I.-, 7 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE MEETING HELD ON THE 17th JANUARY 1917. 



An " At Home" of Members and their friends of tlio Lombay Natural 

 History Society took place on Wednesday, the 17th January. 



The election of the following 34 new menibers since the last meeting was 

 announced: — The Principal, Mayo College, Ajmer ; H. 11. H. Prince 

 Abhakara of Chv.mporii, Bangkok, Siam ; 2nd-Lt. G. R. Smith, I.A.R.O., 

 Mesopotamia ; Lt. W. R. F. Trevelyan, Mesopotamia ; the Mess President, 

 2-8th Gurkha Rifles, Landsdovvne ; Lt.-Col. R. A. Firth, Landsdovvne; Lt. 

 T. R. Livesay, l.A R.O., Mesopotamia ; Mr. t>. Haefliger, Lyalluore ; Mr. 

 A. N. Grieve, Purulia ; Mr. Duncan Macgregor, Lahore ; Capt. C. H. B. 

 Borth, R.A.M.C., Basra; Mr. C. E. Lynch-Blosse, Junagadh; Mr. A. Mac- 

 Donald, Champaran; Rev. A. F. R. Bird, Nandyal R.S. ; Lt. N. M. Adam, 

 R.A., Mesopotamia ; Lt. D. P. Blair, If.A M.C., Bushire ; Prof. I.W. Johory, 

 M.A., B.D., Indore; 2nd-Lt. R. E. Cheesman, Basra ; Mr. G. Wesche Dart, 

 Bombay ; Mr. S. G. de 0. Ireland, I.C.S., Fatehpur ; Ca[it. G. H. Russell, 

 Wano ; the Secretary, Central Circulating Library, S. 1. Railway, Trichino- 

 polv ; Lt.-Col. C. D. Dawes, I.M.S., Bombay ; Capt. J. Crompfcon, Bannu, 

 N.W.F.P. ; Mr. H. Parker, I.C.S., Homalin ; Mr. A. C. Morrell, Travancore; 

 Lt. Ernest E. Cunnah, R.A.M.C, Meerut,U. P.; Mr. R H. Cassell, Moni- 

 arah ; Mr. George D. Moore, Moniarah ; the Mess President, 94th Russell's 

 Infantry, Tank, N.W.F.P. ; Mr. G. D. Traylen, Bombay ; Mr. W. K. Dods 

 Calcutta ; Mr. W. E. Ley, I.C.S., Chauda, C.P. ; Mr. A. Hampson, 

 Bombay. 



The contributions to the Society's Museum during the last four months 

 are remarkable for the wide range of localities from which they have been 

 received — localities extending from Mesopotamia to Siam and from Gilgit 

 to Trichinopoly. 



Beginning with Mesopotamia the Society is much indebted to Sir Percy 

 Cox and ijt. R. E. Cheesman, I.A.R.O., for 37 bird skins, all of which 

 are of great interest. From Major-General Sir H. Keary come several 

 spotted sandgrouse and two starlings very similar to the European Starling. 

 Capt. C. R. S. Pitman has sent in skins of two kinds of sandgrouse and two 

 birds of prey, an eagle and a buzzard, and Major F. P. Connor a nuniber 

 of insects, snakes, lizards and birds and a scorpion alive. Lt.-Col F. Wall, 

 C.M.G., I.M.S., and Lt. Livesay, I.A.R.O., have presented much wanted 

 jackal skins and the latter has also sent the head and neck of a wild goose 

 A.ferus. From Major G. A. Perreau a fine wild cat aUo several bird skins. 

 From Capt. C. M. Ingoldby, R.A.M.C, comes a Persian robin, while Col. 

 Stevens and Major Dickinson took the trouble to send down alive two 

 small desert lizards of the genus Ayama. Lower down the Gi.lf, at Muscat, 

 Major A. R. Burton has been active in increasing the Society's collections 

 and he has sent in the skin of an Arabian fox, numerous lizards and 

 snakes, as well as a number of birds alive, including some Arabian seesee 

 and Close-barred Sandgrouse. On the other side of the Gulf, in Persian 

 Baluchistan. Capt. J. E. B. Hotson, I.A.R.O., has done much on the 

 Society's behalf and two small but interesting collections of mammals, 

 birds, snakes and insects, as well as botanical specimens have been received 

 from him. 



Coming now to the borders of India proper, Capt. W. B. Cotton, LA. R.O., 

 from Wano, has presented two fox skins, a couple of AfghaL nares, also a 

 skin of a cat which appears to be a hybrid between a domestic and a desert 

 cat F. 01-nata. Major Humphrys from Miranshah sent in a live fat-tailed 

 lizard perfectly harmless, but often considered by natives to be a poisonous 



