116 Address. [Feb. 



country itself, is the attention which is being paid, under the direction 

 of the Trustees of the Indian Museum, to Economic Entomology, in the 

 investigation of the insect-pests which work so much destruction to 

 food and other crops, and of the means of eradicating them. 



Sericulture is another important branch of this subject to which 

 attention has also been given during the year. 



Mammals. — In our own Journal is a description, with two plates, 

 by Mr. 0. Thomas, of " Hupetaurus, a new form of Flying Squirrel 

 from Kashmir," and Mr. W. T. Blanford contributes " Notes on Indian 

 Chirojptera." 



At our April meeting Mr. W. L. Sclater exhibited some specimens of 

 Baradoxurus which tend to show the impossibility of dividing P. musanga 

 into two species, as proposed by Mr. W. T. Blanford, and that the 

 Indian and Burmese forms of Palm-cat are identical. 



The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, contains a 

 paper, by Veterinary Surgeon J. H. Steel, " on the nearest allies to the 

 horse " and " Notes on Sambhur," by Mr. R. Gilbert." 



In the Annals and Mag. Natural History, our former member and 

 valued contributor, Dr. Gh E. Dobson, describes two new species of 

 Indian Soricidge, viz., Grocidura leucogenys, from Ajmir, and G. Dayi, 

 from the Madras Presidency. 



We have to welcome the appearance of the first part of a long pro- 

 jected and important work on " the Fauna of British India, including 

 Ceylon and Burmah," under the editorship of our esteemed former Pre- 

 sident, Mr. W. T. Blanford. It is for the present intended to restrict 

 this work to the Vertebrata and to complete it in about seven volumes. 

 One volume will be devoted to the Mammals, Mr. W. T. Blanford being 

 himself the author; Mr. E. W. Oates has undertaken the preparation of 

 that portion of the work (three volumes) which will be devoted to 

 Birds ; the Reptiles and Batrachians will be described by Mr. G. A. Bou- 

 lenger in one volume ; and Dr. F. Day will treat of the Fishes in the 

 remaining two volumes of the series. The part which has appeared is 

 a half-volume treating of a portion of the mammals, and the author, 

 Mr. Blanford, is to be congratulated on the very favourable reception 

 accorded to this portion of his work. This account of the mammals 

 of India worthily embodies all the additions to our knowledge of this 

 group since the date of Jerdon's " Mammals." It is profusely illustrated 

 with excellent figures of the animals and of their crania and dentition 

 and will doubtless be much appreciated by Indian naturalists and 

 sportsmen. 



Birds. — It is satisfactory to find that the Indian Ornithological 

 Journal ' Stray Feathers ' is not yet extinct, although it appears at very 



