294 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Nov. i, 1886, 



NuMisMATios. — Through a catalogue of the frokl coins 

 in the Museum collection had been issued, the arrange- 

 ment of a great mass of silver and copper coins 

 remained to be taken in hand. Wy first endeavour 

 ju this direction was to collect them all together and 

 distribute them roughly into dynasties. This work 

 was completed with the assistance of Oaptain H. ll.O. 

 Tufnell, who from his e.xperieuce iu Indian Numis- 

 matics was able to identify many issues to which I 

 should have myself been unable to assign a place. Tiie 

 same gentleman then gave me great help iu the 

 arrangement of the different dynasties, and the Koman 

 and Indo-Ureek series are already completed. Among 

 the former several coins of very considerable interest 

 and value have come to light, notably an issue of 

 riautilla. wife of Caracalla, with Latin inscription 

 PLAl'TILLA AIJGIJSTA, and a line green copper 

 coin of C'onstantiuu.s Magnus struck in London. The 

 collection of Indo-Greek and Eacjtrian coins is not 

 very rich, but I am iu correspondence with a view to 

 making it more complete. As the coins of each 

 dynasty are arranged, I am compiling a manuscript 

 catalogue, with a view to future publication, in which 

 all issues, gold, silver, copper, kc. will find a place, 

 but I propose to keep the gold coins, as at present, 

 iu the Museum strong box, and display the coins in 

 silver and the baser metals in the body of the Museum, 

 so that they may be seen by visitors without any 

 special application. 



A.s usual a large number of coins, amounting in 

 all to 1,411 has been presented to the Museum during 

 the year either by various societies or by private indiv- 

 iduals. Among these I may specially mention a gold 

 coin of the fiupta era presented through the Hon- 

 orary Secretary of tlie Madras Literary Society, and 

 a fine Eama Tanka presented by T. M. Scott, Esq., of 

 Madura. 



Nati.'r.u. History. — (1). Aracbnida. — A large living 

 »pider (Mygale fasciata) was forwarded to the Museum 

 from Hoonsoor where it was supposed to be causing 

 death among the flocks. An experiment was made on 

 a living sheep to see if the spider would produce any 

 ill-effect on it, but the result proved negative, 

 and the untimely death of the spider stopped any 

 further experiments I wrote requesting that some 

 living specimens should be sent to me, but at tlie 

 end of the year none hnd arrived. IMention was made 

 in last year's annual report of a scorpion sent by 

 H. R. V. Carter, Esq., living by preference iu water. 

 During tlie latter end of the year. I kt-pt specimens 

 of two other species of scorpion from Madras in jirs 

 containing soiuc water, and though the animals were 

 often seen above water on some stones which I 

 placed iu the jar, it frequently happened that they 

 remained for long periods submerged beneath the 

 surface of the water, so that our common scorpions 

 may be considered amphibious in their habits. The 

 subject is one which is worthy of stud^' on the 

 animals in their natural conditions. 



Iti.tpcts. — A large number of insects were sent to the 

 Museum, among the most iuteresting of which 

 were one which was proving destructive to the sugar- 

 canes in North Arcot, and another which was inflict- 

 ing its ravages on the cinchona leaves iu the Wynaad, 

 and of which specimens were sent, together with some 

 of the affected leaves, by Messrs. Arbuthnot and Co., 

 to whom I made a report suggesting certain precau- 

 tions to be adopted and certain ramedial agents to 

 be tried, while pointing out that the expense of apply- 

 ing chemical re-agents where the infested area is a 

 large one is often greater than the loss of money 

 caused by the ravages of the insect pests, and further 

 that in the interest of the planter, a prolonged and 

 careful study in a practical manner, not only of the 

 life history and habits of the parasites, but also of 

 the cheapest and at the same time most effective 

 meansof exterminating them isinuchuocdcd. I am inii^h 

 indebted to H. S. Thomas, Esq., for giving mc speci- 

 mens of the shells of Aviculu vcr/Unni and Aricula 

 f'acata ill various stages of growth in illustration of 

 his report on Pearl Fisheries. 



The Order of Government on the Keport stated : — 

 Dr. Eidio gave over charge of the oftlct' of Superin- 



tendent to Dr. Thurston on October 12th, 1885, and 

 His Excellency the CJoveriior in Council took an oppoi- 

 t unity of expressing his ap[)reciatiou of the former 

 officer's valualile services, in reviewing the report for 

 1S84-85. The number of visitors to the Museum 

 during the year again shows an advance, being :'>11,462 

 as against 272,968 iu the previoas year. The Gov- 

 ernment ob.serve with s.atisfaction that there was an 

 increase iu the number of gosha ladies who visited 

 the iNIuseum on the days reserved for them. There- 

 was also a considerable increase in the number of 

 books consulted during the year. The position of 

 the staff has been recently much improved and the 

 Government notice with pleasure the interest which 

 the various assistants take iu their work. His Ex- 

 cellency the Governor iu Council is much indebted 

 to the various gentlemen who contributed to the 

 Museum during the year. In conclusion, His EX' 

 cellency in Council desires to notice the evident zeal 

 and interest of Dr. Thurston in his work. 



REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR, GOVERNMENT 

 BOTANICAL GARDENS AND PARKS, 

 NILGIRIS, FOR 1885-8(1. 

 B-s M. A. L.\wsoN, Esq., 

 Govei'iivient Botanist and Director of Cinchona Plant- 

 ations, Xih/iris. 



I. Se.vson. — The weather during the past year was 

 all that could be desired for carrying on horticultural 

 operations. The amount of rain registered was 52'48 

 inches, spread over 142 days. The early part of the 

 season was dry, but the monsoon broke unusually early, 

 after which the rain was light and continuous. The 

 frost during January was severe, but owing to the 

 dryness of the weather, little harm was done. 



II. General Conditions of the Gardens a.vd Parks 



AND IMPROVEMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE IX THEM 



DIKING THE .YEAR— (1) — OoTACAMU-ND — {a)Govtrnment 

 ikirdens. — These gardens have improved in appearance 

 during the past year, the lawns were kept constantly- 

 mown and are in good order. The trees and shrubs 

 which had been planted during the two previous years 

 are doing well, and are beginning to make a show. The 

 ground at the entrance of the gardens has been laid 

 out and shrubs and flowers beds have been planted 

 with the view of improving this formerly unsightly 

 piece of land. The ravine above the Doctor's house 

 has been cleared of brambles and brushwood and will 

 be planted up with shola trees as soon as the mon- 

 soon rains begin. The rest of the upper part of the 

 gardens was planted up during the past year with a 

 large variety of ornamental shrubs and trees. A con- 

 siderable portion, however, of this land is .still very 

 rough and untidy, but I expect to be able during the 

 next dry seas m to put this in order at a small cost. 

 The ground lying around the old Cinchona laboratory 

 has been levelled and sown with ditferent kinds of 

 grasses, the seed of which was presented to the 

 gardens by His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief 

 with a view to experimentation upon their value as 

 fodder. Next year this ground will be laid down in 

 permanent grass and form part of the gardens. The 

 roads and walks in the lower part of the gardens are 

 in fairly good order but want re-gravelling ; some of 

 the paths also iu the other part of the gardens have 

 been re-made or improved, but there is still a good 

 deal wanting before they can be said to be in a satis- 

 factory state. A tank to supply water for the fountain 

 which it is proposed to place in the pond opposite the 

 band-stand has been made, and pipes laid down to 

 the pond; but, owiug to the great difficulty of get- 

 ting a proper jet, the fountain has not yet been started. 

 Kitchen (;«;■'</«(.— During the past winter. I converted 

 one of the terraces in the upper part of the gardens 

 into a kitchen garden whiih has been sown with all 

 the more common kinds of European vegetables, and 

 I shall report upon them next year. The vegetables 

 obtainable in Ootacamund are very good, and I do 

 not expect that they will be much improved upon. 

 There is. however, room for improvement in our fruit 



