228 Zoological Society : — In the smaller specimen, nine dorsal bones only remain : these I believe to be xiv, xxvii, xxviii, xxx, xxxvii, xxxviii, xlix, LI, and LTi ; but I am not very certain that my identification of them is correct. Of the sternum, more than one-half has been preserved, the missing bones being lv, lvi, lvii, part of lviii, and Lix ; but the cardinal processes are much less perfect than in the larger example. The greatest breadth of the sternum is 4*25 inches ; the length from the transverse articular suture to the posterior extremity is 4 inches, while in the larger example it is 4*25 inches. For the rest I must refer the student to the plates (Pis. VI. & VII.) accompanying this brief and incomplete notice, which will give a far better idea of the relics of these ancient Britons than anything I can say about them. Elveden, June 30, 1862. PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. February 1 1, 1862.— Dr. J. E. Gray, V.P., in the Chair. Contribution to the Knowledge of the British Charrs. By Dr. Albert Gijnther. The production of the following paper has been induced by two specimens of the so-called Freshwater Herring of Lough Melvin in Ireland, which were procured by Joshua Walker, Esq., and sub-mitted to my examination. The differences from the allied Conti-nental species were so striking, that, from the first moment, I could scarcely doubt that I had a species before me which I had never seen before. In the first place it appeared necessary to compare it with specimens from other localities of Great Britain — with the true British Charr ; but, although the period of the year (November and Decem-ber) appeared to be the most favourable for the capture of those fishes, as they approach the shores to spawn, afterwards returning to the deepest parts of the lakes, I have been only partly successful in obtaining more specimens, and I particularly regret not having been able to examine specimens from Scotland, either in a fresh state or preserved in spirits*. I have obtained, however, materials sufii-cient for the determination of the Charrs of three localities, by the kind assistance of the gentlemen who will be mentioned hereafter. Our knowledge of the representatives of the Charr on the Continent is chiefly due to Heckel, Nilsson, and Rapp, in whose descriptions due attention has been paid to those characters by which the species may be distinguished ; and for a comparison of the British Charrs with those of the Continent I have had to rely chiefly on them. My materials were the following : — * Dried and stuffed specimens of Charr are of little or no use.
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