ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SOCOTRA. 227 
expedition has amounted to 300. Towards this he has now received 
assistance from the British Association and the Royal Society to the 
amount of about 1907. He may to some moderate extent recoup himself 
further by the sale of duplicates. 
Your Committee, on reviewing what has been accomplished since its 
' first appointment, are of opinion that the Association may fairly con- 
gratulate itself on the successful result of an expedition carried out ina 
most efficient, but most economical way; it would probably not have 
been undertaken at all without its timely assistance. They. believe that 
the scientific results obtained do not fall short of their original anticipa- 
tions. Timor-laut,! as its name indeed implies, is the last link to the 
east of the Malayan insular chain, and the commingling of the forms of 
life belonging to the great geographical regions, the Malayan and the 
Papuan, which it exhibits, is of peculiar interest, and merits the most 
careful study. 
Your Committee believe that the Association would not wish that a 
scientific man like Mr. Forbes, who has carried out a task of so laborious 
and, indeed, perilous a kind should be dealt with in anything short of a 
reasonably liberal way. 
Having regard, therefore, to the fact that the botanical collections 
have still to be discussed, and the anthropological and ethnographical 
collections more fully worked out, your Committee ask for their re- 
appointment, and that a sum of 100/. should be placed at their disposal. 
The grant of 50/7. made at Southampton was, as already stated, prac- 
tically only a re-vote of the grant made at Swansea, which lapsed. 
Mr. Forbes will be present at the Southport meeting. 
Report of the Committee, consisting of Lieut.-Col. Gopwin-AUSTEN, 
Dr. G. Hartiavs, Sir J. Hooker, Dr. GUNTHER, Mr. SEEBOHM, 
and Mr. P. L. Sctater (Secretary), appointed for the purpose of 
investigating the Natural History of Socotra and the adjacent 
Highlands of Arabia and Somali Land. 
THE balance left in the hands of the Committee last year was 143]. 13s. 2d. 
Together with interest since accrued it now amounts to 145]. 1s. 10d. 
There has been no further sale of the duplicates, but a few specimens 
of some of the land and fresh-water shells still remain on hand for 
disposal. 
Professor Bayley Balfour’s labours on the botanical collection made 
in Socotra are nearly brought to a close, and the results will shortly be 
published in a volume of the ‘Transactions’ of the Royal Society of 
Edinburgh. The value and completeness of this memoir will be much 
increased by the additional specimens subsequently obtained in Socotra 
sa Schweinfurth, which have been lent to Professor Balfour by the 
collector. 
' ‘Laut’ signifies ‘eastward’ or ‘ seaward,’ and refers to the position of Timor- 
laut in relation to Timor. 
Q2 
