94 H. J. Rainey — Fiery hot-hlast in Khuln'a. [June, 



The President announced that Dr. J. H. Tull Walsh had been 

 elected a member of Council in. the room of Dr. D. D. Cunningham, 

 resigned, in consequence of proceeding to Europe on furlough. 



Mr. W. L. ScLATER exhibited an old breech-loading gun, which was 

 dug up in the Gya district and was presented to the Indian Museum by 

 Mr. F. Field ; the gun had been examined by Col. Mortimer, R. A., 

 of the Ordnance Department, Fort William, who pronounces it to be of 

 European manufacture probably dating from the 16th century, and that 

 it was known by the name of Perrier or Paterera. 



Mr. E. 0. Cotes exhibited two insects which are amongst the causes 

 now conspiring to prevent the continuance of the locust plague through 

 another year. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Note on a fiery hot-hlast in the district of Khuhi'a, on the \2th 

 May, 1891. — By H. James Rainey. Communicated by the Natural His- 

 tory Secretary. 



While my brother, Mr. J. Rudd- Rainey, and I were at dinner on 

 the 12th May last, in the centre room of " Rainey Villa," between 

 the hours of 8 and 9 o'clock, a very cool wind which was blowing 

 into the room through the south door from the south-east direction 

 quite suddenly changed to an absolutely luarm blast from the same 

 quarter, and was accompanied by a clearly discernible smell of combus- 

 tion. So great was the heat, and so strong the smell of burning even 

 within the room, that I immediately left it and went to the south veran- 

 dah to see if there was any thatched house on fire close to the brick- 

 built building I was in. I found no sign of any conflagration anywhere 

 in the horizon, but the warm blast outside became absolutely fiery in 

 its intensity. I could barely face it, and that only for a minute or so at 

 a time. I may describe the sensation I felt to be similar to that of 

 standing in close proximity to a heated furnace, or near to and wind- 

 ward of a burning expanse of jungle. This fiery hot-blast continued to 

 blow for about the space of a quarter of an hour, and then the wind 

 suddenly veered to the opposite direction, that is, from south-east to 

 south-west, and a cool breeze set in, which was very grateful, indeed. 

 The sky was overcast with clouds, but of no great density, and some 

 stars were visible here and there, though none of the seven bright stars 

 constituting the constellation Ursa Major, or even the pole star. There 

 was much display of electricity in the shape of vivid flashes of light- 

 ning in diiferent directions, but especially from the south-east quarter. 



