114 V. Ball — KTiond Weapons and Musical Instruments. [June, 



of their rulers for the time, they were intelligent enough to apprehend that 

 exigencies might arise in future, which might make the facts collected bear 

 heavily uj)on them. It was in the nature of weak, subject races to be shy 

 and suspicious, and it was not easy to eradicate such feelings. Mistakes 

 had also been made by the governors which were fatal to anything like accu- 

 racy in the different censuses which had been taken. In 1872, the strongest 

 protestations were made by Government that the Census then about to be 

 taken had none but scientific objects in view ; but by an unfortunate coinci- 

 dence a Bill was brought before the Bengal Council at the same time for 

 legalising a Poll Tax in the towns and municipalities of Bengal ; and it was 

 easy to conceive how the one operated on the other. Nor did the effect of 

 this mistake end with the Census of 1872 ; for the memory of such coinci- 

 dences was not easily effaced. The Chairman hoped, however, that the ample 

 precautions taken by Mr. Beverley had prevented any very gross errors 

 creeping into his returns, and that those returns will be found, within a 

 small margin, reliable for all practical purposes. 



The Natural History Secretary (Mr. Wood-Mason) exhibited a com- 

 plete dried specimen of the well-known Glass-rope Sponge (Synlonema 

 Sieholdii), accompanied by its insej)arable 'chum' the Falythoa and referred 

 those interested to the excellent account of the history of the species given 

 by Professor Wyville Thomson in his ' Depths of the Sea.' The specimen 

 was presented to the Society by G. G. Apcar, Esq. 



Mr. V. Ball exhibited a series of Khond weapons and musical instru- 

 ments from the Tributary States of Sambalpiir, and said — 



The series of battle axes on the table (see Plate) exhibits the principal 

 varieties of form used by the Khonds of the Southern tributary states of 

 Sambalpiir. They were selected by me from the residue of a collection 

 made by Capt. Bowie for presentation to the Prince of Wales. 



At the present time when the forms of weapons in use by different 

 races in India and Africa are attracting much attention, the collection now 

 exhibited is one of considerable interest. 



Besides the battle axes there are also some musical instruments. To 

 one of these I would especially direct the attention of the meeting. No 

 English name is exactly suited to its description. It is neither a harp nor 

 a lyre, but to those instruments it is most nearly allied. It is made up of 

 a number of reeds lashed together in a raft-like form ; of each reed, a portion 

 of the cuticle is raised and upheld by slips of bamboo placed as bridges ; 

 and it would appear that the instrument is capable of being tuned. It is 

 played with the tongue of a little iron implement which bears a close 

 resemblance to a jcws-harp. Even in inexperienced hands, the drawing 



