THE ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS. 
79 
panied the late Dr. Valentine Ball^ then a member of the 
Geological Survey of India, to the islands of the Bay of 
Bengal, and in particular the isolated islet of Narcondam, 
which enjoys the peculiar distinction of being the only habitat 
of a well-defined species of hornbill (Rhytidoceros narcondami^ 
Hume). This tour was described in a charming manner by 
Dr. Ball in his book ‘‘Jungle Life in India ” (T. de La Rue 
& Co.; London, 1880). 
In the time of Wood-Mason and his immediate successor 
the work of the Museum was greatly increased at head¬ 
quarters, while the zoological staff was actually diminished. 
It therefore became more and more difficult for the superin¬ 
tendent to leave Calcutta, and it was only a few years ago 
that facilities were given for regular touring on the part of 
the scientific staff. The rapid increase in the collections in 
the time of Alcock was very largely due to the work of the 
‘ Investigator ’, and to the generosity of private donors 
stimulated by his own zeal. 
Both Mr. Frank Finn and Dr. N. Annandale were, 
however, sent on deputation to various localities while they 
held successively the office of Deputy Superintendent, and 
a certain number of interesting specimens were obtained by 
them in the Andamans and in the country adjacent to the 
Gulf of Manaar. 
Of recent years the practice of touring has been resumed 
with vigour. While in the field the scientific officers have 
had two main objects in view—to obtain material for a 
survey of the fresh- and brackish-water fauna of different 
parts of the Indian Empire, and to elucidate and illustrate 
the precise distribution of the Indian representatives of 
several groups, more particularly the Crustacea, coleoptera, 
arachnida, reptiles, and batrachians. The birds and mammals 
have been perforce neglected, but, with only four scientific 
officers, it has naturally been impossible to pay attention 
to the whole of the animal kingdom, and the admirable work 
of the Bombay Natural History Society has done much, so 
far as the fauna of India is concerned, to fill in this gap in 
our organization. The number and the importance of the 
specimens obtained in those groups on which special work has 
