PROCEEDINGS, 426 



this represents the cost of the production and issue of the Journal it shows 

 that the subscriptions received from the members does not cover the cost 

 of the production of the Journal in its present form. The number of new 

 members this year as shown by entrance fees was 195, a good increase 

 over last year. As I intimated last year I think the time has now come 

 if we are to maintain the work of the Society in the efficient manner that 

 it is now being carried on, to seriously consider the question of an increase 

 in the annual subscription of members and I would suggest that after the 

 end of the current year the subscription be increased from Rs. 15 to 

 Rs. 20 per annum which would place the Society on a sound financial 

 basis and I hardly think that members, taking into considertion the value 

 they now get in the Journal will object to this small increase. 



Mammal Survey Fund. — The opening balance of this fund wasRs. 17,090 

 and the closing balance Rs. 15,517, showing an expenditure over receipts 

 of Rs. 1,572. Donations received during the year amounted toRs. 11 541. 

 We have had two collectors, Mr. Crump and Mr. Shortridge, working during 

 the year, and it has been decided that the receipts justified our obtainino- 

 a third collector ( Major Mayor ) who will start work early in 1913. The 

 total amount received towards this fund up to the end of 1912, including 

 interest on deposits, amounted to Rs. 35,703 and it is hoped that sufficient 

 further donations may be forthcoming to enable the Society to complete 

 the Mammal Survey of India, Burma and Ceylon. 



EXHIBITS. 



Mr. G. C. Shortridge exhibited a collection of mammals from Coorg. 

 While there he received a very large amount of assistance from Mr. J. A. 

 Graham, Mr. F. Hannyngton, I.C.S., Mr. H. Cuthell and others, the 

 consequence being that the collection is an exceptionally fine one com- 

 prising a large number of species not hitherto obtained by the Survey. 

 Among the most interestixig of these were, the black langur — not pre- 

 viously known to occur North of the Nilgiris — the large short-tailed fruit 

 bat, the leopard cat, Jerdon's toddy cat, the striped necked mono-oose 

 — the largest representative of its genus in Asia — the Nilgiri brown 

 mongoose, the hill and clawless otters, the South Indian marton the 

 pigmy striped squirrel, and the Malabar spiny rat. The others include 

 a very interesting series of three forms of the large Malabar squirrel and 

 the flying squirrel. Besides the species not represented in previous 

 collections — many of the others obtained show very striking variations 

 from those collected further north. 



Mr. Mahaluxmiwala exhibited the flowers of the following trees and 

 shrubs grown in the Victoria Gardens, Bombay : — " Cochlospermum 

 gossypium," " Brownea ariza, " " Brownea coccinna," and '' Pachira 

 insignis." 



H. H. the Rao of Cutch congratulated Mr. Shortridge on the interestino- 

 collection of animals v/hich he had made in Coorg and which they saw 

 before them and expressed a hope that his work in Burma and Major 

 Mayor's efforts in Ceylon would result in further valuable collections. 

 His Highness said that he took great interest in the work of the Society 

 and particularly in the Mammal Survey. 



A vote of thanks was passed to His Highness for presiding and the 

 meeting terminated. 



Owing to the large numbers of specimens exhibited by Mr. Shortrido-e 

 no specimens presented to the Society since the previous meeting were 

 exhibited. 



A full acknowledgment list will however appear in the account of the 

 next meeting. 



