ON THE NATUBAL HISTORY OP SOCOTRA. 195 



increased by the proceeds of the sale of the duplicate birds (71. 10s.) 

 and land shells (3L 2s.), making a balance of 36Z. 19s. IQd. now in the 

 hands of the Committee for future operations. 



The greater part of the zoological collection made by Professor Balfour 

 has now been worked out, chiefly by the. Assistants in the Zoological 

 Department of the British Museum, to which institution the first complete 

 series of zoological specimens of every class has been assigned. 



The following reports on these collections have been published in the 

 ' Proceedings ' of the Zoological Society of London : — 



1. On the Birds collected in Socotra by Professor I. Bayley Balfour. 

 By P. L. Sclater and Dr. G. Hartlaub. 'P.Z.S.' 1881, p. 165. 



2. On the Lepidoptera collected in Socotra by Professor I. B. Balfour. 

 By Arthur G. Butler. ' P.Z.S.' 1881, p. 175. 



3. On the Land Shells of the Island of Socoti-a, collected by Professor 

 Bayley Balfour. By Lieut.-Colonel H. H. Godwin-Austen. Part I. 

 'P.Z.S.' 1881, p. 251. 



4. Descriptions of the Amphisbasnians and Ophidians collected by 

 Professor I. Bayley Balfour in the Island of Socotra. By Dr. A. Giinther. 

 'P.Z.S.' 1881, p. 461. 



5. Notes on the Lizards collected in Socotra by Professor I. Bayley 

 Balfour. By W. T. Blanford. ' P.Z.S.' 1881, p. 464. 



6. On the Coleopterous Insects collected by Professor I. Bayley Balfour 

 in the Island of Socotra. By Charles O. Waterhouse. 'P.Z.S.' 1881, 

 p. 460. 



7. On the Hymenoptei'a collected by Professor I. Bayley Balfour in 

 Socotra. By W. F. Kirby. ' P.Z.S.' 1881, p. 649. 



8. On the Land Shells of the Island of Socotra collected by Professor 

 I. Bayley Balfour. By Lieut.-Colonel H. H. Godwin-Austen. Part II. 

 Helicacea. ' P.Z.S.' 1881, p. 802. 



The following are some of the more remarkable points touched upon 

 in these reports : — 



The Birds, reported upon by Mr. Sclater and Dr. Hartlaub, are found 

 to belong to thirty-six species — generally 'North-east African in character, 

 being mostly such as are included in Heiiglin's " Ornithologie Nord-ost- 

 Afrikas." ' Six, however, are peculiar to the island, the most remarkable of 

 them being a new form of sparrow with a very thick bill, which is named 

 by Messrs. Sclater and Hartlaub Ixhyncliostmthus socotranus. 



Mr. Butler's report on the Butterflies and Moths captured by Professor 

 Bayley Balfour and his assistants in Socotra, tells us that of the thirteen 

 species of which examples were brought, not less than seven were new 

 to science. ' Of the new forms five are allied to previously-recorded types 

 from the following localities : — one from the Comoro Islands, one from 

 South-west Africa, one from Zanzibar, and two from Arabia. Without 

 the help of these last two it would therefore have been impossible for 

 anyone not acquainted with it to guess at the locality from which this 

 collection had been obtained.' 



The Reptiles collected by Professor Balfour in Socotra have been 

 worked out by Dr. Giinther and Mr. W. T. Blanford, Dr. Giinther taking 

 the Snakes and AmphisbiBuians, and Mr. Blanford the remaining Laccr- 

 tilians. Both of these collections were found to be of considerable 

 interest. Among the snakes is a new form allied to Tachijmenis, which 

 Dr. Giinther has proposed to call Bitypophis, and a new species of Zamenis 

 {Z. soootrce): Both these indicate an allistnce with the circum-Mediter- 



