26 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



Malay States, and to express his cordial thanks to the Ceylon 

 Government for the promise of assistance in this matter, and 

 to Mr. Willey, Director of the Colombo Museum, for his 

 report. 



2. I am to inquire whether the Ceylon Government would be 

 good enough to permit, and the Director be good enough to under- 

 take to act on, the suggestions contained in paragraph 11 of 

 his report and send over an experimental consignment of fifty 

 crows at the expense of this Government, addressed to care of 

 A. D. Neubronner, Esq., Perak Government Agent, Penang, to 

 be forwarded to E. V. Carey, Esq., Klang, and to telegraph to 

 Mr. Neubronner the name of the steamer and the date of 

 despatch. 



3. Mr. Carey, to whom the report of the Director was referred, 

 has made the following suggestions : — 



"I should say that the initial experiment might be confined to 

 the capture of, say, fifty crows, rough wooden or bamboo cages 

 being constructed for them and food supplied until they began 

 either to die or to settle down sufiBciently to admit of their being 

 shipped across with a reasonable chance of arriving in good con- 

 dition. Perhaps the Director of the Ceylon Museum would 

 undertake the preliminary steps, or arrange for the fifty crows to 

 be delivered, in good condition and well fed, on board ship. It 

 would obviously be out of the question for a man to be sent over 

 to Ceylon from here to attend to the matter, until, at any rate, it 

 has been shown that the birds will stand confinement and the 

 voyage across, and even then it would be cheaper and probably 

 more satisfactory to contract for their delivery in large numbers 

 on board ship in Colombo." 



4. Mr. Carey adds : — 



" Whilst on this subject I should mention that Mr. E. B. Prior 

 of the Golden Hope estate, Selangor, reports that he has shot 

 several crows amongst his cocoanuts, having found them knocking 

 down and destroying the blossom. I cannot but believe that there 

 is some mistake about this, but would suggest that the Director 

 be asked whether there is any danger of anything of the sort 

 occurring or if any similar experience has been recorded in 

 Ceylon." 



5. The Resident-General will be much obliged if the above 

 paragraph may be referred to Mr. Willey for his consideration. 



I am, &c., 



C. W. H. COCHRANE, 

 for Acting Secretary to Resident-General, 



