1176 JOURNAL, BOMB AT NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



Contribution . 



1 Snake and several Insects 



Some Fresh Water Fishes, Frogs and 



Crabs. 

 A small collection of Butterflies 



12 Butterflies ...' 



1 Meteorite ■•• 



Lecality. 



Ootacamund 

 Coa 



Kulu 



Pachmahri 

 Kotteir, Punjab. 



Donor. 



Mrs. Millard. 

 Mr. P. F. Gomes. 



Mr. H. Whistler. 

 Capt. G. H. Evans. 

 General W. Osborn. 



Minor contributions from : — Major W. H. Kendrick, Major C. H. Ward 

 Messrs. J. H. Skelton, G. D. Ommanney, E. 0. Stuart Baker, G. M. Ryan, 

 A. H. Marshall, W. Palmer, L. Newcome, A. Marshall, B. N. Mundy and 

 Jaber AIL 



A WHALE AT VIZIADRUG. 



The Honorary Secretary said that the Society received information from 

 Mr. A. Wood, I.C.S., Collector of Salt Revenue, on the 11th instant, that 

 a large whale had been washed ashore on the rocks about 2-§ miles from 

 Viziadrug Customs House (Ratnagiri District). The Society at once sent 

 off a man to try and measure and obtain some information about the exter- 

 nal characters, which are still unknown, of the Indian Fin- Whales, but 

 unfortunately it was too late and the specimen had been broken to pieces 

 by the sea. 



From the information gained on the spot the whale measured about 70 

 feet in length, and was, therefore, probably a specimen of the Great Indian 

 Fin-whale (Balcenoptera indica). It was apparently stranded on the 6th 

 instant, and if only telegraphic information had been sent immediately to 

 the Society, it might have been possible to have obtained some valuable 

 information and notes on the subject. This was the second large whale 

 which had been washed up on the Bombay coast during the last 5 years, 

 and unfortunately they were still without any information as to the exter- 

 nal characters of the Indian Fin-Whales. 



SPECIAL APPEAL FOR THE COLLECTION OF MAMMALS. 



The Honorary Secretay then drew the attention of members to the urgent 

 need of good specimens of Indian mammals, in which not only the Society 

 itself, but even the South Kensington Natural History Museum, London 

 is more deficient than is generally realised. 



He considered the question of such importance and he felt sure that in 

 this he had the support of all those interested in Natural History, that he 

 had drawn up a special appeal for funds to meet the expenses of two trained 

 collectors, whom it was proposed to bring out from home, to collect Indian 

 mammals for the Society. 



This would be the first real attempt to collect mammals in India, which 

 as far as he knew had never before been systematically worked. 



