Letters, Announcements, 6fc. 459 



evident that more would be required, and ultimately the birds 

 and mammals occupied forty-seven huge cases, weighing, I 

 suppose, on an average, nearly half a ton apiece. The out- 

 side cases were of great strength, all dove-tailed and screwed. 

 Not a nail was used, even the iron bands being screwed on ; 

 and to the care with which Mr. Hume designed the con- 

 struction of the wooden cases, all of the best deodar wood, 

 I attribute the safe carriage of the collection to England. 

 At first it was difficult to find space to pack a single box, but 

 as the room began to be cleared the work proceeded rapidly. 

 Through Mr.' Hume's influence, the Public Works Depart- 

 ment lent me the services of Babu Kumud Chundra Mu- 

 kerjee, who turned out a most useful and intelligent help to 

 me (for I was at first somewhat put out by my absolute 

 ignorance of Hindustani), as my foreman (Narain Singh by 

 name) and the thirty Sikh carpenters under him could not 

 understand a word of English. In a very few days, how- 

 ever, I had caught up enough Hindustani to give direc- 

 tions to my staff"; and should I ever desire to emulate the 

 immortal author of ' English as she is spoke,' and rush into 

 print with a similar work for the benefit of '' studious 

 English youth " in India, I should at least be able to supply 

 a useful chapter " For to pack a box.'' Of course, after the 

 arrival of the Babu, which was delayed for some days, I had 

 no difficulty. 



" The weather was intensely hot for the greater part of my 

 stay in Simla, and I worked mostly in my shirt-sleeves, for 

 I superintended the despatch of every box and packed all 

 the bird-skins and the bulk of the eggs with my own hands. 

 I therefore had no leisure to examine any of the specimens, 

 and I do not suppose that I looked at fifty birds during the 

 whole time I was at Simla. Of course, in cases where moths 

 had commenced an inroad, I had to examine a good many 

 skins to find out the extent of the damage; but in most 

 instances the attacks had only been made on single speci- 

 mens. Had the collection remained much longer, there 

 can be no doubt that serious damage would have been 

 done; for in some boxes the cocoons were suspended round 



