PROCEEDINGS. 199 
with success. Such a garden would, in a short time, become the chief attraction of 
the City, and ifthe entrance fee on native holidays did not exceed an anna, the 
advantages of such a place would be fully appreciated by tae great mass of the 
people. The few animals, at present kept in the Victoria Gardens at Byculla, were 
not in a satisfactory condition, but the Municipality could not reasonably be expected 
to form a zoological collection at the expense of the ratepayers, and as Govern- 
ment had decided that no charge could be made for admission into the Victoria 
Gardens, after they had been so long open to the public, nothing could be done in 
that direction. 
Mr. N. S. Symons said that he quite agreed with all the Honorary Secretary's 
remarks, and suggested that the committee should carefully consider the subject and 
place some definite plan before the members at an early meeting. 
Dr. D. MacDonald seconded the proposal, which was carried unanimously. 
Dr. J. A. da Gama then read an interesting paper on the “‘Origin of the Belief in the 
so-called Bis Cobra,” showing that the name is a corruption of bicho-de-cobra (i.e. 
the destroyer of cobras), ‘a term applied to the mongoose by the early Portuguese 
settlers. Dr. J. A. da Gama quoted many ancient and quaint historians to prove 
this assertion, including Pierre Belon, Prospero Alpini, Engelbert Kaempfer, and 
Garcia de Orta. From the last writer it may be gathered that the Portuguese 
regarded the mongoose as a poisonous animal, andit was frequently referred to as 
that poisonous reptile, bicho-de-cobra, a creature whose venom was even greater than 
that of the dreaded cobra-de-capello. The Portuguese eventually adopted the term 
mongoose, and the word bis cobra gradually fell into disuse and was forgotten by them, 
but among the natives the idea of the poisonous reptile bis cobra still remained, and 
it has been handed down with exaggerated accounts of its tremendous poisonous 
properties. A full report of this paper will be found on page 1d}. 
Mr. J. H. Steel proposed'a vote of thanks to Dr, J. A. de Gama for his 
valuable paper in which he had traced out the origin of a term which had greatly 
puzzled naturalists of late. 
The Honorary Secretary then quoted extracts from an exceedingly interesting 
paper received from Mr. L. de Nicéville, of Calcutta, on “ Butterflies and Ants,” 
which, owing to the lateness of the hour, could not be read in full. The paper 
appears in this number, page 164, with illustrations supplied by Mr. de Nicéville. 
PROCEEDINGS oF THE MrntinG HELD ON 2NpD Juxy, 1888. 
Tue usual monthly meeting of this Society took place on Monday, the 2nd July, 
1888, and was largely attended. Dr. D, Macdonald presided. 
The following new members were elected :—The Hon. Mr. Justice Parsons, Mr. 
Ameeroodin Tyabjec, Captain E. R. Shopland, Mr. Ww. S. Hexton, Mr. O. Myer, Mr. 
W. H. Trail, Mr. John Trail, Mr. W. 8 Millard, Mr. W. H. W. Searle, Mr. W. L.. 
Cameron, 0.H., Mr. J. L. Jenkins, Lieutenant B. Whitehouse, R.N., Dr. I. B. Lyon, 
and Mr. Kaikhosro N. Kabrajee. 
Mr. H. M. Phipson, the Honorary Secretary, then acknowledged the following 
contributions :— 
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