82 
admitted as an ordinary member. Also, that the following donations to 
the Society's Library had been received : — 
" Remarks on Pyrula (Fulgur) Carica (Lamarck), &c, by T. Graham 
Ponton," from the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 
presented by the author. 
" Proceedings of the Bath Natural History Society and Antiquarian 
Field -club." 
Mr. Francis Fedden, of the Geological survey of British India, then 
read a paper, entitled " A few observations on the Natural History of 
Burma," which was very fully illustrated with a large collection of spe- 
cimens of birds, reptiles, insects, partial skeletons of mammalia, fossils, &c, 
as well as some of the enamelled coloured betel boxes, and other produc- 
tions of the natives of the country, which Mr. Fedden had obtained daring 
his seven years' residence in Burma. 
The geographical position of the country was first described, being 
situated between Bengal and Siam, south of Assam, and extending from 
latitude 16° to 24°. The general strike of the country, both for the 
ranges of hills and rivers, was North and South. The most important 
river was the Irawaddee, whose source was unknown ; it was flooded in 
April by the melting of the Himalayan snows, and again in August by the 
rains, which, setting in about May 18th, lasted till September: the rise 
was about thirty feet above the low level, and it frequently overflowed the 
alluvial banks ; the current of the river was swift, the inclination being 
about 1 foot per mile. The Salween river flowed with an inclination of 
2.34 feet per mile, in a rocky channel, between mountains 2000 feet high, 
where indications of floods had been measured at a height of 95 feet above 
the ordinary level, though usually the rise was not more than 65 feet, and 
the distance between the shores was not more than doubled at flood-mark. 
The surface of the rocks in the channel of the Salween had received a 
high polish from the friction of the sand, and some were coated with a 
peculiar surface resembling that produced by black-lead, which was pro- 
bably due to black oxide of manganese. Two principal ranges of hills 
formed the chief watersheds of the country, the Arracan, or Western 
Yeoma, lying between the Irawaddee and the coast, and the Pegu or East- 
ern Yeoma, between the Irawaddee and the Zittang. The Arracan hills 
presented a very perfect example of a mountain range, the secondary hills 
and their spurs running off regularly and more or less parallel to each 
other. Many of the hills were densely wooded, fine teak forests, the pro- 
perty of the Government, growing on the Pegu Yeoma, and bamboos, 
oil-trees, &c, covering portions of the Arracan hills. 
