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flowering, the plant died down to the roots, and was generally set on fire ; 
during this flowering the field rats swarmed, to the great detriment of the 
next year's crops, and to the alarm of the natives. 
The Fauna of the country were then noticed at some length. The Ele- 
phant was abundant, living in herds on all the hills, and the natives were 
very fearful of them. The mode of capturing these animals, by means of 
decoy elephants, and of taming them by subsequent confinement and star- 
vation, was described, as well as the Elephant-fights, which the king and 
court went to see, like bull- fights. Two varieties of the Rhinoceros 
occurred, but they were not common ; also three or four species of monkeys, 
buffaloes, and a great variety of deer, including the barking deer and hog- 
deer. Burma was remarkably rich in birds, a very large collection of 
which was shown. Mr. Fedden stated that most of the species differed 
slightly, some even considerably, from the corresponding Indian species, in 
the measurements of the adult specimens, so that many of the Burmese 
birds should be ranked as distinct species. Great numbers of very curious 
insects were found in Burma, the most remarkable, perhaps, being the fire- 
fly, the habits of which had been carefully noted by the author. The light 
appeared to come from the under part of the last two or three lobes of the 
abdomen, and frequently did not cease until long after the death of the 
individual ; the insects frequently collected in large numbers upon one 
bush, and emitted their light simultaneously, but intermittently, — a fact 
which was not generally known. Silkworms were largely cultivated, and 
fed upon the leaves of a species of Hybiscus. The cocoons were unwound 
in gum-water, whereby several threads were made to stick together and 
form one larger thread, which was sold in the markets of the large towns, 
weaving not being practised by the natives. The habits of the white ant 
were described, end their destructiveness in the wooden pile-built houses, 
commented upon ; when they climbed up any clean surface from the earth, 
they carried mud with them, leaving it as a thin coating behind. The 
mason-bee, too, plastered mud upon the windows, in building its curious 
nest; which was subsequently filled with spiders rendered dormant by 
stings, to serve as food for the grub. The empty cavities of these nests 
were frequently used by the ichneumon fly. 
Little was said of the lower animals, except concerning some curious 
detached corals of unknown species, found upon the Arracan coast, and 
the author stated that Professor Huxley, F.R.S., had been very much 
interested in them. 
The Vice-President remarked that the Society was fortunate in 
obtaining at first hand, as it were, information collected for Government, 
which indicated the capabilities of this remarkable country for coloniza- 
tion, &c. He referred to the remains of ancient civilization in Burma, and 
