J 6 PEOCEEDINQS OF THE 



The state of tlie Library leads to very similar reflections. It is 

 obviously impossible for us to keep a complete Natural History 

 Library. The Botanic Library is large, and the worst gaps in it 

 may, I think, be filled up when we get the new Catalogue. But, in 

 Zoolo"'y, the Library Committee has not the means to attempt to 

 make the Library complete in any department. They can only 

 lay out the money at their disposal in buying a selection of such 

 Zoologic books as they suppose will be used by the Eellows. 

 This is not by reason merely of want of space. There is some 

 space in the Library still ; and we may get a great deal of space 

 by presenting the "Wallich Herbarium either to the British 

 Museum or Kew — a step which I advocated several years ago. 

 The whole of Zoology and Botany has become more than this 

 Society, powerful and flourishing though it be, can cover. I do 

 not suggest that the Linneau Society should abandon any portion 

 of its vast field ; but I think it will be compelled to consider the 

 policy of concentrating itself, as far as possible — Papers, Publi- 

 cations, and Library — on certain departments only of Natural 

 History. 



I now turn to the Soondreebun of Bengal, which possesses 

 interest of a varied kind, and has attracted attention especially 

 since the short account by Sir J. D. Hooker, who visited it in 

 1850. The last paper on it which I have is by Mr. E-ainey in the 

 Proceedings of the Geographical Society for 1891. I have been 

 in the Soondreebun, perhaps a year or two in all ; but I took no 

 notes. I have been therefore glad, after I had nearly completed 

 this paper, to receive through the kindness of Dr. Greorge King, 

 Director of the Calcutta Botanic Garden, a very full Forest 

 E-eport of the Soondreebun by Mr. Hennig, who has been for 

 several years Forest Officer in charge of tlie Soondreebun. I 

 have added to my list of characteristic Soondreebun plants only 

 two or three additional from Mr. Hennig's report ; the great 

 value of his Report to me has been its verification of the list of 

 plants I had drawn up partly from memory, partly from my 

 herbarium numbers. 



The Soondreebun has supplied a battle-field for many con- 

 troversies. 



First, as to the name, A prevalent tree in the salt-water swamp- 

 forests of the mouths of the Ganges is Heritiera Fomes, Buch. 

 Ham. : it is often 15-30 feet high and attains 60 feet, and is largely 

 cut for fuel as well as for timber. It is now brought up to Calcutta 

 in large quantities by boats and by the Mutlah railway ; and is the 

 tree of chief economic interest in the Soondreebun. The name 

 in Bengali for this tree is Soondree, while Bun in Bengal means 

 a forest; so that the name Soondree-bun means Soondree-forest. 

 Few Europeans knew that Soondree meant Heritiera Fomes, 

 Buch. Ham. ; many knew the common Bengali word Soondar, 

 i. e. beautiful. They therefore early corrupted the word into 



