xvi Annual Report. [Febi^uaiy, 1907, 



them being by Captain A. T. Gage and two of them coming to 

 the Society from England: together tbej^ add to the flora of 

 British India 17 species, to the flora of Thibet 9 species, to the 

 flora of China 12 species and to the flora of Japan 2 species. 

 Our contributors across the sea were Dr. O. Stapf of Kew 

 and Mr, Spencer Moore of the British Museum of ^Natural 

 History, South Kensington. Under the section of Chemistry 

 three papers have been contributed by members. In a paper 

 on Silver dioxide and silver peroxynite, Prof. E. R. Watson, of 

 Sibpur, deals with the composition of the black crystalline 

 substance found at the anode during the electrolysis of aqueous 

 solutions of silver nitrate. The author explains the formation 

 of the compound and gives analyses of the salt obtained under 

 varying conditions. The milk of the Indian buffalo has also been 

 the subject of an investigation by Prof. Watson. The nature of 

 the milk-sugar and the constitution of the butter-fat were the 

 main points of the enquiry, and the results are not only of 

 importance to scientific agriculture, but will enable the analyst, 

 in future, to differentiate between buffalo's and cow's milk. The 

 third paper is that of Mr. J. C. Ray, mentioned above. In the 

 Memoirs an article has appeared on the remarkable habit of earth- 

 eating in India, written by Messrs. Hooper and Mann. Although 

 this subject is of anthropological interest, the authors have taken the 

 trouble to chemically analyse thirty-two samples of the material 

 usually resorted to by mud- eaters in all parts of the country. The 

 specimens were all of mineral origin and contained large quanti- 

 ties of silica, and were, as a consequence, devoid of the usual ele- 

 ments of nutrition found in ordinary human food- 



At the suggestion of Major L. Rogers, I. M.S., a new section, 

 <3alled the " Medical Section," was added to the Society, and Major 

 F. P. Maynard, I. M.S., was appointed its Secretary. The reason 

 for the addition is that Medical Members have no organization 

 permitting their meeting to discuss subjects of special medical 

 interest. The recommendations approved by the Council are as 

 follows : 



1. " That there be created a new section to be called the 



' Medical Section.' 



2. " That a sectional Secretaiy be appointed by the Council 



under Rule 51, who shall be an ex-officio member of 

 the Publication Committee. 



3. *' That all business connected with papers of the Medical 



Section be submitted, in the first instance, to the Pub- 

 lication Committee. 



i. " That papers of a purely technical nature, which are un- 



suitable for a General Meetins:, be read at an adjourn- 

 ed meeting. Neither these papers nor their authors 

 shall be mentioned by name in the Society's circulars, 

 but shall be duly announced from the chair ''at the 

 time of adjournment.'* 



