Natural History Museum.
Twenty-five highly preserved and well mounted specimens of birds from the Cape of Good Hope, were presented by Mr. McFarlan, on the part of Mr. J. F. Cathcart, C. S.
Such as had been identified by the Curator were as follows :
Crested Grebe — Podiceps Cristutus, 2 sp. Brahmuny Duck — Tadorna Rutila. N Purple Porphyrio — Porphyria Erythropus. White -eared Bustard — Otis Afra. Common Snipe — Gallinago Media. Painted Snipe — Rhynchcea Capensis, male and female. Collared Turtle Dove— Turtur Risorius, male and female. Ditto ditto, var. or male and female immature birds. White fronted ground Dove — Peristera Larvata. African Teal ? — Fuligula Nyroca ? an obscure species. Common Teal— Querquedula Crecca, var. Common Curlew— Numenius Arquatus, identical with a specimen in the musenna from China. Accipiter ? — Toormootee of the natives. ■ Grouse — Layopus. Turrtix Hemipodius pugnax ? Noisy Francolin— Francolinus Clamatus, male and female. Cape Francolin— Francolinus Capensis, male and female. African Francolin — Francolinus Africanus, or Pearled Partridge. ■ ? Francolin — Francolinus ■ ? Two skins of the blue-bellied Lorikeet, Trichoglossus Swainsonii or Aus- tralian Lory from New Holland, presented by W. Cracroft, Esq. Only one has been stuffed and mounted for the museum, the other being in too mutilated a state to admit of being preserved. An adult female of the Moschus Javanicus or Napu musk deer (Raf- fles), known to English residents by the common appellation of •' Mouse Deer," presented by J. Bell, Esq. It was sent in a recent state, (the animal having been dead only a few hours,) with a request from Mr. Bell that it might be preserved and setup for the Society's museum, which has accordingly been done. This singular little animal agrees in some respects with the true musks, but as it again differs from them in other very essential particulars it might more properly be formed into a sub-division; the discrepancies observable being sufficient in them- selves to warrant a separation from the genus Moschus to which it is now referred. The dried and inflated stomach of the above Deer. The principal object of this preparation is to show on a small scale, the form and arrangement of the compound or complicated stomach of one of the divisions of the Ruminant ia, and also the large capacity of the organ, compared to the diminutive size of the animal. A collection of rare and elegant fishes, from off Judda, presented by Captain Htll, of the Ernaad. Major Gregory, presented a specimen of caterpillar from Sydney, which had the appearance of being impaled on a twig. The following account in the Entomological Society's Proceedings for December, 1837, may perhaps apply to the same insect. " Mr. Evans exhibited a drawing and figure of the New Zealand caterpillar, infested by a slender fungus nearly six inches long, and which is much sought after in that island, not only as a natural curiosity, but on account of the effects result- ing from it like c^ntharides when taken internally." A note from Dr. Pearson explained an easy method of cleaning skele- tons, lately resorted to by himself in the case of a camel. Finding the wooden case in which he had placed the bones to soak very leaky, he sunk it in the Gumti river, with proper cordage to secure it : — when taken up after a time the bones were found perfectly cleaned.
