92 Asiatic Society. [No. 97. 



to the safety of the low districts at the head of the Bay, from their habits of burrowing, 

 a curious fact not before known, I believe, of this family. 



" Our own establishment in the Museum have added considerably to our collection 

 of fishes during the past year ; and in a short time it may be hoped that we shall 

 possess examples of most of the commoner species in Bengal. Our collection of 

 skeletons has received three interesting additions, besides that made to it by the king 

 of Oude, already acknowledged in the monthly proceedings, particularly that of a 

 marsupial animal. The others are, a skeleton of a turtle, and of a gooial, the former 

 commenced by Dr. Evans. 



" Of birds, several interesting collections have been added to that of the Society 

 during the same period, but as they have all been acknowledged in the monthly 

 proceedings, it is unnecessary to specify them again in this place. For the safer 

 preservation of objects in this department, the whole of the Ornithological cabinets 

 ought to be removed before the ensuing rains, to the new room upstairs, on the 

 west side of the house. 



"Of minerals, we have received from Dr. Spry, on the part of Captain Jenkins, 

 Agent to the Governor General, 58 specimens from Cornwall, on condition that 

 a similar collection of Indian specimens be presented by this Society to the Royal 

 Geological Society of Cornwall. 



" The delay that has taken place in the supply of cabinets for the Society's minerals, 

 has prevented, as yet, any return being made for this donation, in as much as our 

 own collection must be first arranged before we can know what duplicates we have to 

 offer in exchange, and the necessary examination of the collection cannot be 

 made until the cabinets that have been ordered are supplied. J. M'Clelland. 



1th January, 1840. 



"P.S. — The number of animals set up in the Museum during the last year (1839,) is 

 three hundred and seventy-seven (377, ) including nine mammalia, two hundred and 

 nineteen birds, and one hundred and twenty-nine fishes." J. M. 



Antiquities. 

 We cannot report results and communications in this branch, so important as those 

 referred to in our last. In the past year many valuable contributors have been with- 

 drawn from their studies to the camp, to perform the active duties of their profession 

 But we may indulge in the hope that many, even in the busy scenes in which they 

 have engaged, may have collected valuable materials, which future leisure may enable 

 them to elaborate. The readers, however, of the Asiatic Journal will have observed 

 several antique inscriptions, which may be pronounced interesting, and might have 

 even been characterised as important, had not the exciting result of Mr. James 

 Prinsep's researches raised our estimate of importance. 



Library. 



The accessions to the Library may be thus classified :— Vols. 



English, 43 



French, 74 



Latin, 8 



German, . . . . 10 



Arabic, 6 



Sanscrit, 3 



Hindustani, 3 





