1855.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 359 



Mr. Houstoun next proposed that the Society request Mr. H. V, 

 Bayley to accept the Joint Secretaryship of the Asiatic Society, but on 

 the President pointing out that there being no vacancy in the Council 

 such a procedure would be against the rules of the Society, he with- 

 drew the motion. 



Mr. Houstoun then wanted to know what communications are, as a 

 matter of course and in what stage, to be laid before the Society, and 

 for what communications the Society must depend upon the Council? 



The President, in reply, referred him to Bye-laws 64, 77 t 78 and 79. 



Mr. Houstoun also wished to know by whose advice and authority 

 the niche has been made in the Society's meeting-room to the obstruc- 

 tion of a proper circulation of air. 



The Secretary stated that the niche had been built and the cast of 

 Sir P. Cautley's bust placed there with the sanction of the Council. 



Communications were received — 



1. From E. Blyth, Esq. submitting a report on a zoological collec- 

 tion from the Somali country. 



2. From Capt. Tickell, the description of a new species of Buceros 

 from Tenasserim. 



3. From B. H. Hodgson, Esq. Comparative Vocabulary of the 

 languages of the broken tribes of Nepal. 



The Secretary exhibited to the meeting MS. of a Limboo work 

 supposed to be the only work extant in that character, belonging to 

 Capt. Mainwaring and kindly left by that gentleman for exhibition. 



The Librarian and Curator of the Zoological Department submitted 

 their usual monthly reports. 



Report for May Meeting, 1855. 



Our gatherings for the last month consist of 



1. The collection from the Somali country made by Lt. Speke, of the 

 46th N. L, and forwarded to the Society by Lt. Burton, in command of 

 the expedition into that region. Upon this I have elsewhere reported. 



2. We have received two packages of bird-skins, from Lt. Alex. J. 

 Trotter, of the Bengal Artillery, Peshawur. The most remarkable spe- 

 cimens are the European Rook (Corvus frugilegus), which was previ- 

 ously observed in Afghanistan by Capt. Hutton, — the Passer salicico- 

 lus (Vieillot, v. hispaniolensis, Tern.), also obtained in Afghanistan by 

 Capt. Hutton,— and Emberiza esclavonica, Brisson (v. E, pithyorni$ r 



