ON THE ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY OF THE WE5T INDIA ISLANDS. 357 



Ai-wstichtvi Auhertii, widely spread in continental America, but new to 

 the West Indies. Other interesting plants collected by Mr. Sherring are 

 Schizcca jluminensis, Miers, new to the West Indies, but believed to be 

 only a shade variety of S. dichotoma, and Bamea pohjmorpha, Leprieur, a 

 critical form of which but little is known. 



An account of vascular cryptogams collected at Grenada is in course 

 of being prepared for the ' Annals of Botany.' 



Mr. Sherring has prepared an interesting report on the flora of 

 Grenada, and this, with a valuable series of photographs, to be shown at 

 the Cardiff meeting of the British Association, will prove of great interest 

 to students of West Indian botany. 



A collection of plants was received from Dr. NichoUs at the same 

 time as the specimens in zoology already noticed. These consisted of fifty- 

 six species of vascular cryptogams — all of them were, however, well-known 

 West Indian plants — and a small number (175 numbers) of phanerogams. 

 The latter have not yet been determined. 



The Committee recommend their reappointment, with the •following 

 members: Dr. Sclater, Mr. Carruthers, Professor Newton, Mr. Godman, 

 Dr. Giinther, and Dr. Sharp. The Committee also recommend that the 

 grant of lOOZ. placed at their disposal, but not expended during the 

 current year, be renewed. 



Draft of Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor Flower 

 {Chairman), Mr. D. Sharp (Secretary), Dr. Blanford, Dr. 

 HiCKSON, Professor NE-\VTO>f, Professor Eiley, INIr. 0. Salvin, 

 and Dr. Sclater, appointed to report on the present state of 

 our knoivledge of the Zoology of the Sandwich Islands, and to 

 take steps to investigate ascertained deficiencies in the Fauna. 



The Committee beg leave to state that the zoology of the Sandwich 

 Islands has been only partially investigated. A very incomplete col- 

 lection of insects was made there some years since by the Rev. T. Black- 

 burn, and described by himself and others, showing that important results 

 as to the origin, or origins, of the fauna of the archipelago may be ex- 

 pected from the study of this group. The land shells of the islands are 

 very numerous, and are supposed to be fairly well known through the 

 efforts of the Rev. J. T. Gulick and Mr. Pease ; but it is the opinion of 

 many zoologists that additional information as to the distribution of the 

 moUusca in these islands would be very valuable. The birds have 

 been within the last few years the main object of a visit made to the 

 islands by Mr. Scott Wilson, who passed about eighteen months upon the 

 islands without being able to complete a thorough investigation of their 

 ornithologj'. Some departments of the zoology have not been investi- 

 gated in any way, and there is strong evidence that the fauna is rapidly 

 disappearing. 



Under these circumstances the Committee have been desirous of send- 

 ing a competent zoological collector to the islands ; but the grant made 

 by the Association being insufficient for that purpose the Committee 

 decided to communicate with the Hawaiian Government to learn whether 

 it would in any way assist in the research. A very favourable answer 

 to the application of the Committee was made by the Foreign Minister of 



