386 Zoology. 



the Museum when he left Nepal in 1843. It is from these specimens 

 that the native drawings of the birds were taken. Every one of the 

 Hodgson drawings has its name and its number, and the specimens 

 originally had a label tied either round the neck or the foot, bearing a 

 number corresponding with that of the drawing. In Dr. Gray's 

 ** Zoological Miscellany " for 1844, Hodgson, writing from Canterbury on 

 the 24th of June,* gave a list of Nepalese birds, with an indication of 

 the Hodgsonian number, and he stated that "a nearly complete series 

 [of drawings] has been sent to the British Museum." Consequently, these 

 drawings constitute the types of Hodgson's species. A second set of 

 drawings was retained by Hodgson himself, and afterwards given by him 

 to the Zoological Society; these two sets have never yet been collated 

 together. 

 • In the " Dictionary of National Biography " (Suppl., vol. ii., pp. 429- 

 432), it is said that after his resignation of the Indian Civil Service in 

 1843, he came to England, but that, after less than a year at home, he 

 resolved to return to India. He fixed his residence at Darjiling, where 

 for thirteen years he lived the life of a recluse, suffering a good deal from 

 weak health, but this did not abate his ardour for collecting or his devotion 

 to learning. Dr. J. E. Gray, in his preface to the "Catalogue" of the 

 Hodgson collection, writing on the 10th of December, 1846, speaks of him 

 as having returned to India, to continue his studies and complete his 

 series of drawings. 



301 birds from Behar. Presented. [45. 5. 19, 1-301.] 



This series of skins from Behar was never made by Hodgson's Hima- 

 layan collectors. The method of preparation is quite different. It may 

 have been made for Hodgson by some friend of his, or he may have 

 employed a native of the country to prepare the skins. I can find no 

 evidence that Hodgson was ever resident in Behar. 



307 birds from " India " ! [See small register.] Presented. [48. 6. 4, 

 1-307.] 



In 1848, as mentioned above, Hodgson was living at Darjiling, and 

 there can be no doubt that this collection came from Sikhim. On looking up 

 some of the specimens which are registered by G. K. Gray himself (with- 

 out any specific localities and with only the Hodgsonian number added), 

 I have found skins labelled by Gray as from Behar ! Any one who com- 

 pares the preparation of the Behar examples with that of the Himalayan 

 taxidermists, will see at a glance that this 1848 collection has been made 

 by the same hands as the early Nepal collections, and doubtless Hodgson 

 had imported some of his native skinners from Nepal. The question is 

 settled, however, by an entry of Gray's in the register : "211 duplicates 

 transferred to the Hon. E. I. Comp. " ; and in Horsfield and Moore's Cata- 

 logue of the latter collection (Vol. I., Intr., p. v.), we read : " 1848. 

 B. E. Hodgson, Esg. Several birds from Sikim and Darjiling," showing 

 that Moore knew where they were from, if Gray did not. 



These Sikhim specimens will have to be carefully relabelled ; but it 

 shows the truth of Professor Newton's criticism on G. R. Gray, that he 

 was a good ornithological clerk ; but in the case of the Hodgson col- 

 lections he was not even entitled to this praise, for he destroyed all 

 Hodgson's original labels. 



598 birds from Nepal. Presented. [59. 3. 4, 1-598.] 



For some reason Hodgson was offended with his treatment by the 



* Mr. Gerrard, sen., remembers going to Canterbury to pack the collection 

 for transmission to London. 



