PROCEEDINGS. 191 



peace and the process of settling back again into peace-time conditions was 

 well under weigh, it was hoped that the year 1920 would show a marked in- 

 crease in the Society's general prosperity both as regards new members and 

 cash balances. 



As regards the Mammal Fund, the balance at the commencement of the 

 year was Rs. 8,684-7-2 and the closing balance Rs. 12,389-2-5. During the 

 year under review the Mammal Survey was dormant till October 1919 

 except in Baluchistan where Lieut. -Col. Hotson at his own expense 

 defrayed half the charges of Mr. Baptista to carry on the Survey work in 

 that area and very valuable work was done. Col. Hotson is now continuing- 

 the work with the same assistance in S. Persia. As soon as it was discover- 

 ed that neither the services of Messrs. Shortridge nor Crump, who were in 

 charge of the Survey before the war, were again available Mr, Wells was 

 brought out from England and proceeded straight to Assam, We have 

 only just received his first collection of specimens. If funds will permit, it 

 is proposed to engage another Collector in order that this very valuable 

 survey may be the more quickly completed. 



CONTRIBUTIONS. 



As regards contributions received for the Museum since the last 

 meeting : — 



Two foxes and a jungle cat were presented by Capt. W. H. O. Shortt 

 from Baghdad, Mr. J. P. Mills, I.C.S., sent in a further lot of Mammal skins 

 from Assam, these include bamboo rats, flying squirrels, water shrews, a 

 marten, and a wild dog. A black bear skin and skull was received from 

 Lieut. -Col. G. W. Row, Manipur, Assam. The Society has obtained a few 

 bears' skins, from the Assam Hill Ranges. These have proved of great inter- 

 est and it is intended to Lave them examined and worked out at the British 

 Museum, so as to establish the identity of the various species found in 

 those hills. 4 black bucks' skins and skulls were presented by H. H. the 

 Maharaja of Dhar. Two very fine examples of the Arabian chukor (C melano- 

 cephala) were sent to us from the neighbourhood of Aden, by Captain R, 

 Bignell. This species is the largest of the chukor partridges and is a remark- 

 ably handsome bird. An Arabian saw-scaled viper was also received from 

 him. Two Indian Hobbys were presented by S. E. F. Jenkins, Pegu, and 

 Major F, C. Fraser, I.M.S., contributed a perfectly preserved skull of a 

 grampus from Bushire. 



MAMMAL SURVEY. 



The first consignmemt of specimens since the restarting of the Mam- 

 mal Survey, which was in abeyance during the war, has just been received 

 from Mr. H. W. Wells, the Society's Collector. Mr. Wells commenced work 

 in October last, starting at Margherita in Assam; he collected for some time 

 along the Assam-Burmese border but fonnd the jungle very thick and 

 heavy ; he is now at Tura in the Garo Hills. The collection just unpacked 

 consists of some 234 species and is extremely interesting. It includes some 

 remarkable monkeys and a fine series of shrews. The collection will shortly 

 be sent to the British Museum (Natural History) for identification and 

 return. Vast tracts of Assam present practically a virgin field to the Zoolo- 

 gical Collector and the work of the Mammal Survey will, it is hoped, be 

 productive of some remarkable additions to our knowledge of the fauna of 

 that interesting region. 



The Society is anxious to bring out a second collector and so complete 

 the Survey more quickly if only sufficient funds can be obtained. 



