542 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIXi 



than five members of the Society. They were Dr. D. Macdonald, 

 J. Davidson, I.C.S., retired, Lt.-Col. W. B. Bannerman, Major (1. 

 Lamb and Major C J. Robertson-Mihie. 



T. R. B. 



Mr. Aitken's Connection with the^Society. 



As Mr. Aitken was one of the oldest Members of the Society it inav 

 be interesting to refer to the early History of the Society and his 

 connection with it. 



The Bombay Natural History Society, which has now over 1,400 

 Members stationed m all parts of India and Burma and also at home, 

 owes its inception to seven men of whom Mr. Aitken was one, and it 

 was at their first Meeting that Mr. Aitken seconded the proposition 

 that the new Society should be called " The Bombay Natural Historv 

 Society." This Meeting was held on the 15th September 1883 at the 

 Victoria and Albert Museum in the Victoria Gardens, Bombay, where 

 until February 1884 the regular Meetings of the Members were held. 

 Mr. Aitken was the first Honorary Secretary of the Society and 

 continued as such until his departure from Bombay in March 188G. 



The early Members of the Society were all keen naturalists who 

 contributed to make the Meetings both interesting and instructive, antl 

 as many as forty Members were often present at the early Meetings. 

 In consequence the want of a more central meeting place and rooms 

 where the collections of Members could be kept, was soon felt, and early 

 in 1884 the collections of the Society were moved to rooms in Forbes 

 Street placed at the Members' disposal by Mr. H. M. Phipson and 

 here the Meetings of the Members were held and the work of the 

 Society carried on until December 1885 when the Society moved into 

 their present quarters. 



With the growth of the Society the need of a Journal was soon felt — 

 a publication in which whatever was of value or interest transacted at 

 the Meetings could be permanently })Ut on record. The first Editors 

 were the late Mr. R. H. Sterndale, whose works on Indian Zoology 

 are well known, and Mr. E. H. Aitken. Tlie first number was pro- 

 duced in January 188G. 



In introducing the first number of the Journal the Editors exf>resf<ed 

 the hope that " The introduction of this Journal will stimulate lovers 

 of Nature to record and connnunicate their observations." This hoj)e 



