president's address. 243 



Alexander, Dr. J. F. Bacon, Col, AV. G. Baker, Sir David Barclay, 

 Col. E. H. Beddomc, Capt. C. A. Benson, Dr. ^Y. Bland, E.N., 

 Capt. "W". T. Boys, Lient. Burkinyoung, Dr. Theo. Cantor, J. Chesson, 

 Lieut. W. G. Cox, Dr. Francis Day, Eev. S. B. Fairbank, Major 

 FitzGerald, Col. Robert Gordon, A. A. Gould, Capt. J. C. HaugMon, 

 Dr. Heifer, Dr. 11. Hnngerford, Col. Jenkins, Dr. Jerdon, E. L. 

 Layard, Hugh iS^evill, Dr. J. T. Pearson, Jas. Prinscp, Dr. Eawes, 

 Major Rowlatt, Capt. Sankey, R.E., and Mrs Sankey, J. Doyle Smith, 

 Sir E. Tennent, Dr. Thomson, Dr. Traill, Robert Trotter, and 

 Dr. Walker. 



I began collecting seriously in 1862, and my first small gathering, 

 made near Skardo in Little Tibet, was sent home to be named by 

 S. P. Woodward.^ At this time Captain Thomas Hutton, who had 

 retired and was residing at Jellapahar Mussoorie, was the first officer 

 I met, after ten years in the country, who possessed a library, with the 

 exception of Dr. Verchere, a geologist, who took an interest in natural 

 history. I owe a considerable debt of gratitude to Hutton for the loan 

 of books and for assistance in naming some of the first species I got . 

 together in the N.AV. Himalaya. The remains of his own collection 

 he had about this time sent to a married sister, living in Australia, 

 and it would be interesting to know what eventually became of these, 

 since thej' included so many species identified with both Hutton's and 

 Benson's labours. A great stimulus to Indian conchology and science 

 generally was given when the Government of India established the 

 Geological Survey Department in 1851. Dr. Thomas Oldham was 

 selected Superintendent, and as the work expanded it was followed 

 by the appointment of Assistants, men with scientific training, 

 acquired either on the home surveys, or at the School of Mines. 

 Most of the Assistants on the Geolo2;ical Survey began to collect 

 and publish the results. T. Oldham.^AV. Theobald, W. T. Blanford, 

 H. F. Blanford, AV. King, R. B. Foote are conspicuous for the work 

 they have done ; they were followed later by F, Stoliczka and V. Ball. 



The formation of the Indian Museum and the transfer to it of 

 the valuable collections formed under the care of the Asiatic Society 

 of Bengal, accompanied by the appointment of Dr. J. Anderson as 

 Superintendent, with Geoft'rey Nevill as an assistant, was a further 

 stimulus to our particular branch of Natural History. 



I have mentioned Ferdinand Stoliczka, and I am safe in saying 

 that some of the most valuable papers on Malacology were published 

 by him. It hud been his intention to work out the whole of the 

 land operculated genera. Alas ! he never lived to accomplish this. 

 He was appointed Geologist and Naturalist to the Yarkand Mission, 

 and on the return journey, up on the Karakoram Pass, he succumbed 

 to the eti'ects of the great altitude, and science lost a most gifted and 

 promising disciple. 



Thus it was that from about 1856 onwards there existed in India 

 a small band of naturalists, devoted to the collection and study of 



1 Proc. Zool. Soc, 1864, p. 388. 



