although some of them, such as Plagusia, may possibly be a true genus, and others again may prove to be only sections of some sub-genus. I do not think that our collections, as yet, possess a sufficient quantity of species to allow us to decide what are the genera and what are the sub-genera of Decapod Crustacea. Professor Dehaan, however, has offered some valuable hints on the subject, and to those I refer the reader. We appear to enter among the Brachyura by the genus Mycteris, and to leave it by means of the genus Ranina. There are ten Brachyurous stirpes, which may be placed in two columns, so as to shew those analogies which by Milne Edwards and others have too often been taken for affinities. TETRAGONOSTOMA. Analogies. TRIGONOSTOMA. Mycteris ..PINNOTHERINA. GRAPSINA. CANCRINA. PARTHENOPINA. INACHINA. Shell orbicular. Shell quadrilateral. Shell arcuated with feet often natatory. Shell uneven with crested feet. Shell sub-triangular and generally spined. DROMIINA-Ranina. DORIPPINA. CORYSTINA. CALAPPINA. LEUCOSINA. а. 3. The analogy between certain Inachina, such as Acanthonyx, and certain Leucosina, such as Nursia, is so great as to have induced M. Latreille to imagine that a direct affinity existed between the two groupes. In general, the above analogies appear reversed; but the Tetra- gonostomous stirpes may be characterized as follows:- TRIBE TETRAGONOSTOMA. Stirpes. Normal Groupe. 1 INACHINA. Triangular Crabs. OXYRHYNCHA, M. E. Epistome very large. Cly- peus generally advanced in front. 2 PARTHENOPINA. Rocky Crabs. 3 CANCRINA. Arched Crabs. First joint of external antennæ very large, forming the greater part of the lower side of the orbit, and always soldered to the clypeus. First joint of external antennæ small, not soldered to the clypeus and not aiding to form the lower side of the orbit of the eye. Tigellus of external pedipalps always inserted at the inner angle of their third joint. The scapes of the palpi unidentated on the inside. Shell arched in front. Tigellus of external pedipalps inserted at the outer angle, or at the middle of the third joint. The scapes of palpi not dentated. Shell quadrilateral. Tigellus of external pedipalps always inserted at the sum- mit, or at the outer angle of their third joint. The scapes of the palpi not dentated. Shell orbicular. Aberrant Groupe. BRACHYRHYNCHA. 4 GRAPSINA. Square Crabs. Epistome short. Clypeus rarely advanced in front. 5 PINNOTHERINA. Parasitical Crabs. 4. By Eurynome we pass from the Inachina to the Parthenopina; by means of Æthra we pass from the Parthenopina to the Cancrina ; from these to the Grapsina by Thelphusa; from the Grapsina to the Pinnotherina by means of Doto; and from the Pinnotherina we return to the Inachina by means of Elamene. The following appear to be the families of Ina- 56 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. china, which, as well as the Parthenopina, have the genital organs of the male hollowed out in the first joint of the hind feet. Stirps INACHINA, or TRIANGULAR CRABS. Families. Tigellus of external pedipalps inserted at the outer angle of Normal Groupe. (1 INACHIDÆ, M'L. their third joint. MACROPODIÆ, M. E. Tigellus of external pedipalps inserted at the inner angle of 2 EURYPODIDÆ, M‘L. Feet long and slender. their third joint. (3 EPIALTIDÆ, M'L. Eyes not concealable ; no orbitary groove. Aberrant Groupe. Eyes concealable in an orbitary groove. Clypeus bifur- 4 MITHRACIDÆ, M‘L. MAIÆ, M. E. cate in the middle. Feet of the ordinary size. S Eyes concealable in an orbitary groove. Clypeus pointed 5 HUENIDÆ, MʻL. in the middle. 5. Of the two first families I have no species from the Cape to describe. I proceed therefore to the third Fam. EPIALTIDÆ, Mihi. a Sub-genus. ANTILIBINIA, MʻL. Cephalothorax short, convex, pear-shaped, as broad almost as long, with the sides dentated in front, and the clypeus short, triangular, with a bidentated apex, having a smaller tooth on each side. Orbit without any distinct fossula. Eyes minute, somewhat prominent, but scarcely moveable, and having a very short peduncle. Exterior antenne longer than the clypeus, with their first joint reaching its middle, and being three-sided at the apex, while the second and third joints are cylindrical, and the rest are short and setaceous. Internal antenne inserted at the base of the rostrum, and having their basilar joint obconical and rather three-sided, while their second joint is shorter and cylindrical. External pedipalpi, or fifth pair of maxillæ, with their outer palpus semifusiform, and the inner palpus having the second joint elongated with parallel sides, the third joint subquadrate, and the tigellus very small, inserted at its inner angle. Feet, first pair twice as long as body, with the chelæ thick, having subacute digits, which are serrulated on the inside. The hinder pairs of feet are more slender. Abdomen wanting in my specimen, which is a male. This groupe I have called Antilibinia, because it is in the family Epialtide exactly what Libinia is in the family Mithracida. It is only analogous to Libinia, for it has no grooves or orbit for the concealment of the eyes, which besides are neither moveable nor retractile. Libinia is a groupe peculiar to the New World; but whether it and Antilibinia are sub-genera, or only sections of sub-genera, remains to be proved. ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 57 Sp. 1. (-) Antilibinia Smithii, n. s. - DESCR. Antilibinia testa margine laterali anticè tridentato, clypeo bifurcato cornubus intùs pilosis. Note. The shell of this species is without hairs, almost circular, and has the regions in general distinct. The clypeus is bifurcated with a tooth on each side of the base. The anterior lateral margin of the shell has three teeth, of which the foremost is situated behind the eyes; the second or middle tooth is the greatest, and directed forwards, while the last is little more than a tubercle. The digestive region has an eminence marked on each side. The branchial region has five or more tubercles on each side. The cardial region has a tubercle in the middle behind, and on each side of it there is an oblique portion of the shell scabrose. The horns of the clypeus are pilose on the inside. The digits of the chelæ have seven or more teeth on the inside. The four pair of hind feet have their third joints thick, and are armed with long curved claws. This crab resembles the Libinia spinosa of Milne Edwards so closely, that at first sight it might be taken for it. а. Sub-genus. ACANTHONYX, Lat. Sp. 2. (-) Acanthonyx dentatus, M. E. Acanthonyx dentatus, Hist. Nat. des Crust. vol. i. p. 343. Sp. 3. (-) Acanthonyx scutellatus, n. 8. , DESCR. Acanthonyx fere duplo longior quam latus, orbitæ angulo externo unidentato, clypeo ad basin tuberculis duobus setiferis suprà instructo, testæ margine laterali bidentato dente posteriori minimo apice subsetifero. Note. The shell of this fine species, which is more than an inch long, is shaped like an heraldic shield. It is depressed. The two horns of the clypeus are pilose at their apex, and have two setiferous tubercles at their base. On each side of these horns, and at the external angle of the orbits, there is a triangular tooth also pilose at the apex. The anterior lateral margins of the shell are bidentated. The fore teeth on each side are large, triangular, and blunt. From their points the sides of the carapace proceed towards the posterior margin, nearly parallel to each other, until they arrive at the second tooth, which is rudimentary, and reduced to a setiferous tubercle. The posterior margin of the thorax is rounded. Fam. MITHRACIDÆ, Mihi. Sub-genus. DEHAANIUS, MʻL. Cephalothorax subtriangular, with the lateral margins in front dentated, and behind rounded ; the clypeus being quadridentate. Orbit simple, with globose moveable eyes, thicker than their peduncles. Exterior antenna with the basilar joint broad at the base, then narrower and reaching the middle of the clypeus; while the second joint is shorter and obconical. Internal antenna with the basilar joint subcylindrical, and the second subtriangular. External pedipalpi with the outer palpus falciform, and the inner palpus having its second joint with subparallel sides, the third joint sub-quadrate, emarginate at the apex, with the tigellus conspicuous, inserted at its inner angle. I 58 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. Feet, first pair thicker than the rest, and having the digits serrulated on the inside ; the second pair longer than the first, and, as well as the three posterior pair, it is furnished with a subcheliform penultimate joint, which is truncated at the apex, and unidentated. Abdomen of male has seven segments. This groupe is in the family Mithracide exactly what Acanthonyx is in the family Epial- tida. Both are analogous groupes in contiguous families; but whether they ought to be con- sidered as sub-genera, or only sections of sub-genera, remains yet to be discovered. Sp. 4. (- ) Dehaanius acanthopus, n. 8. DESCR. Dehaanius testâ glabrâ, margine laterali anticè tridentato, dente medio majore, clypeo fossulâ inter dentes duos medios majores longitudinali. Note. Carapace pyriform and without hair, having the digestive, cardiac, and branchial regions distinct. Anterior lateral margin tridentate, the middle tooth being much the largest. Clypeus short, with four triangular divergent teeth, the two in the middle being the largest and farthest advanced. From the middle bifurcation of the clypeus there is a deep groove continued about half its length backwards. The feet are without hairs. The chelæ of fore- feet are thick, and serrulated on the inside. The other four pair of feet have thick knees, and subcheliform claws. The only specimen brought home by Dr. Smith has lost of the external antennæ all but the two first joints. Sub-genus. MITHRAX, Leach. Sp. 5. (- Mithrax quadridentatus, n. 8. DESCR. Mithrax cornubus rostri divergentibus ad apicem arcuatis, extus bidentatis dente apicali multo majore; testâ triangulari supra granulosâ, haud spinosâ, marginibus lateralibus anticis quinquidentatis. NOTE. Carapace and feet exactly like those of Mithrax dichotomus, Lat., to which this species comes exceedingly close. The anterior lateral edges of the shell are armed on each side, as in M. dichotomus, with seven spiniform teeth; but the hinder two of these teeth are evanescent, and are placed more on the back. There are, moreover, no points on the hinder edge of the carapace, as in M. dichotomus. The eyes are globular, and larger than the base of the pedicles. The antennary fossa has no tubercle at the posterior edge. The anterior feet are long, having the third and fourth joints covered with short spines : the fifth joint or hand is slender and smooth, as is also the moveable finger without teeth. The other feet have no tooth at the extremity of the third joint. The size is 1} inch. 6. By means of Eurynome we proceed to the PARTHENOPINA ; but of this groupe no species has been brought from the Cape; so we avail ourselves of Cryptopoda to pass on to Æthra, the Cancrina, of which the families appear to be as follow. All these families are distinguished by having the scapes of the palpi of the fifth maxillæ unidentated on the outside ; and their males have the genital orifices hollowed out in the first joints of the hind feet. : and so among ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 59 Stirps. CANCRINA, or ARCHED CRABS. Families, (1 XANTHIDÆ, M'L. Aberrant Groupe. ſouter lacinia of third maxillæ dilated at the apex. Shell arched in front. Souter lacinia of third maxillæ narrow at the apex. Shell arched in front. 2 CANCRIDÆ, MʻL. CANCERIÆ, M. E. Hind feet with claws. Body thick. 3 ERIPHIDÆ, M'L. Outer lacinia of third maxilla narrow at the apex. Shell quadrilateral, or at least but little arched in front. Normal Groupe. 4 PORTUNIDÆ, M'L. PORTUNIÆ, M. E. Hind feet dilated, and formed for swimming. Body de- 5 CARCINIDÆ, Leach. pressed. ſouter lacinia of third maxille with the inner apex emar- ginate. Last joint of hind feet more or less round. Outer lacinia of third maxillæ with the inner apex entire. Last joint of the hind feet more or less acuminate at the apex. I proceed to enumerate the following Cape species, which belong to this Stirps :- Fam. XANTHIDÆ, Mihi. a Sub-genus. ATERGATIS, Dehaan. Sp. 6. (-) Atergatis compressipes, n. s. DESCR. Atergatis testá rubrâ lævi fulvo-maculatâ clypeo vix quadrilobo ; chelis intus com- pressis, digitis suprà carinatis extus lineis elevatis duabus instructis, pedibus brevibus latis compressis fulvô-maculatis. Note. The shell of this crab is about two inches long, and about twice as wide as long, of an oval form, very convex, and having only the branchial regions distinctly marked. The surface is quite smooth, of a dirty orange hue, marked with brick-red spots. Of these, one large spot, of an irregular form, reaches over the genital region almost the whole width of the shell. Another smaller spot marks the cardiac region, and the remainder of the shell is covered with small round spots of the same hue, which are also found on the feet. The seven-jointed abdomen of the female is also marked with small fulvous spots. The margin of the clypeus is sinuated so as almost to show four rudimentary lobes. The chelæ at their points are blackish ; on the fixed joint there are two elevated lines on the out- side. The other feet are very much compressed and dilated. In other respects the characters are those common to all the species of the groupe named Atergatis by Professor Dehaan. This species is two inches long. Sub-genus. CHLORODIUS, Leach. Sp. 7. (- ) Chlorodius perlatus, n. s. DESCR. Chlorodius testâ rugis divisâ, suprà granulosâ granulis albis, marginibus lateralibus , anticis quadrilobis ; clypeo quadrilobo manibus pedibusque crassis rugosis verrucosis, chelis apice translucentibus, pedibus brevissimis. NOTE. This species comes very near the Chlorodius areolatus of Milne Edwards, but may be I 2 60 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. distinguished from it by the anterior lateral margin being in this crab scolloped, instead of having four triangular teeth. The whole of the feet also are granulose, which is not the case in C. areolatus. The length is about eight lines. This is not the Chlorodius of Dehaan. Sub-genus. HALIMEDE, Dehaan. Sp. 8. ( ) Halimede pisifer, n. 8. DESCR. Halimede testâ villosâ antice tuberculatâ postice scabrosâ, clypeo subacuminato, manibus pedibusque infrà glaberrimis lævissimis, hirsutie tuberculisque pisiformibus extus opertis, chelis nigris. Note. This species is only seven lines long. The thorax is convex in the middle, having the anterior lateral margins scolloped by four blunt tubercles. The front is sub-acuminate, with the apex crenated. The chelæ are unequal in size, but both large. The abdomen is covered with hairs, except the last joint. This species has affinity to the Polydectus cupulifer of Milne Edwards, agreeing with it, in having three great tubercles surrounding each orbit, one occupying its external angle, and the two others the lower edge of the orbit. 7. Of the family CANCRIDÆ we have no species; we pass on therefore to the following- Fam. ERIPHIDÆ, Mihi. Sub-genus. ERIPHIA, Lat. Sp. 9. (- ) Eriphia Smithii, n. S. DESCR. Eriphia testâ posticè albopunctatâ regionibus distinctis, lateribus antice tuberculatis, clypeo haud spinoso, lobis duobus mediis quinque-tuberculatis, manibus tuberculosis chelis concoloribus, pedibus hispidis. Note. This species of Eriphia has its carapace well marked by the regions. The whole of it towards the margin, except behind, is covered with tubercles; the rest of the surface is granu- lose. The lateral margin is strongly tuberculated, and the two last tubercles behind the orbits are almost spines. The margin of the orbit is tuberculated. The margin of the two middle lobes of the four-lobed clypeus has five tubercles for each. The fore-feet are one larger than the other. The larger being marked above by tubercles sparingly scattered, and the smaller being strongly verrucose above and below. The chelæ of the former has strong teeth ; those of the latter have scarcely any, and cross each other. The feet are spotted with white above, are hispid, but have no tubercles. The length is more than two inches. The abdomen of the male is seven-jointed. Sp. 10. (- ) Eriphia Fordii, n. s. Descr. Eriphia testâ postice fulvomaculatâ regionibus distinctis, lateribus anticè sub-sexspinosis, clypeo haud spinoso, lobis duobus mediis 6-tuberculatis, manibus lævibus chelis nigris, pedibus hispidis. Note. This species also, like the Eriphie in general, has the regions well marked out. The fore margin of the carapace is tubercled, but not so much so as in the Eriphia Smithii. The rest of the surface is very finely granulose. The lateral margin has six distinct teeth or spines ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 61 before, and some minute tubercles behind. The margin of the orbit is also tuberculated, four of the tubercles becoming almost teeth. The margin of the two middle lobes of the four-lobed clypeus has six tubercles for each. The fore-feet are one larger than the other. Both are almost smooth, although the smaller presents some vestiges of tubercles. The digits of the chelæ are black; those of the larger hand have three teeth above and below; those of the lesser hand being almost without teeth. The feet are without spots or tubercles, but are very hispid. The length is two inches. The abdomen of the female has seven joints. The two foregoing species of Eriphia both come close to their congeners, the Gegarcinus hirtipes of Lamarck, and the Eriphia lævimana of Milne Edwards. But these last species are natives of the Isle of France. Sub-genus. CURTONOTUS, Dehaan. Sp. 11. (-) Curtonotus vestitus, Dehaan. , Curtonotus vestitus, Faun. Jap. tab. 5. fig. 3. This last groupe appears to be the same as that which is named Pseudorhombida by Milne Edwards. Fam. PORTUNIDÆ, Mihi. Sub-genus. ACHELOUS, Dehaan. Sp. 12. (-) Achelous crassimanus, n. 8. DESCR. Achelous testâ glabrâ regionibus distinctis lateribus antice dentatis, clypeo sexdentato, orbitis subtus unidentatis, manibus articulo tertio intus tridentato extus bidentato, quarto supra ad apicem bidentato adque basin unidentato. a NOTE. This large crab has a shell which is about five inches long by seven wide. The teeth of the cephalothorax are triangular, sharp, and nearly equal. The fore feet are nearly equal in size. The abdomen of male has seven joints. It has been only known, as yet, to occur in deep holes, which it makes in the mud islands near the mouth of the Zwartkops River,-islands that are only visible at low water. Sub-genus. CHARYBDIS, Dehaan. Sp. 13. () Charybdis Smithii, n. s. DESCR. Charybdis testâ glabrâ, regionibus indistinctis, lateribus anticè sexdentatis, clypeo 8-dentato, orbitis haud dentatis, manibus articulo secundo intus tridentato, quarto suprà bidentato intus et extus lineis tribus granulatis longitudinaliter carinato, digitis sulcatis. Note. Although I have here placed Charybdis as a sub-genus, I suspect that when the family Portunide is worked out, it will be found that the Charybdis of Dehaan is only a section of some sub-genus of the genus Portuninus. M. Dehaan is here splitting very fine ; for between the groupes named by him Oceanus, Charybdis, and Thalamita, the differences are very minute. Our crab comes between Oceanus crucifer of Dehaan and his Charybdis 6-dentatus. The cephalothorax has no transverse granulated lines like the latter, nor are the teeth of the clypeus blunt like those of Oceanus crucifer. The six teeth of the anterior lateral margin are 62 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. equal, the tooth nearest the eye being sharp. So are the teeth of the clypeus, and the four middle of these teeth are scarcely separated from the lateral ones by a deeper incision. The fore-feet are equal in size, having two apical teeth on the upper margin of the fourth joint. The length is about two inches. The abdomen of the female has six joints. C Fam. CARCINIDÆ, Leach. Sub-genus. ANISOPUS, Dehaan. Sp. 14. (-) Anisopus trimaculatus, Dehaan. Anisopus 3-maculatus, Faun. Jap. p. 13. Platyonychus bipustulatus, M. E. Hist. Nat. des Crust. vol. i. p. 437. tab. 17. fig. 7. 10. Note. This crab has a strong relation to the Corystide, which Professor Dehaan has pointed out with his usual acumen. By Anisopus, in fact, we pass off to the Corystina among the Trigonostomous Brachyura. a Sub-genus. Xalva, MʻL. Cephalothorax rather depressed, as broad as long, but narrower behind, being broadest in the middle, and having the sides in front arched with a five-toothed margin; the tooth behind the eyes being broad and truncated. The sides behind are entire, rather concave, and with a margin. The shell behind is also entire and margined. The clypeus is triangular, advanced with an acute point, and having the sides undated, while it is furnished above on each side at its base with an orbital tooth. Orbit with two teeth below, the outer one of which is triangular, and larger than the other. External antenne inserted within the orbit, and having their basilar joint short and sub- triangular. External pedipalpi, with the second joint, almost twice as long as the third, which is sub- quadrate, carinated at the base, with the point obliquely truncated, acuminated on the outside ; the inner margin having a piece cut out, as it were, above its middle. Feet, first pair with the chelæ bicarinated above; second, third, and fourth pair with slender nails, while the hind pair has the nails or ungues dilated and pointed as in the genus Carcinus. Abdomen of male has seven segments; but the third, fourth, and fifth appear soldered together. Xaiva is the Spanish name for all crabs which have the posterior feet natatory. This will be seen on referring to the curious work of Parra on the natural history of the Gulf of Mexico. The present sub-genus comes close to Carcinus of Leach ; but is easily distinguished by the third joint of the external pedipalpi. Sp. 15. (-) Xaiva pulchella, n. 8. Descr. Xaiva testâ margine anteriore subreflexo, tuberculis quatuor in regione stomachali, lineâ utrinque elevatâ in tuberculum lateralem desinente, chelis suprà bicarinatis et extus tricarinatis. Note. The stomachal region in this pretty little crab is marked by four tubercles, which are situated on an elevated ridge, stretching on each side towards a lateral tubercle, which is almost on the middle tooth of the anterior lateral margin of the shell. The genital region is marked by ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 63 two minute tubercles at the base of a longitudinal carina. An irregular transverse carina stretches out on each side from the last lateral marginal tooth towards the middle of the shell, marking out the upper limit of the branchial region. The chelæ are marked above with five keels on the fixed digit, and three or four longitudinal furrows on the middle finger. The second, third, and fourth pair of feet, are compressed, having their third and fourth joints bicarinated, and their ungues furrowed. The fifth pair of feet are less bicarinated, and the last joint or claw is like the posterior claw of Carcinus menas, Leach, only more broad. The length is less than an inch. 8. We now return to the aberrant family Eriphide, by means of which we pass to Thelphusa among the Grapsina. It becomes therefore necessary to point out the families of a stirps which is very common in warm climates, and the study of whose manners afforded me much amusement whilst I resided in the West Indies. Dr. Milne Edwards calls them Catamètopes, and says that some of them are " complètement terrestres.” This is an error, however; for all “ these crabs must lay their eggs in water, must pass their infant state in water, and must, during their future life, return periodically to the vicinity of water. The land-crab par excel- lence, Gegarcinus ruricola, Lat., in this respect, does not differ in economy from other Brachyurous Decapods, nor does it retire many leagues from the sea. In our small West India islands it may be found all over them ; but in Cuba it has its limits, which are confined to a certain distance from the shore. Stirps. GRAPSINA, or SQUARE CRABS. Families. (1 THELPHUSIDÆ, M. E. Fresh Water Crabs. Aberrant Groupe. Tigellus of external pedipalps never inserted at the mid- dle of the apex of third joint. 2 GONOPLACIDÆ, M. E. Deep Shore Crabs. Ocular peduncles short. Tigellus of external pedipalps never inserted at the outer angle of third joint. Scape of the palpi unidentated on the inside. Ocular peduncles long. Tigellus of external pedipalps in- serted at the inner angle of third joint. Scape of the palpi unidentated on the inside. (Ocular peduncles long. Tigellus of external pedipalps al- ways inserted at the outer angle of third joint. Scape of the palpi not dentated. 3 OCYPODIDÆ, Leach. Low Shore Crabs. Shell depressed, and the whole structure such as to render these crabs unable to retire far from the sea. Normal Groupe. 4 GRAPSIDÆ, M. E. Salt Water Crabs. GRAPSI, Dehaan. Tigellus of external pedipalps inserted at the middle of the apex of third joint. 5 GEGARCINIDÆ, M. E. True Land Crabs. Palpi never dentated. Shell convex in order to contain a certain quantity of water, enabling these crabs to travel great distances on land. 9. Dr. Smith has brought specimens of all the above families of Grapsina except of the Gegarcinide. The first family Thelphuside has the genital organs of the male placed nearly as in the last stirps Cancrina, with which it is osculant. But the other families of Grapsina have the genital orifices of the male placed in a transverse groove hollowed out on the Both the Thelphusida and Gonoplacide being aberrant families, agree with the Cancrina in having the scape of their palpi unidentated on the inside. sternum. 64 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. . Fam. THELPHUSIDÆ, M. E. Sub-genus. TIELPHUSA, Lat. Sp. 16. (-) Thelphusa perlata, M. E. Thelphusa perlata, M. E. Hist. Nat. des Crust. vol. ii. p. 13. NOTE. This crab is common in all the rivers of southern Africa, and grows to the size of nearly three inches long. The male has a much more convex shell than the female, and in aspect resembles much a Gegarcinus. The pearly tubercles of the anterior margin of shell are also still more small and evanescent than in the female. I may take this occasion to observe, that in my cabinet I separate those species of Thelphusa, which, like the present, have a transversal crest in front of the shell, and call them Potamonautes. They are easily distinguished from true Thelphuse, of which the type is the European species Thelphusa fluviatilis. Fam. GONOPLACIDÆ, M. E. Sub-genus ? CLEISTOTOMA, Dehaan. Sp. 17. (-) Cleistotoma Edwardsii, n. s. DESCR. Cleistotoma oculis magnis, testâ lævi haud pilosâ lateribus integris nec granulosis nec postice divergentibus, manibus brevibus; pedum pari tertio longiori, femoribus infra lævibus. Note. This species comes very near to the Cleistotoma Leachii of Milne Edwards; but differs from it in the surface being altogether smooth. The length is four lines. Fam. OCYPODIDÆ, Leach. Sub-genus. OCYPODE, Fab. Sp. 18. (-) Ocypode cordimana, Lat. Ocypode cordimana, M. E. Hist. Nat. des Crust. vol. ii. p. 48. . NOTE. The Ocypode cordimana of Dehaan appears to be a very different species. Sub-genus. CERATOPHTHALMA, Dehaan. Sp. 19. (-) Ceratophthalma cursor, Herbst. Cancer cursor, Herbst. vol. i. tab. 1. fig. 8 and 9, Sub-genus. GELASIMUS, Lat. Sp. 20. (-) Gelasimus chlorophthalmus, M. E. Gelasimus chlorophthalmus, M. E. His. Nat. des Crust. vol. ii. p. 54. . ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 65 Fam. GRAPSIDÆ, M. E. Sub-genus ? GNATHOCHASMUS, MʻL. Cephalothorax sub-quadrate, with the back convex, and entire sides which are arched towards the eyes; the clypeus between the eyes is plane, entire, truncated and deflexed. Exterior Antenne produced as far as the middle between the eyes, and having the first joint transverse. External Pedipalpi very distant from each other; with the second joint very oblique at the base, at the point sinuated, and of the same length as the third joint, which is concave in the middle, and has a bearded crest continuous along its inner edge as far as the outer part of the base of the second joint. Feet; first pair with thick and equal chelæ. Abdomen in both sexes has seven segments. 10. Dehaan has noticed the affinity between the two groupes, which he names Chasmagnathus and Pachysoma. By them he passes from the family Ocypodide to the family Grapsida. The sub-genus or sub-section which I have just characterized under the name of Gnathochasmus comes exactly between Chasmagnathus and Pachysoma. It agrees with both in the remark- able elevated crest, which stretches down obliquely from the inner angle of the third joint of the external pedipalp to the outer angle of the base of its second joint. It has the thorax with arched sides, like those of Chasmagnathus; but then these sides are entire, like those of Pachysoma. I may here observe, that Dehaan's name Pachysoma ought to be changed, as it was assigned, long ago, by Mr. Kirby, to a division of the genus Scarabæus. See Horæ Entomologicæ, part 2, p. 507. Sp. 21. ( ) Gnathochasmus barbatus, n. s. DESCR. Gnathochasmus testâ lævi, utrinque ad oculos deflexâ regionibus sub-distinctis, lateribus clypeoque marginatis integris ; manibus laevibus glaberrimis crassis chelis sub-concoloribus latis convexis, pedibus lævibus sub-compressis nigro-punctatis tarsis sulcatis. Note. This crab is about an inch and a quarter long. Sub-genus. SESARMA, Say. SP. 22. (-) Sesarma reticulata, Say. Grapsus cinereus, Bosc. Hist. Nat. des Crust. vol. i. p. 204. tab. 6. fig. 1. Sesarma reticulata, Say, Trans. Acad. Phil. vol. i. p. 73. tab. 4. fig. 5. Note. It is singular that I can find no good character whereby to separate this Cape crab from the American species described by Bosc and Say. The latter, however, I only know from descrip- tion. It is six lines long, whereas the Cape crab is more than an inch. Both are distinguished from the Sesarma quadrata by their epistome being covered with granulations, so as to appear finely reticulated. I dare say if we could compare the two crabs together we should be able to discover a specific difference. The Cape crab has not the slightest vestige of granulation on the shell of the cephalothorax. I have found in Cuba the species of Sesarma to live generally under stones on the banks of the muddy mouths of rivers. Say's name, Sesarma, is adopted K 66 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. by me instead of Pachysoma. It distinguishes a groupe which is the most quadrilateral form of the family Grapside, and easily known from the true Grapsus by its sides deflexed verti- cally, being parallel to each other from the eyes. In the Cape species the clypeus has four lobes, the two middle ones being separated by a deep furrow. Sub-genus. PLAGUSIA, Lat. SP. 23. () Plagusia tomentosa, M.E. Plagusia tomentosa, M. E. Hist. Nat. des Crust. vol. ii. p. 92. Note. In the younger specimens of this species the feet are wholly tomentose; but in the more adult specimens we find the two ridges of the upper side of the second joints of the feet appear- ing white, from the tomentum being worn off. Sp. 24. (--) Plagusia spinosa, n. s. DESCR. Plagusia testâ subtomentosâ valde depressâ, longiore quam latâ, lateribus arcuatis anticè quadridentatis, clypeo medio angusto quadridentato dentibus mediis porrectioribus, clypei lateribus bidentatis, manibus brevissimis gracilibus, pedibus articulis secundis extus spinosis, pari secundo longiore. The length of this Plagusia is about three quarters of an inch. It comes very near to the Plagusia clavimana of Desmarest. Sub-genus. GONIOPSIS, Dehaan. Sp. 25. (--) Goniopsis strigosa, Herbst. . Cancer strigosus, Herbst. tab. 47. fig. 7. Sp. 26. (-) Goniopsis flavipes, n. s. :) DESCR. Goniopsis testâ glaberrimâ nitidâ nigrolividâ lateribus antice bidentatis, epistomate brevissimo cristâ utrinque transversâ tuberculatâ, manibus sanguineis bicarinatis, pedibus flavis nitidissimis. Note. This species is nearly three inches long, and very handsome. The manners of the vari- ous species of Goniopsis are very interesting. There are no crabs more active, more vigilant, or more beautiful. The type of this genus is the Grapsus ruricola of Degeer, a crab whose manners are detailed by me in the first volume of the Transactions of the Zoological Society. The name, Grapsus ruricola, Deg., was wrongly altered from my manuscript by some person who superintended the press during my absence at the Havana, and changed the name to Gegarcinus ruricola, Desm. The Grapsus ruricola, Deg., is the Grapsus cruentatus of Latreille, and the true Crabe des Paletuviers of French travellers, although Milne Edwards erroneously makes this to be the Goniopsis picta, a species which on the contrary is always found on reefs, and which is therefore by Parra called “ Cangrejo de Arrecife.” Sub-genus. NAUTILOGRAPSUS, M. E. Sp. 27. (-) Nautilograpsus major, n. s. - DESCR. Nautilograpsus testâ depressiusculâ longiore quam latâ, anticè lævi, lateribus posticè rugis transversis, margine antico pone oculos subemarginato, clypeo lato ultra laterum angulos porrecto. Note. This species is ten lines long by seven wide; whereas the true Nautilograpsus minutus, ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 67 the Cancer minutus of Fabricius, of which I have taken abundance in the Atlantic ocean, adhering to the gulf-weed, is only three lines long. SP. 28. (---) Nautilograpsus Smithii, n. s. DESCR. Nautilograpsus testà convexâ lævi, tam latâ quam longâ, margine laterali antico pone oculos vix emarginato, clypeo lato vix ultra laterum angulos porrecto. NOTE. This species is seven lines long, and as broad as long. I believe that many species of this sub-genus are confounded with the Cancer minutus of Fabricius. Nautilograpsus is an excellent groupe, which appears to have escaped the notice of M. Dehaan. It is in general found in the wide ocean, adhering to chelonian reptiles or masses of floating sea-weed. The feet therefore are almost natatorial. Grapsus pusillus of Dehaan appears to be a species of the sub-genus near to Nautilograpsus major above described. Sub-genus. GRAPSILLUS, MʻL. Cephalothorax heart-shaped, depressed, with the back plane and the sides arched, almost form- ing the quadrant of a circle; the clypeus is broad, truncated, and sinuated in front. Orbits placed at the fore angles of the shell, with great depressed eyes. Exterior Antenne placed without the orbit towards the middle of the clypeus. Internal Antenne rather thick. External Pedipalpi with the second and third joints quadrate, almost equal, the third being a little shorter; the third joint also has its inner apex rounded off, the tigellus is thick, and the outer palpus has its sides almost parallel. Feet; first pair almost twice as long as body with very large joints; the chelæ being without teeth and the other feet being short with hairy tarsi. Abdomen in males has five segments, in females it has six. 11. This groupe is very distinct from any described one with which I am acquainted. It approaches in many respects to Nautilograpsus, and appears to connect that groupe with Plagusia. It is remarkable for the large size of the fore feet. Sp. 29. ( -) Grapsillus subinteger, n. s. DESCR. Grapsillus testaceus ; thoracis lateribus versus medium vix emarginatis ; clypeo medio emarginato denteque utrinque ad oculos obtuso; manibus articulo secundo intus tridentato, chelis apice purpureis ad marginem unistriatis. Note. This species is about four lines long, and rather broader than long. Sp. 30. ( -) Grapsillus dentatus, n. 8. DESCR. Grapsillus rufo-testaceus; thoracis lateribus medio unidentatis, dente acuto ; clypeo medio sub-bilobo denteque distincto utrinque ad oculos obtuso; manibus articulo secundo intus septem-dentato, chelis apice sub-purpureis ad marginem unistriatis. Note. This species is about half an inch long, and about the same width. Sp. 31. (-) Grapsillus maculatus, n. 8. -. Descr. Grapsillus testaceus suprâ et infra rufo-maculatus maculis rotundis; thoracis lateribus medio unispinosis, spinâ brevi acutâ ; clypeo medio sub-bilobo utrinque ad oculos emarginato; K 2 68 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. manibus articulo secundo intus quinque-dentato, chelis apice concoloribus ad marginem haud striatis. NOTE. This beautiful little species is four lines long, by more than five broad. 12. The above great number of Grapside at the Cape shews that the carcinology of South Africa agrees with that of intratropical climates more than it does with that of the temperate zones in general. But we now proceed to the stirps Pinnotherina, and for that purpose we must return to the family Ocypodide. Milne Edwards has shewn that a small crab of the Red Sea, called by him Doto sulcatus, makes the passage from the Ocypodide to the Pinnotherina. Stirps. PINNOTHERINA, Dehaan, or PARASITICAL CRABS. 13. This stirps contains so few known species, that I shall not attempt its arrangement at present, more particularly as Dr. Smith has only brought home one species, which has long been known as a native of the Cape of Good Hope. M. Dehaan makes the distinguishing characteristic of this stirps, which he calls Pinnotheridea, to consist in the sixth joint of the fourth pair of maxillæ being inserted at the base of the fifth joint. The groupe consists of singular crabs, among which we find the last pair of feet to be sometimes evanescent, as in the genus Hexapus of Dehaan. Fam. HYMENOSOMIDÆ. Genus. HYMENOSOMA, Leach. Sub-genus. LEACHIUM, M. E. SP. 32. (Hymenosoma) Leachium orbiculare, Leach, MSS. Hymenosoma orbiculare, Desm. Cons. p. 163. tab. 26. fig. 1. NOTE. Milne Edwards has shewn that the Hymenosoma Leachii of Guerin belongs to another sub-genus. 14. Perhaps when the attention of collectors shall have been more directed to these small, though curious crabs, we may discover their natural arrangement. The difficulties pointed out by Milne Edwards, who complains that his genera are so distinct from each other, evidently pro- ceeds from almost every one of his genera belonging to a distinct family. Perhaps indeed, if we consider his arrangement in this light—in other words, that most of his genera represent fami- lies—the table he gives (vol. 2, p. 29) may not be found so far wrong. But however this may be, I shall now return to the stirps Cancrina and family Carcinida. From these we pass directly to the osculant stirps Corystina, belonging to the interesting tribe of Trigonostomous Brachyura, which may be displayed to view in the following manner :- ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 69 Tribe. TRIGONOSTOMA. Stirpes. (1 CORYSTINA. External antennæ long. Hind feet of the more usual struc- ture, and serving for locomotion. Oral orifice triangular. Aberrant Groupe. MACROCERA. External antennæ long, or at least conspicuous. 2 DORIPPINA. External antennæ long. Hind feet raised up over the back and serving for organs of prehension. Oral orifice triangular. External antenna moderate. Hind feet raised up over the back and serving for organs of prehension. Oral orifice not always triangular. (3 DROMIINA. Normal Groupe. 4 LEUCOSINA. BRACHYCERA. External antennæ more or less rudimentary and al- 5 CALAPPINA. ways inconspicuous. Anterior feet not elevated into a crest. No branchial afferent apertures in front of the fore feet. San Anterior feet compressed and elevated into a crest. Bran- chial afferent apertures in front of fore feet. 15. From the Corystina we pass to the Calappina, by means of Matuta. By Oreophorus we leave the Calappina for the Leucosina. The passage from the Leucosina to the Dromiina is not so clear; but these last are close to the Dorippina, which last again are approximated naturally to the Corystina. Still the tribe has never been worked out, and I think it more , than possible that the Dromiina which I have here considered to be an aberrant groupe of Trigonostomous Brachyura, will, in the end, be found to be an aberrant groupe of Anomurous Macroura. Nay, this last is the position assigned to it by Milne Edwards, and the arguments for such a location of Dromiina are their rudimentary abdominal appendages, and the oral orifice being rarely triangular. On the other hand, however, they differ from all Macroura in having fossulæ for the reception of their internal antenna. The question therefore of their true place can only be determined when the groupe shall have been worked out, which I fear cannot be done at present, on account of the paucity of species which are known to belong to this essentially tropical tribe. One thing, nevertheless, is established, namely, that the Dromiina are osculant, or, in other words, they stand on the limits of the Trigonostomous Brachyura and Anomurous Macroura. Into which of these circles the stirps truly enters, must be left for future investigation ; but I shall provisionally consider it as belonging to the Brachyura. As for the families of Trigonostomous Brachyura, I shall not at present attempt to indicate them, but proceed at once to characterize the sub-genera brought from the Cape, which are only three. Stirps.. CORYSTINA. Of the stirps Corystina we have no species from the Cape; but the following is very close to it, being aberrant in the next stirps. 70 ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. . Stirps. CALAPPINA. Fam. MATUTIDÆ. Genus. MATUTINUS. Sub-genus. MATUTA, Fab. Sp. 33. (Matutinus) Matuta Victor, Fab. Matuta victor, M. E. Hist. Nat. des Crust. vol. ii. p. 115. tab. 20. fig. 3 and 6. Note. I agree entirely with my lamented friend Dr. Leach in thinking, that there are many species confounded together under the name of Matuta victor. I do not consider the above names of the family and genus to possess any authority, and merely publish them in order that the reader may understand the relation which the sub-genus bears to the stirps Calappina. Stirps. LEUCOSINA. Here likewise I shall not pretend to characterize the families, or to describe the genera of a stirps in which so few species are as yet known; but shall merely content myself with the following description of the only sub-genus of the groupe which is known to be found at the Cape of Good Hope :- Sub-genus. LEUCISCA, MʻL. Body in front slender and compressed, but behind thick. Cephalothorax smooth, plane, depressed, sub-elliptical, broader than long, and having a thin reflexed margin; while the clypeus is advanced with a round sub-reflexed apex, which is scarcely emarginate. Orbits small, sub-circular, and hidden under the clypeus; while the eyes are deeply set, very minute and globose. Exterior Antenne very small and rather tri-articulate. Interior Antenna hidden under the clypeus in transverse reniform fossulæ. External Pedipalpi very large, and closing a triangular buccal cavity; their second joint is oblong, quadrate, and broader in front than the third, which is triangular, with a sharp point, while the external palpus is lunate. Feet; first, second, and third pairs have been lost in the only specimen before me; but the two remaining pair are short, and all are inserted under the margin of the cephalothorax. Abdomen of the female with four segments. The nearest crab to this is one from the Red Sea, which is described by Rüppell under the name of Oreophorus horridus. Both come near to Calappina. Sp. 34. (-) Leucisca squalina, n. s. DESCR. Leucisca alba, dorso medio convexiusculo, oculis glaucis, pedipalpis externis palpisque margine externo granulatis, pedibus articulo quarto extus sulcato, unguibus longis acutis. Note. The length of this curious little crab is only about three lines; and my specimen is much injured, having lost the chelæ, and several other of the feet. The abdomen also is in a damaged state. ON THE BRACHYUROUS DECAPODS OF THE CAPE. 71 Stirps. DROMIINA. Sub-genus. DROMIA, Fab. Milne Edwards has described the form of this sub-genus in one of its early stages of meta- morphosis, and has also very distinctly pointed out the various points in which the adult state of Dromia differs from that of the Brachyura in general. SP. 35. (–) Dromia hirtissima, Lam. Dromia hirtissima, Lam. Hist. Nat. des An. sans Vert. vol. v. p. 264. Sp. 36. (---) Dromia rotunda, n. s. DESCR. Dromia villosa, minime tuberculata, tam longa quam lata, globosa regione hepaticâ fos- sulâ obliquâ utrinque munitâ, lateribus anticis haud dentatis, clypeo antice bidentato. Note. This species comes very near one from the Red Sea, described by Rüppell under the name of Dromia unidentata; but the anterior sides of the shell have not an unidentated margin. The crab is all, except the tips of the fore feet, covered with a close, short, brown tomen- tum. The shell is round, with a convex globular back. Besides the two middle triangular teeth of the clypeus, there is a short blunt one above the inner side of the orbit, and vestiges of another blunt tooth above the outer side. The length is about sixteen lines. Dr. Smith has brought no species of the stirps Dorippina from the Cape. . ON A NEW SPECIES OF CERAPTERUS. а. The addition of a new species to so rare a genus as Cerapterus will confer entomological fame on Dr. Smith's expedition. The genus Cerapterus is so little understood by entomolo- gists, that ere I describe this new species I conceive myself called upon to make a few remarks on the groupe, particularly as those hitherto made have either been extremely inaccurate, or have been accompanied by bad figures. The genus Cerapterus was founded by Swederus fifty years ago, and the insects having immediate reference to it remain to this day of the utmost rarity; so much so, indeed, that I believe there is no specimen in any Continental Museum. There are only five specimens in England, and each of these belongs to a distinct species. Of these five specimens, three are in my collection, one in that of the East India Company, and one in that of Mr. John Curtis. Having the first four species now on the table before me, I consider myself enabled to distinguish the species accurately; and I shall take the opportunity of stating some interesting particulars observed by my brother, Mr. George MacLeay, in New South Wales, which agree with the observations made by M. Verreaux on the economy of the Pausside in general,- a family of which he has brought home a very extensive collection. Being in possession of a fine series of undescribed Pausside, and finding some very curious forms among them, I shall probably hereafter treat of the family at large in some other work. My object for the present must be confined to a satisfactory description of Dr. Smith's new species. I shall therefore in this place merely remark, that if we watch that chain of affinity which is most visible in the family of Pausside, some genera that are usually included in it will seem, so far as we are acquainted with the groupe, to be more properly excluded. For instance, beginning with the true genus Paussus, we pass, by an easy transition, to the groupe called Platyrhopalus by Mr. Westwood, and to that interesting insect Platyrhopalus Mellyi, which appears to be the type of a new sub-genus leading us on directly to Cerap- terus latipes of Swederus; and by the New Holland form of Cerapterus which I call Arthrop- terus, we pass to Pentaplatarthrus, from which we return to Paussus. Now, as this returning into itself is the essential characteristic of a natural groupe, it follows that the genus Hylo- torus of Dalman, as well as the Trochoideus of Westwood, are osculant groupes, leading off from the Pausside, since if inserted in the above circular series, they appear to interrupt it. If indeed Dalman's name Hylotorus be correctly applied, this insect cannot enter into the groupe of true Pausside, which, according to the observations of M. Verreaux, never attack wood. As to the genus Trochoideus, which, by the way, is strangely named; for the insects are as like to Hercules as to a wheel; it certainly leads off to the parasitical Myrmecoxenus of ON A NEW SPECIES OF CERAPTERUS. 73 Chevrolat, and other genera, such as Cryptophagus, of the groupe which I have called Necro- phaga. Mr. Westwood seems to have been the first to suspect the affinity of Cryptophagus to the Pausside, but he has not expressed himself very clearly on the subject. With respect to the true affinities of Hylotorus, having never seen the insect except as figured by Schönnherr in his appendix, I am unwilling to offer an opinion ; although, if Dalman's name has been given to the genus on account of its habits, I suspect that good reasons may hereafter be found for this last entomologist's assertion, that it bears some kind of relation to Platypus. One thing, however, is sure, namely, that the Paussidæ have a strong relation of analogy to the Pselaphida ; so strong indeed, that I at one time suspected immediate affinity. But I shall return to this subject anon. I have taken care that figures of the greatest accuracy, and made under my own superin- tendence, should be executed by Mr. C. Curtis, an artist whose skill in such subjects is only rivalled by that of his brother. I wished also to render the following observations still more complete, by presenting entomologists with the anatomy of the mouth ; but as I hope soon to have several specimens at my disposal for dissection, I am unwilling to sacrifice valuable insects, which are, so far as I know, at present unique in my cabinet. Those persons who may wish to possess some notion of the actual state of our knowledge with respect to Cerapterus, will do well to cast their eye over a paper on Pausside, published in the 16th volume of the Linnean Transactions. It would be unjust to a clever entomologist, Mr. Westwood, did I not praise the industry with which he has there brought together almost every word that has been written on these rare insects. I trust he will now confer a further favour on the entomological world, by condensing the materials he has so laboriously compiled, and by arranging his own valuable observations in a lucid order. His reasoning, however, ought all to be unsparingly expunged; for Mr. Westwood, when he draws an infer- ence, is even more awful than when he names his Paussi.* In the Cerapterus of authors I can clearly discern two very distinct sub-genera. But I shall first state the external characters common to both. They are as follow :- Antennæ pubescentes capitis fronti insertæ, 10-articulatæ articulo primo augustiore com- presso apice emarginato reliquis sub-perpendiculari, articulo ultimo apice semicircu- lari antennæ totius partem fere quartam plerumque constituente articulorumque inter- mediorum latitudine gaudente, his æqualibus brevibus compressis latissimis sub- parallelis. Caput subtriangulare collo cylindrico instructum. Oculi globosi valde prominuli. Thorax planiusculus immarginatus. Scutellum triangulare. Elytra oblongo-quadrata. Pedes valde compressi, lati. Tarsi tetrameri, filiformes articulo ultimo longiore simplice. Ungues simplices. Such insects are peculiar to the tropics of the Old World and to New Holland, and I distribute them as follows:-- Sub-genus. CERAPTERUS, Swederus. Caput thorace angustius, collo brevi, oculis mediocribus. Thorax latior quam longus lateribus dilatatis rotundatis. Scutellum mediocre. Elytra abdomine vix breviora * For instance, he has attempted to prove, although I know not how, that the Paussi presented to Latreille by my father, were given to the latter out of the Linnean Collection by its purchaser, Sir J. E. Smith. Mr. Westwood accord- ingly vents a great deal of virtuous indignation, which however is all wasted, as my father never received an insect in his life from Sir James Smith; and I must say it is rather hard that the late President of the Linnean Society should be so unjustly attacked in the Transactions of an Institution which he founded, L 74 ON A NEW SPECIES OF CERAPTERUS. а. lata, apice subrotundata. Tibie lateribus parallelis apice truncatis haud bispinosis. Tarsi intra tibiarum apices excavatos retractiles. This groupe is found in Asia and Africa, within the tropics. Sp. 1. (-) Cerapterus latipes, Swed. DESCR. Cerapterus piceus, elytris maculâ apicali flavescente subrotundâ antice quadridentatâ postice lobatâ, antennis rufis articulo ultimo in tuberculum ad basin elevato. Caput piceum. Thorax capite duplo latior, medio posticèque utrinque foveolatus. Antennce lateribus convergentibus serratis, articulo ultimo quatuor precedentibus simul sumptis longiore. Elytra thorace vix latiora. Tibiæ rufæ, latissimæ, apice haud spinosæ. C. latipes, Swed. K. V. Acad. vol. ix. p. 203. tab. 6. fig. 1. Note. The original specimen which General Davies sent to Swederus for description is now in my collection, my father having purchased it at the sale of the General's museum. It is supposed to be a native of the East Indies, which is more than probable, as it comes very close to the Javanese species hereafter described. Sp. 2. (--) Cerapterus Horsfieldii. DESCR. Cerapterus piceus, thorace antice emarginato, elytris maculâ apicali flavescente haud rotundatâ literam Y quodammodo simulante. Caput nigropiceum antennis rufo-ferrugineis lateribus parallelis vix serratis, articulo basilari lobato, ultimo quinque precedentibus simul sumptis longiore. Thorax capite triplo latior, postice utrinque subfoveolatus. Elytra thorace latiora. Tibic rufæ apice haud spinosæ. C. latipes, West. Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xvi. p. 682. tab. 33. fig. 52–56. C. Horsfieldii ? West. Trans. Linn. Soc. vol. xvi. p. 672. Note. The only specimen known of this insect was brought by Dr. Horsfield from Java, and deposited by him in the museum of the East India Company. It was first described by Mr. Westwood, who imagined it to be a variety of Cerapterus latipes. He proposed, however, if it should eventually be proved different, that it should be called C. Horsfieldii ; and this proposal I have had great pleasure in adopting, out of respect for the profound entomological science of Dr. Horsfield. The figure given in the Linnean Transactions of this interesting insect is so incorrect, that I have, with Dr. Horsfield's kind permission, employed Mr. C. Curtis to make an accurate one for the satisfaction of entomologists. The size is that of the former species, that is, rather more than five lines. Sp. 3. (-) Cerapterus Smithii, n. s. DESCR. Cerapterus nigropiceus subnitidus, elytris maculâ fulvâ lunari, tibiis intus spinâ apicali instructis. Caput piceum subpunctatum. Antennæ nigropiceæ lateribus convergentibus vix serratis, articulo ultimo plano tribus precedentibus simul sumptis haud longiore. Thorax capite haud duplo latior. Elytra oblongo-quadrata thorace latiora et fere quintuplo longiora apice rotundata abdomine haud breviora. Pedes nigropicei. Note. For an unique specimen of this African species I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. Smith, who found it within the tropic of Capricorn. It is by far the largest of the Paussidæ known, and differs from the two former species of Cerapterus in having a spine at the extremity of the tibia. It seems to form a distinct section of Cerapterus. a ON A NEW SPECIES OF CERAPTERUS. 75 Sub-genus. ARTHROPTERUS, MʻL. Caput thorace haud augustius, collo conspicuo, oculis magnis. Thorax longior quam latus, sub-quadratus. Scutellum minimum. Elytra angusta parallela, apice truncata , - abdomine breviora. Tibiæ lateribus haud parallelis apice bispinosis. Tarsi intra tibiarum apices excavatos haud retractiles. This groupe inhabits New Holland. Sp. 1. Arthropterus MacLeaii, Don. DESCR. Arthropterus rufo-brunneus; thorace subconvexo posticè augustiore, augulis anticis rotun- datis, disco medio vix canaliculato. Caput subpunctatum thorace latius. Antennæ lateribus parallelis haud serratis, articulo ultimo plano tribus precedentibus simul sumptis vix longiore. Thorax angustus, antice latior angulis anticis rotundatis, posticis acutis. Elytra thorace latiora, et non triplo longiora, oblongo-quadrata lateribus parallelis. Pedes rufo-brunnei. Cerapterus MacLeaii, Don. Ins. of New Holland, pl. 3. Note. The only specimen known of this species was purchased by my father at the sale of Mr. Francillon's museum. None of the authors who have written on the species ever saw it, except Donovan, who was its first describer in his work on the “Insects of New Holland.” There is another species of Arthropterus, which I have seen in the valuable collection of my friend Mr. John Curtis, and which differs from A. MacLeaiï in the form of the thorax, and in the body being more depressed. I am ignorant which of these two my brother, Mr. George MacLeay, has lately found, or whether his discovery may not prove, on comparison, to be still a third species. But I learn, by a letter from my father, that my brother, "in one of his late excursions into the interior of New South Wales, discovered several specimens of Cerap- terus MacLeaii' in the nests of ants, and, moreover, remarked, that when alive they had the power of exploding, after the manner of Brachini.” The first of these observations with respect to the economy of Arthropterus agrees perfectly with what M. Verreaux noticed of the Paussi of the Cape; and my brother's second observation accords with that of M. Dupont's correspondent on the Senegal species, Paussus excavatus. I hope, however, as I am about to visit Australia, soon to be able to make myself master of the economy of these interesting insects, and also to publish a correct representation of the parts of their mouth. 6 ( Invertebrata Plate 1.) Cetonia leonina. Ischnostoma pica Campulipus Horsfieldii. Goliathus Smith Fig. a Anoplocheilis spinitarsis. Ischnostoma spatutipes, Fig. a, hind leg 0 Antitipinia Smithi. Invertebrata, Plate 2. Invertebrata Plate 3. Grapsillus dentatus, Noiva pulchella. Gnatho chumas barbatus. Fia, a. Fig. a. Joop 20171200 c Fig... Fig. b. F'ig. a. Leucisca squatina magnified. Fig. 7. Under surface of head. Fig. a. Dehaanius acanthopus magnified. Fiab. Under surface of head, Fig. Abdomen of Mate (Invertebrata Plate 4) 1. من Figa Fig. c. Fig. 6. Cerapterus Horsfieldit. Cerapterus Smithi. Fig, a antenna Fig b wing. Fig.c fore foot. ren Fig.a. Arthropterus Macleaii. Fig. a antenna Cerapterus Tatipes. INVERTEBRATÆ.-INDEX. - PAGE 48 48 PAGE 57 57 57 61 61 26 48 48 49 49 62 49 50 62 21 21 21 21 50 50 50 51 51 51 51 56 57 75 75 59 59 70 14 51 61 61 59 59 64 64 28 Acanthonyx dentatus scutellatus Achelous crassimanus Agestrata Anisopus trimaculatus Anoplocheilus spinitarsis setosus tomentosus Antilibinia Smithii Arthropterus MacLeaii Atergatis compressipes Calappina Campulipus limbatus Horsfieldii zebra Cancrina Carcinidae Ceratophthalma cursor Cerapterus latipes Horsfieldii Smithii Cetoniidae Cetoninus Cetonia pubescens hispida albopicta Capensis hirsuta oculata signata tigrina bella funesta melaena numismatica ærifera . 14 14 15 59 62 64 64 30 Cetonia dysenterica hæmorrhoidalis ruficollis rubra balteata discoidea sinuata flaviventris leonina carmelita bachypinica semipunctata chalca aulica nympha fascicularis Charybdis Smithii Chlorodius perlatus Cleistotoma Edwardsii Coryphe flavomaculata Herschelii umbonata Corystina Cryptodinus Cremastocheilus Curtonotus vestitus Cyclidius Cymophorus Cryptodus Decapoda Dehaanius acanthopus Diplognatha carnifex hebræa silicea Dromiina Dromia 31 31 69 73 74 74 74 16 17 61 61 17 18 19 10 27 44 45 54 45 45 57 58 22 22 45 45 46 22 46 hirtissima rotunda Epialtidæ Eriphidæ Eriphia Smithi Fordii 46 46 46 46 47 47 47 47 48 22 71 71 71 71 56 60 60 60 60 puma cinerascens adspersa INVERTEBRATÆ.—INDEX. PAGE PAGE 64 43 64 44 18 44 18 18 23 65 65 31 33 33 68 68 70 70 70 26 19 23 24 26 70 70 70 70 57 58 33 34 34 34 34 34 58 . 66 Gelasimus chlorophthalmus Genuchus cruentus sanguinolentus Gnathocera Gnathochasmus barbatus Goliathus torquatus Polyphemus micans splendens Grallii Smithii Daphnis quadrimaculatus Hopfneri Drurii regius giganteus cacicus princeps ynca bifrons barbicornis irroratus fasciatus rufipennis Wallichii opalus Goniopsis strigosa flavipes Gonoplacidæ Grapsina Grapsidæ Grapsillus subinteger dentatus maculatus Gymnetinus. Gymnetis Halimede pisifer Hymenostomidae Hymenosoma Inachina Ischnostoma 35 36 37 37 38 39 40 40 40 40 40 40 66 67 64 64 20 21 16 68 25 41 41 66 66 66 66 66 13 66 64 61 28 65 65 63 65 67 67 67 67 24 . 55 64 64 12 15 15 15 26 60 60 68 68 56 69 16 . Ischnostoma cornuta spatulipes pica Leachium orbiculare Leucosina Leucisca squalina Lomaptera Macrominus Macroma scutellata Macronota Matutidæ Matutinus Matuta Victor Mithracidae Mithrax quadridentatus Nautilograpsus major Smithii Ocypodidæ Ocypode cordimana Oplostomus fuligineus Osmoderma Pinnotherina Philistina Plagusia tomentosa spinosa Platygenia Portunidae Schizorhina Sesarma reticulata Tetragonostoma Thelphusidæ Thelphusa perlata Trichinus Trichius vittatus suturales Trigonostoma Valgus Smithii Xaiva pulchella Xanthidae 16 62 concava 42 43 43 sanguinipes 62 59 18172 OPEA ARTES SCIENTIA VERITAS LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN RIDUS ULUM PLURIBUS TUEBOR SI QUÆRIS-PENINSULAM-AMCNAM CIRCUMSPICE BACOW.5 Library of President Alexander Ruthven