Viii THE SCIENTIFIC EXPLOITATION OF THE PENINSULA. 



their numbers to take up a single group and devote himself to 

 collecting that group, assisted of course by others who send him 

 any specimens they chance upon. I do not know how far some 

 such system could be adopted here, but there are many of our mem- 

 bers living in distant parts of the country who could materially 

 help by catching and sending insects or other such easily collected 

 animals to the various naturalists who in this country are studying 

 them. 



When I first arrived in this country in 1889, large areas of 

 forest and mountain, now easily reached by train and motor car, 

 were only accessible by long and difficult marches, and the few 

 naturalists in the country found it impossible to get to these re- 

 mote spots in the time and with the funds at their disposal. But 

 the rapid development of agriculture of late years has resulted in 

 the increased accessibility and in the settling of Europeans in 

 parts of the Peninsula at that time out of reach. Many of these 

 Europeans would assist in collecting if shown the way, I am sure, 

 and indeed I have great cause to be grateful to very many who 

 in the course of my wanderings into their districts have given me 

 the greatest assistance in collecting plants. 



But the wide developments of agriculture of late years has not 

 been, alas, all to the advantage of the Naturalist, for the felling 

 and burning of the forest has caused the disappearance of many 

 plants and probably many insects and other animals; and as this 

 work is still continuing, it becomes of more and more importance 

 to save specimens (which is all we can do) of the vanishing flora 

 and fauna, ere they become as extinct as Dodos. 



I would now like to run over the various branches of Natural 

 Science and see how far we have progressed towards a systematic 

 investigation and record of the separate groups as far as regards 

 this country. 



In Zoology we have already published the account of the 

 Reptiles and Batracliia by Boulenger, and I understand the works 

 on the Mammals and Birds are nearly complete. These have been 

 done by the zoologists of the Federated Malay States Museum. 



Tn fishes we have an account of those of fresh-water hy Dunck, 

 a Naturalist who was here some years ago. In Marine fish we have 

 no separate work; but those of our seas have been mentioned in 

 works by Bleeker and Weber, dealing witli the fishes generally of 

 the Indian and Malayan Seas. 



A complete separate account of those occurring in our own 

 waters is required. 



On Molluscs papers have been written by De Morgan. 



Of Insects Butterflies have been well done many years ago by 

 Distant in the well known book Rhopalocera Malayana but of 

 course there have been since then many additions and corrections 

 made. 



