1884.] PROF. F. J. BELL ON THE SPECIES OF OREASTER. 57 



were quite unexplored, and Nipal, it should be remembered, is still, 

 with the exception of a very small tract in the lower hills around 

 Katmandu, inaccessible to Europeans. 



"Apart from their intrinsic merit as admirable representations of 

 the Himalaya avifauna, these drawings have an especial value for two 

 reasons. In the first place, they have Mr. Hodgson's generic and 

 specific names on tiiem in his own handwriting, and therefore prevent 

 any question as to the species to which these names refer. This is 

 important, because, as is well known, several of Mr. Hodgson's 

 names were printed in British-Museum Catalogues without de- 

 scriptions, and mistakes were in some cases made by the naturalists, 

 who endeavoured to identify the species without having access to the 

 original types. In the secoud place, it must not be forgotten that 

 Mr. Hodgson is to this day the only naturalist who has had the 

 opportunity of making large ornithological collections in Nipal, and, 

 as he has never published his observations in full, the notes attached 

 to the present collection form the only record of Nepalese orni- 

 thology in existence. It is moreover quite possible, owing to the 

 great destruction of forests in the Lower Himalayas of late years, 

 that no such collections as were made by Mr. Hodgson will ever 

 again be brought together in the same area. 



" For the last twelve years the drawings have been lent to Mr. 

 A. O. Hume, and their value is admirably shown by his frequent 

 references to them in the volumes of ' Stray Feathers' and in his work 

 on the ' Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds.' All that is known of the 

 nidification and zoology of several Indian Birds is contained in these 

 sheets. Mr. Hume has added to the value of the drawings, and 

 greatly facilitated their arrangement by numbering them in accordance 

 with the numbers in Jerdon's ' Birds of India ' and with the more 

 complete list published in 'Stray Feathers,' vol. viii. p. 81." 



Mr. Blanford concluded his remarks by recommending that the 

 drawings should be carefully mounted and arranged, and bound in 

 twelve volumes. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Contributions to the Systematic Arrangement of the 

 Asteroiclea. — II. The Species of Or easier. By F. 

 Jeffrey Bell, M.A., Sec.R.M.S., Professor of Compa- 

 rative Anatomy in King's College. 



[Eeeeived January 16, 1884.] 

 Introductory. 



In addition to the fine series of specimens of Oreaster collected 

 by Dr. Coppinger during the voyage of H.M.S. 'Alert' in the 

 Australian seas, the Trustees of the British Museum have lately 

 acquired by purchase some magnificent specimens from Dr. Bolsius 

 of BillitoD, and others, less remarkable, from various collectors. 



