379 



EDITORIAL. 



In the preceding pages of this number there appears a report of the work of this 

 Society since the Armistice. The report ^yas originally written with the 

 idea that Government and other Natural History Societies and Institu- 

 tions should know what this Society had been doing, was doing, and intended 

 to do, but subsequently recognising that it was fii-st and foremost necessary 

 that the members of the Society should be kept thoroughly acquainted with 

 the work of the Society, which they maintain through their subscriptions, the 

 Committee decided to publish the report in the Journal. It will, we hope, prove 

 of interest. 



Before this Journal is issued members will all have been made aware of the 

 proposals to transfer part of the Museum of this Society from its old quarters 

 in Apollo Street to the premises of the Prince of Wales' Museum in Bombay. 

 Until the original idea of building a Natxu-al History wing to the existing Prince 

 of Wales Museum building is carried into effect — and for Avant of money it is 

 unlikely that this will be effected for several years — the offices and work of tli*- 

 Society will be carried on in the old premises. The change will not affect the 

 Interests of members in any way, nor the personal relation which has for so long 

 existed between the upcomitry members and the Committee in Bombay. What 

 the change will bring about, it is hoped, is that the collections to which mem- 

 bers have contributed in the past, and which we believe members will contri- 

 bute to in the future, will be better looked after than it is now possible to 

 look after them in our crowded quarters. With better Museum accommodation 

 we should be able to be of more assistance to members who wish to work out 

 their own collections, or have them worked out for them, and we shall be 

 able to let others have some benefit from the interesting exhibits which have 

 been received from our members during the course of nearly forty years. 

 Naturalists are the least selfish of men and it must have been a source of regret 

 to many that the valuable collections this Society possesses have, for reasons 

 outside its oAvn control, been inaccessible to the general public, and for the 

 matter of that to the general run of members. 



Before touching on the work of the Society's Mammal Survej^ during the 

 past few months, the Editors have been asked by the Committee to express 

 their thanks, and the thanks of all the members of the Society, to General Hi.s 

 Excellency Maharaja Sir Chandra Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana, G.C.B., 

 G.C.S.I., G.C.M.G., etc., Prime Minister of Nepal, for his kindness in allowing 

 one of our trained Indian collectors to work in Nepal. Owing to this permission 

 we have been able to send a qualified skinner, who was trained in Natural 

 History work by Mr. Kinnear, to work under Col. R. L. Kennion in Nepal. 

 It is a piece of good fortune which we had long hoped for but had not dared to 

 ask for until we were able to do so through the instrumentality of Col. Kennion, 

 whose interest in Natural History is so well knoAvn. Since Brian Hodgson 

 collected in Nepal from 1830 to 1845 the country has been practically unworked, 

 para-types of his original type specimens are badly wanted by the British 

 Museum and other Museums, and the results of His Highness' permission 

 should be most valuable. 



]\Ir. Wells is still carrying on the work of the Survey in Assam and avc are 

 very grateful to Mr. A. J. W. Milroy, one of our members, who has afforded 

 Mr.' Wells the opportunity of accompanying him on a journey into the Cachar 

 Hills, where, with Mr. Milroy's assistance, it is hoped he will be able to do some 

 very useful collecting in country which without the personal assistance ot 

 officials it would be practically impossible for him to travel in. r, • * ' 



The statement has, we believe, been made that the work of the Society s 

 Mammal Survey supplants and undertakes work which has so far been done 



