Zoological Society. 143 nature of the soil or rocks where the plants were found ; the time of their first coming into flower; with a space for general observations. The principles and objects of Mr. Brand's scheme and arrangement seemed to be generally approved of, and it was referred to a Com-mittee to consider it more fully, and to report to the Meeting in November. The Society then adjourned till Thursday the 8th of November. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. January 9th, 1838. — Thomas Bell, Esq., in the Chair. Mr. Gray exhibited a new species of Perameles, in size and ge-neral appearance very closely agreeing with Per. nasutus, but pecu-liar for its very short white tail, and in having several indistinct broad white bands over the haunches. The species inhabits Van Diemen's Land, where it frequents gardens, and commits great havoc amongst bulbous roots, which it is said to devour with avidity. Mr. Gray proposed for it the name of Per. Gunnii, after its discoverer, Mr. Ronald Gunn*. It was suggested in the course of some discussion which followed Mr. Gray's observations, that the roots upon which this species was supposed to feed, were probably attacked for the purpose of procu-ring such insects as might be found in them ; and Mr. Owen in re-ference to this point alluded to a dissection of a Perameles made by Dr. Grant, and published in the Wernerian Transactions, in which insects were found to constitute almost the sole contents of the stomach and intestines. A very large and beautiful Antelope, of a species hitherto entirely unknown, and which had just arrived in England under the care of Captain Alexander from the Cape, was in the room for exhibition ; and the history of the circumstances under which it had been dis-covered, were detailed in the following letter, addressed to the Se-cretary, by Capt. W. C. Harris, of the Bombay Engineers. Cape Town, South Africa, Oct. 10, 1837. Sir, — I beg the favour of your presenting to the Zoological So-ciety the accompanying drawing and description of an entirely new and very interesting species of Antelope, which I discovered in the course of an expedition to the interior of Africa, from whieh I have lately returned. A perfect specimen that I brought down has been admirably set up by Monsieur Verreaux, the French naturalist at Cape Town, and will be sent to London in the course of a few days, * Since described in the Annals of Natural History, for April, 1838.
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