THE COLLECTIONS IN THE SOCIETY'S MUSEUM. 481 



members — Mr. H. Macnaghten — has now taken this collection under his special 

 care, so that we need not fear that it will do anything else but go ahead. 



Of bird's nests we have a few, but they are exceptionally difficult specimens to 

 store and keep in good condition unless it is possible to include them in properly 

 mounted cases with their owners, and that of course we are not able 

 to do here. 



Our collection of reptiles includes of course that of our snakes, which has 

 always had the constant care and attention of Mr. H. M. Phipson, Mr. W. S. 

 Millard and Rev. F. Dreckmann, so that we can have small cause for dissatisfac- 

 tion there. Other reptiles, although we have a fair number of spirit specimens, 

 have never received so much attention from our members as the snakes, and 

 it is a section that one would much like to see worked up by some enthusiast. 



Of amphibians in our collection the less said perhaps the better, for although 

 there area certain number of spirit specimens of adult animals, they are few of 

 them named or catalogued. We must hope that some one may be found to do 

 this at an early date. 



Next come the fishes. Here we have a large series of spirit specimens, for 

 which we have mainly to thank Mr. Phipson and Dr. Bassett Smith. They were 

 all named and classified by the last named some years ago, who published a 

 complete catalogue, with some notes on them, in our journal. They mostly 

 represent the marine species of Bombay, so that we can hardly rest satisfied 

 with them. What I should like to see, and believe would be of considerable 

 interest to many of our members, would be a really representative collection 

 of the fresh-water fishes of India. There must be many anglers amongst 

 our members who could probably contribute without much trouble and with the 

 help of the native fishermen of their neighbourhoods. As the preservation of 

 specimens in spirit or formalin is a simple matter, and as moderate-sized speci- 

 mens will suffice, I hope the Committee will see their way to make a special 

 appeal to members in this direction. 



Of Mottmca I think I may say we have fair collections, lor we have had 

 amongst us here two enthusiastic collectors of marine species in Mr. Aber- 

 crombie and Mr. Aitken, and of land and fresh water species in Captain Peile, 

 while we have also a nice series of marine species from the Andaman Islands and 

 Aden. At the same time there are some big gaps even in our series of local 

 marine shells that we should be able to fill up. The collections are properly 

 arranged, and a catalogue is now in preparation. 



We next come to our entomological collections, and as regards them Mr. 

 L. C. H, Young has kindly furnished me with a few particulars. He has, as 

 you all know, taken them most thoroughly in hand during the past two years, 

 with the result that instead of our mass of material being scattered about in old 

 store boxes and very nearly approaching that state of accumulated rubbish that 

 Sir William Flower warns us against, they are now nearly all properly classified, 

 arranged and, so far as possible, named, so that anyone requiring any indivi- 

 dual family can lay his hand on them at once. 



