913 



EDITORIAL. 



Since the last Editorial was written the Society has suffered a great lo?^ 

 through the death of Mr. R. C. Wroughton. Mr. Wroughton joined the 

 Society in 1886 ; being in the Indian Forest Service he had ample opportun- 

 ities of indulging his love for Natural History and demonstrating bis affection 

 for the Society, but it was after his retirement from this country that his main 

 work for the Society was done. 



When the Mammal Survey of India was started in 1912 it was essential 

 that practically the whole time services of an expert naturalist should be 

 secured for the work at the British Museum. Mr. Wroughton volunteered his 

 services as an honorary worker and until within three weeks of his death 

 worked like a Trojan at his task. His reports in this Journal give but a small 

 idea of the amount of work he did. Our collectors and the staff at our 

 Museum know what encouragement his letters were to them, how great was 

 the value of his advice, and how stimulating his determination to let no 

 difficulties stand in the way of carrying out the task the Society had set its 

 hand to. A true friend, his loss will be felt by many and the sympathy of 

 our members will go out to his widow. His brother-in-law, Mr. T. B. Fry, 

 who was also in the Indian Forest Service and collabocated for some years 

 with Mr. Wroughton at the British Museum, has kindly offered to help with 

 the work at the National Museum in connection with the Survey. 



Several points have arisen of late of interest to members of the Society. 



The response to the Committee's appeal that members should agree to an 

 enhanced subscription has been most encouraging for the future work of the 

 Society. Not only have there been very few resignations — exceptionally few — 

 but members, realising the Society was in need of money, have paid up the 

 extra Rupees Ten with commendable promptitude. Judging from results, 

 the Committee's decision to allow old members six months grace in which to 

 commute their annual subscription to Life membership at the old rate of 

 Rs. 200 was too much in favour of the member. A large number of members 

 have taken advantage of securing Life membership for a single payment of 

 Rupees Two Hundred instead of an annual payment of Twenty-five, and we 

 Wish them many years of life in which to rejoice over their far sightedness. 

 The money received on account of Life members is invested and not used as 

 current income. 



Unfortunately we have to report in a very different frame on the financial 

 aspect of the Society's Mammal Survey. This is the most important time in 

 the whole period oi the Survey. The Home Government have sanctioned a 

 revision of the Fauna of British India and Mr. Wroughton had been deputed 

 along with Mr. M. G. Hinton to revise the volume on Mammalia. The work 

 of the Survey up-to-date has proved of the greatest value in increasing our 

 knowledge of the Mammalia of India, but much remains to be done, and to bo 

 done at once if the volume is to be pubUshed up-to-date. We do not want 

 the first of the new Fauna Series to be out of date within a few months of 

 pubhcation, yet this is what will probably happen unless the Manunal Survey 

 continues its work. Yet what is our present position r In Assam we have 

 two Collectors, Mr. Wells and iMr. Primrose. On the borders of Travancore, 

 we have one. Mr. Reilly O'Brien, who is kindly being looked after and assist- 

 ed by Mr. A. P. Kinloch. In Nepal Col. Kennion has arranged facihties for 

 one of our Indian Collectors who is doing satisfactory work. In Cashmere we 

 have a youngster being trained to the work by Mr. T. R. D. Bell and another 

 young collector is being trained by Major Cheesman in the Persian Gulf Islands- 

 The Map we published in No. II of this Volume wiU have shown members the 

 amount of work there is still to do. 



