468 REPORT — 1895. 



ingly arrived in England last autumn, and for the next four months was 

 engaged in overhauling the very large collections he had previously made. 

 These proved to be of great importance, and the Committee has gratefully 

 to acknowledge the zeal and perseverance displayed by Mr. Perkins in 

 carrying out its wishes. As was to be expected, close examination made 

 it evident that much still remained to be done to complete the Commit- 

 tee's work of exploration. From the information given by Mr. Perkins, 

 it was clear that, unless the deficiencies be made good without loss of time, 

 this will never be done, the extinction of many members of the still 

 existing Fauna being not only inevitable, but immediate. The Com- 

 mittee, believing that it would be a matter for serious regret if the task, 

 on which so much labour and money have already been expended, were 

 left unfinished, resolved to send Mr. Perkins out again. With this object 

 it applied to the Council of the Royal Society for the sum of 100/., which 

 was granted, in order that he might start without delay, so as to take 

 advantage of the most favourable season of the present year. Mr. Perkins 

 reached Honolulu liefore the end of March last, and has since been 

 ■working, chiefly in the islands of Kauai and Hawaii. 



The Committee has also to report that a proposal has been received 

 from the trustees of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu, offering, 

 on certain conditions, to contribute liberally to the expenses of the iiivesti- 

 :gation your Committee is carrying on. Briefly stated, these terms are 

 that the trustees of the Museum in question are to have the third set of 

 the specimens collected by Mr. Perkins. Authority to treat with this 

 Museum Avas given by the Government Grant Committee of the Royal 

 ■Society, and it is hoped that the British Association will also approve of 

 ±his course. 



The Joint Committee has also decided that the first set of the birds 

 -tjollected by Mr. Perkins shall be placed in the British Museum, and the 

 second set in that of the University of Cambridge. 



Since the last report attention has been directed to working out the 



collections and furnishing detailed accounts thereof. A report on the 



Urthoptera is daily expected from Herr Hofrath Brunner von Wattenwyl ; 



Lord Walsingliam has commenced the examination of the Micro-Lepi- 



doptera, Mr. E. Meyrick that of the larger Lepidoptera. The Mollusca 



-iiave been entrusted to Mr. E. R. Sykes, who is working at them with 



the assistance of Mr. E. A. Smith. The Neuroptera have been sent to 



Mr. R. McLaclilan. Mr. Perkins has published a second paper on the 



Birds ; he also, while he was in this country last winter, made considerable 



progress in working out the Ilymenoptera. The Rev. F. O. Pickard 



^Cambridge has looked over the Spiders hitherto received, and estimates 



them at about 200 species, of which it is probable the majority may prove 



to be new. The extensive series of Coleoptera is being prepared, at the 



■ Cambridge University Museum, for examination. 



The Committee is at present in want of funds to maintain Mr. 

 Perkins in the islands until it receives money on accoun'-, of the proposed 

 .agreement with the trustees of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum. It there- 

 fore asks for reappointment, with power to avail itself of the assistance 

 vof this Museum, and for a grant of 100/. 



