1847.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 209 



office, anil in part from a feeling of delicacy entertained by the Committee in inter, 

 fering in ;my way with the patronage of Government. But certain it is that it were 

 no easy matter to find a person better qualified by taste, experience, and skill for 

 the congenial task he here volunteers. Whether the services of this gentleman are 

 still available, I have no means of knowing : but if so, it may be left to the meeting 

 to consider whether a representation to the foregoing effect should still be submitted 

 to the Government, or what other measures should be adopted to carry out the wishes 

 of the Hon. Court of Directors as expressed in their letter to the Governor General 

 in Council, 29th May, 1844. 



The caves of Ajunta are now indeed, under the orders of the Madras Government, 

 being satisfactorily investigated ; but the field is yet vast, and with the Society will 

 remain the credit of having improved, or the discredit of having neglected so fair an 

 opportunity of promoting at once its objects and its reputation. 



Before concluding this report, I may be allowed perhaps to observe, that the pre- 

 sent neglect of Indian Archceology may in a very great measure be ascribed to the 

 interrupted publication of the Society's Journal. For many months little has been 

 known of our proceedings beyond these walls : not to the public only, but to distant 

 members and contributors, have these been a sealed book ; a circumstance emi- 

 nently unfavourable to pursuits such as our's, mainly dependent as they are, upon 

 the free-will offerings of widely-dispersed contributors. This defect will, it is hoped, 

 be remedied henceforward : the arrears of the proceedings have already been brought 

 up, and we may hope to be able in a few weeks to produce a monthly number of the 

 Journal with tolerable regularity. 



J. W. Laidlay, 



Co -Secretary. 



10 t/i February, 1847. 



Mr. Blyth submitted the following Report on the progress of the 

 Zoological department during the preceding months. 



Report for the months of December, 1846, and January and February, 1847. 



Sir, — Having been absent upon an excursion to explore the jungles N. and W. 

 of Midnajiore, at the period of the January meeting of the Society, and the pres- 

 sure of business at the December meeting having necessitated the postponement 

 of the reading of my report for that occasion, I have now to bring before you the 

 results of three months' gatherings, and can scarcely, within moderate compass, do 

 justice to the contributions of our numerous supporters. 



1. From the Barrack pore menagerie, I have to acknowledge having received the 

 carcass of a particularly fine female Giraffe, the skin of which is in process of being 

 set up as a stuffed specimen, while the skeleton has likewise been preserved. Also 

 that of a Kangaroo, that has in like manner been prepared as stuffed skin and 

 skeleton. 



2 p 



