February, 1907.] Awmal Report. xv 



that the zoological work of the Society is very largely in the hands 

 of professional and official zoologists who may, at any time, be 

 called upon to publish their researches departmentally. In India, 

 where there are so few professional zoologists, this state of affairs 

 is not satisfactory as it would be in Europe or America, where 

 every university and biological institution has its zoological staif, 

 and it is quite possible that the Society will be obliged to fall back, 

 as far as this branc)i of its activities is concerned, on amateui* sup- 

 port in the future. The majority of the papers pul>lished during 

 the year have dealt with Indian representative of group of animals 

 little studied in India hitherto. Dr. von Linstow of Gottingen 

 has written several short papers on parasitic wonris (two of which 

 represent new genera) sent him by the Indian Museum; Mr. G. 



A. Boulenger, F.K.S., and Mr. Tate Began, both of the British 

 Museum, have described new frogs and fishes from the same source ; 

 Mr. M, Burr has annotated a' collection of earwigs belonging to 

 the Museum, and Mr. R. Gnrney one of Entomostracous 

 Crustacea ; Mr, C. A. Paiva, Assistant to the Museum, has written 

 notes on other families of insects, and Captain F. Wall, J.MS., 

 Las published a descriptive Catalogue of the sea-snakes in the 

 Collection, Mr. A. T. Aiyar, an assistant in the Pusa Agricultural 

 Institute, having also contributed bionomical notes on the same 

 group. Dr, H. Mann has worked out the varying numerical pro- 

 portions of the sexes, under different conditions, in the cases of the 

 "Mosquito Blight" of tea. Dr. N. Annandale, offg. Superinten- 

 dent of the Indian Museum, has contributed to the Journal a 

 series of short papers and one longer one on investigations concern- 

 ing the fresh waters of India, especially the Calcutta tanks, «« well 

 as a Memoir on the fauna of a desert tract in Southern India, 

 while Lieut, Col. D. C, Phillott has commenced a sexier of notes 

 dealing with the animals and birds used in hunting in the East. 

 Thirteen botanical papers have been read befoi-e the Society 

 during the year, and two botanical exhibits made In addition. By 

 the date of the Annual Meeting all the thirteen pnpers will have 

 been published. Anioijg these papers and exhibits is one hy ]\Ir, 

 Jogesh Chandra Ray on the Hindu method of manufacturing Rice 

 spirit, which adds "to our knowledge of fermentation by means of 

 mould-fungi. From an examination of the wort taken at different 

 seasons the author prepared tables giving the yield of alcohol 

 and volatile acids, and conclnded by summarising the best 

 conditions under which rice fermentation may be conducted in 

 this country. Mr. Hooper's two contributions turn on industrial 

 uses of plants ; one call attention to the use of a wild Indian Nut- 

 meg for the manufactnre of candles, the other to the use of a vege- 

 table pulp for the making of vessels for holding water, ghi, etc. 



A contribution by Mr. I. H. Burkill discusses cafiefi of the 

 parasitism of one mistletoe upon another. Three of the remain- 

 ino- papers deal with flower-fertilisation, annojig which is one 

 upon the flower of the Jute plant— a part of investigations 

 in progress in India for the improvement of the Jute crop. 

 Lastly, ° there are seven papers on Systematic Botnny, two c;f 



