440 Zoological Society : — are mentioned in the one and not in the other ; and it is evident that the table was prepared after the completion of the rest of the book, and with little or no reference to it. Even in some of the articles themselves we find evident traces of the same confusion of ideas, — a glaring instance of which is exhibited by the notices on the Macro-pidce and Marsupialia : in the former the whole of the Marsupials are referred to the family Macropidce, and placed, in accordance with Dr. Gray's views, amongst the Ferce (in the table) ; whilst in the latter the Macropidce constitute only one family of the Marsupialia. We trust that should the work come to a second edition. Dr. Baird will endeavour to remove the causes of these objections, and thus furnish the public with what is much wanted, — a reliable work of reference on general Natural History. The publisher has evidently done his part well ; — for a cheap work, the volume is well printed ; the illustrations are numerous, and many of them new ; and a useful map of the geographical distribution of some of the principal forms of animals is attached to it. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. January 26, 1858.— P. L. Sclater, Esq., F.L.S., in the Chair. Notice of a New Genus of Uropeltid^ from Ceylon, in THE Collection of the British Museum. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., Y.P.Z. and Ent. Soc. etc. In examining the reptiles recently acquired in the British Museum, Mr. Edward Gerrard observed a Saurian from Ceylon, which he be-lieved to be new. I have great pleasure in sending a description of it to the Society, and in naming it after Mr. Gerrard, the preparer of the osteological specimens and of the animals in spirits in the British Museum, who has a most extraordinary empirical knowledge of the osteology of the different vertebrated animals and of the species of reptiles and fish. MiTYLIA, n. g. Head tapering in front, acute ; rostral scale produced, compressed, acute, bluntly keeled above and below. Tail very short, subcorneal, rounded, covered with very close-set rough scales, each marked with two slight ridges of small asperities, with a central terminal rough oblong plate furnished with a perpendicular blunt keel ; subcaudal shields in five rows, central series rather wider, six-sided ; vent with two shields in front, and one in front of them between their bases. MiTYLIA GeRRARDI. Black ; sides with a series of short white perpendicular bands ; underside white, with a black spot in the middle of each scale, a
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