Small paper mounted on centre of page with black ink cursive writing that reads, "Drawings by Lady Gwillim wife of Chief Justice of Madras in 1801/2 [?] - 5." Blue ink stamp below writing reads, "Dr. Casey Wood, Author's Club, 2. Whitehall Court, London, England."
Item consists of a colour illustration depicting a long blue and green snake perched on a fruit tree branch, without caption. Figures have been cut out and pasted onto sheet.
Item consists of a colour illustration depicting a brown cobra and pink, five-petalled flowers, without caption. Figures have been cut out and pasted onto sheet with background details drawn in. An annotation in pencil by Henry Mousley reads: "Naia tripudians?" Verso contains beginning of sketch of building and landscape (very faint).
Item consists of leaf with engraved illustration of scorpion pasted on. Background details are drawn in in pencil, with branch coloured in. Later caption in Casey Woods's hand reads: "The drawing in this portfolio are probably those made to illustrate Forbes' 'Oriental Memoirs'."
Item consists of a colour illustration of a snake alongside dissected pieces from a strychnine tree. Figures have been cut out and pasted onto sheet. The caption identifies the tree as a "Strychnos Nux Vomica." The rest of the caption identifies the snake depicted as "a small Coluber in many parts of India; seemingly a Variety of the Cobra Minelle." An additional pencil annotation by Henry Mousley identifies the species of snake as "Tropidonotus stolatus (var.)" The drawing is signed by James Forbes and dated 1818.
Item consists of a colour illustration of a small boa, with some background details unfinished. Figures have been cut out and pasted onto sheet, with background details drawn in. The caption reads: "A young Snake of the Boa Tribe; of a harmless nature, and found in many parts of India." An additional annotation in pencil by Henry Mousley identifies the species as: "Distira jerdonii."
