1903.] Papers. 9£ 



ing to the family Tineidx, but perhaps very closely related to one or two 

 of the genera of the family Psychidse, specimens of whose larval cases 

 were exhibited by Mr. Burkill : the classification of some of these genera 

 being still open to much revision. The insects in question were extremely 

 curious. They had been found attacking the hair of a mounted Ovis 

 hodgsoni head. The long greyish hair had been almost entirely des- 

 troyed by these small caterpillars. The caterpillars are little canary- 

 yellow insects with bright brown heads. They live inside a little flat 

 elongated case, made apparently from the hairs, which are spun into a 

 close parchment- like material. The case is left open at both ends, 

 and the caterpillars make use of this peculiarity, appearing now at one 

 end and now at the other, the diameter being sufficiently wide at the 

 middle of the case to enable the larva to turn round inside by doubling 

 up upon itself. When it wishes to do this it attaches the end of the 

 case by a silken strand to the surface upon which it is crawling, backs 

 down the case, turns round inside and appears at the other end, the 

 mouth at the end of the case it has left closing automatically, whilst that 

 at the other end opens. Mr. Stebbing mentioned that the specimens had 

 been only brought to him that. morning by the Head Taxidermist of the 

 Indian Museum, and so he had not yet been able to observe the further 

 stages of its life-history. From the above few remarks they are likely 

 to prove of great interest. The hair of the head attacked was ruined. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. A note on the Moran language of Upper Assam. — By Major 



P. R. T. Gurdon, I. A. 



(Abstract.) 



This paper gives a vocabulary of the language of the Morans, a 



tribe of Upper Assam, together with the corresponding words in the 



Kachari, Dimasa (or Hill Kachari) languages, and Hodgson's Bodo, 



which probably is Mech. The comparison proves a strong linguistic 



affinity between them, and the same probably exists between Deori, 



Chutiya and the Garo language also, both of which belong to the Bodo 



group. 



2. Materials for a Flora of the Malay Peninsula, No. 14.— By Sir 

 George King, K.C.I.E., F.R.S., and J, Sykes Gamble, CLE., F.R.S. 



(Abstract.) 



The paper now presented to the Society is the joint work of Mr. 



J. S. Gamble, F.R.S., C.I.E., late of the Indian Forest Department, and 



of Sir George King, F.R.S. , late Superintendent of the Royal Botanic 



Garden, Calcutta. It contains an account of the Natural Order Capri- 



