EDITORIAL. 183 



the annual subscription, including postage on Journals and registration is 

 £1-15-9 payable in London. Members in England having money trans- 

 actions with the Society are asked to pay cheques drawn on English Banks 

 into our Bankers at home, and so obviate any loss to the Society throuo-h 

 varying exchange. 



We would draw the attention of members to the appeal from Mr. E. C 

 Stuart Baker for information regarding eggs and nesting habits of Partrid- 

 ges, which he requires for his paper on these birds in his serial on Game 

 Birds now current in the Journal. It would be very advantageous if 

 members who have the opportunity for making observations or collecting 

 eggs would communicate with Mr. Stuart Baker. It is on the activities of 

 its members that a Society like ours must chiefly rely. It is due to their 

 efforts that so much has been accomplished in the past and we look to their 

 continued assistance and support in the future. 



Butterfly collectors will be interested in Col. C. H. Ward's ofler of a 

 collection of Indian butterflies. Col. Ward has been collecting for several 

 years and his collections offer a great opportunity to members interested. 



With the view to assist in the ready identification of poisonous snakes, 

 the Society has in course of preparation a chart by means of which pois- 

 onous and non-poisonous snakes may be readily distinguished. The use of 

 technicalities has been entirely avoided; the object of the chart being to 

 oft'er to the layman, by the use of simple diagrams, an easy method by 

 which he may tell whether a snake is poisonous or not. The chart has 

 already been approved by several Provincial Governments for use in their 

 schools and hospitals and dispensaries. For the individual member we are 

 preparing a folding pocket chart which he can carry with him on shikar 

 trips or for use on occasions when information on this point might be of 

 vital importance. For the medical cure of snake bite it is essential that 

 the species of snake should be known. Generally the snake which caused 

 the injury is killed and by means of this chart an easy method of identifi- 

 cation will be found. Instances are on record where people have died of 

 fright after being bitten by a perfectly harmless species. Such a chart as 

 this should go far towards spreading knowledge of a subject which is of great 

 importance to people resident in India. We expect to have copies ready 

 by next cold weather ; the price will be low and members can register 

 their names for copies now if desired. 



Mr. Stuart Baker is preparing a Hand List of the Birds of the Indian 

 Empire which will summarise the extent of our present day knowledge of 

 Indian Avifauna. The list will show the various races, will include the many 

 recently described species, and will give short notes as regards distribution 

 and locality where the types were obtained. The list will be published'ln 

 our Journal and on completion will be issued separately and ought to be a 

 welcome addition to the library of all those interested in ornithology, 



A similar list is being prepared by Col. Wall in connection with the 

 snakes. Both these lists will be useful supplements to the volumes in the 

 Fauna of British India Series which, owing to the advancement of our 

 knowledge in recent years, have in many instances been rendered practi- 

 cally obsolete. 



Members who were in Mesopotamia, and those especially _ who 

 helped with the collection, will be sorry to learn that the Society's 

 entire collection of Mesopotamian Lizards was lost in transit after having 

 been identified at the British Museum. We take this opportunity of 

 appealing to those still stationed in Mesopotamia to remedy the loss by 

 sending us fresh specimens. Specimens should be put into fairly strong 

 spirits of wine and after " pickling " for some time they can be taken out 

 and wrapped in cotton soaked in the spirit, and soldered up in a tin for 

 despatch by post. 



