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h«use, and we soon found ourselves living in clover in the finest 

 Club in India. Madras is often spoken of in other parts, of the 

 Empire as the benighted presidency, but there was nothing 

 benighted in the hospitality and kindness we received on all sides 

 while we were in Southern India. 



The chief attractix)n to the naturalist in Madras is its fine 

 Museum. We spent some time amongst its collections of butter- 

 flies, from which some idea could be gained of the entomolo- 

 gical wealth of the neighbouring Nilghiris. I regretted that 

 time did not allow a visit to these interesting hills. Birds and 

 nests were fairly represented, but the chief feature of the 

 natural history side was the magnificent collection of minerals. 

 Until this collection has been seen, it is almost impossible to 

 conceive the mineral richness of India. It would be out of place 

 to do more than mention the valuable and interesting collection 

 of antiquities and modern art to be found on the other side of 

 the Museum. 



Our work kept us fully occupied in Madras and as soon as 

 it was done we went on to Conjeeveram. Here we visited some 

 interesting Hindu temples, with richly covered gateways or 

 gopuras fifty or sixty feet in height. We were surrounded by 

 Brahmin priests and the usual attendant rabble of loafers. 

 Chains of flowers v/ere hung round our necks and we walked 

 about the court yards feeling like animals ready for the 

 slaughter. However a moderate baksheesh satisfied our captors, 

 and after the same had been extended to a sacerdotal elephant 

 who had been instructed to come up and beg from strangers for 

 the good of the temple, we were allowed to depart in peace. 



At Trichinopoly vegetation became more tropical. The 

 brushwood was thicker and mere luxuriant, and cocoanut.g and 

 bamboos occurred in greater quantity. We began to realise that 

 we were getting towards the southern extremity of India. AV^e 

 visited an immense Hindu temple at Sriringam, covering an area 

 of about a quarter of a square mile. Its gopuras resembled those 

 of I 'otijeeveram and other South Indian temples. We also 

 climbed the famous Trichinopoly Rock, gallantly captured by 

 the English at the beginning of the century. From the top we 

 looked down on the squalid town at our feitt, while beyond the 

 river rose the gopuras of Sriringam half hidden by cocoanuts, 

 palms and other trees. 



Cholera had appeared in Trichinopoly, so we were not 

 sorry to move on to Tanjore. A feast was evidently in pronress, 

 and as we walked under the magnificent gateway of the temple, 

 a native band struck up a salute of the most discordant music. 

 This, however, we were fain to accept in the spirit in which it 

 was given. The temple of Tanjore possesses an immense number 



