1140 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



for funds to enable them to employ two or more trained European 

 Collectors to make a collection of the Mammals of India, Burma 

 and Ceylon , all over the country, and in anticipation of obtaining 

 the necessary money they commenced by engaging the services of 

 Mr. C. A. Crump who collected for several years with Colonel 

 Ward in Kashmir. 



The sum, which it has been estimated, will be required for the 

 purposes of this scheme to maintain two Collectors for two years 

 only is Rs. 30,000 (£ 2,000), which can hardly be considered a 

 large sum when we consider the enormous expanse to be covered 

 and the great value the results of the work will be to Zoology in 

 India. 



In recent years a few volunteers have sent in specimens parti- 

 cularly Colonel Ward, Major Dunn, Major Magrath and Captain 

 Whitehead, but it is recognised that the European in this country, 

 whether in Military or Civil employ, has neither the time nor 

 opportunity to collect Mammals and that the only way in which 

 such work can be satisfactorily done is by the employment of 

 trained men for the purpose. Mr. Oldfield Thomas, in charge of 

 the Mammal Department at the British Museum (Natural His- 

 tory), South Kensington, fully supports our scheme and has 

 agreed to identify all specimens for our Society and to describe 

 any new species or varieties in our Journal. 



At present, until sufficient funds are forthcoming, the Society 

 dare not employ more than the one Collector, but it will be a 

 regrettable thing if this is not speedily altered, and if only the 

 money was obtainable the Society has at the present moment the 

 chance of obtaining the services of Mr. Shortridge, as he has 

 been recently invalided home from the New Guinea Expedition. 



A good many members and others in Burma and elsewhere haw 

 kindly offered to help our Collectors when they visit their districts. 

 and this assistance is greatly appreciated, but more money must be 

 obtained if the scheme is not to fall through. 



The Society has some 1,500 Members on its Register, and if 

 only each member would contribute Rs. 10 a year for two years 

 this would guarantee the whole sum. 



