for the year 1916-17 . xxi 



Our helpers in Asia on the other hand have been able to give 

 us even greater assistance than hithertofore. Foremost among them 

 stand Lieutenant-Colonel J. Stephenson, I. M.S., of Lahore and Mr. 

 E. Brunetti, who has worked so constantly in the Museum for many- 

 years past. Colonel Stephenson has not only named numerous 

 land and freshwater Oligochaeta but has published important papers 

 in the Records of the Indian Museum. Mr. Brunetti's devotion to the 

 study of the Diptera cannot be judged solely by the results as yet 

 published, for he has been occupied very largely in preparing a new 

 volume for the official Fauna of British India. Dr. R. H. Whitehouse, 

 of the Agra College, has made considerable progress in naming the 

 Survey's collection of land planarians, while Mr. J. Hornell, of the 

 Madras Fishery Department, has revised all the Indian shells of the 

 genus Meretrix. 



Outside India we have received much help from Professor A. Oka 

 of Tokyo, who has named and described the collection of Ascidians 

 and also the leeches collected by myself in Eastern Asia ; from 

 Messrs. H. C. Robinson and C. Boden Kloss of the Federated Malay 

 States Museum, who have named numerous birds and mammals ; 

 from Dr. P. van der Goot of Salatiga in Java, who has worked out the 

 Aphidae of the collection. 



Re-organization of tee Office. 



WJien the Zoological and Anthropological Section of the Indian 

 Museum underwent its metamorphosis into the Zoological Survey of 

 India it was found that many of the rules applicable to an institu- 

 tion governed by a body of Trustees were not applicable to a Govern- 

 ment department. For example, under the old system money in 

 hand at the end of the financial year could not be returned to Gov- 

 ernment but was credited to the Trustees' banking account, whereas 

 in all Government departments money unspent on the 1st of April 

 ceases to exist so far as the department is concerned. No new 

 clerical appointments of a permanent nature could be made at the 

 time and it was desirable that the necessary re-organization should 

 be carried out so far as possible with the permanent staff through 

 which it would have to be administered in future. The Trustees 

 of the Indian Museum generously agreed in these circumstances to 

 pay the salary of an experienced clerk transferred temporarily from 

 the office of the Comptroller, India Treasuries. Babu J. M. Mullick 

 was deputed for this purpose for about six months. He gave very 

 great assistance and was largely instrumental in carrying through 

 the changes of procedure smoothly and with a minimum of trouble. 

 The permanent staff, and in particular the Head Clerk, Babu 

 J. N. Bagchi, and Mr. E. C. Dormieux, Chief Gallery Assistant, also 

 worked with great diligence and intelligence in the matter. 



N. ANNANDALE, 



Director, 

 Zoological Survey of India. 



