BRiTTStI ENCRINITES. 121 



liberty of making a slight alteration in the title of one of 

 his tables. If the reason of this -iiouhl not readily suggest 

 itself to him, it will be explained iri a private letter, oti^ his 

 favouring me with his address. 



X. 



Nondescript Encrinus, in Mr, Donovan's Museum* 



SIR, 



Jl ERMIT me through your excellent -publication, to ac- Mr. Donovan'i 

 knowledge ray obligations to Mr. Donovan, for the advan- Museum, 

 tages I have derived in my inquiries respecting the mineral- 

 ized remains of the animals of the former world, from the 

 examination of the inestimable fossils, contained in his 

 matchless museum. 



By the investigations which I had previously made, and Several species 



from specimens in my own collection, I had ascertained, o^ ^"<^""^*^^ 



-.^ , 1 , -,11 , • n ' • found inEng- 



tnat tiUgland alone yielded several species ot encrimtes; as land. 



I trust I shall show in the second volume of Organic Re- 

 mains of the former World, now in the press. But by an 

 examination of the series of fossils in this department of the 

 London Museum as above mentioned, I have gained the 

 knowledge, that our own country can boast of yielding at 

 least one additional curious species of this animal, hitherto New species. 

 I believe unknown ; and forming by the length of the arms 

 an intermediate species between the lily and plumose encri- 

 nus. The specimen of which I speak is numbered 924 in 

 the brief catalogue which is delivered at the museum. 



From another specimen in the same collection, marked Tortoise encri- 

 950, I also acknowledge having derived ver}'^ considerable 

 information respecting the structure of that wonderful lost 

 animal, the tortoise encrinus. 



Having no reason for concealing any of the motives which 

 induce me to trouble you with this request, I do not hesi- 

 tate to avow, that one of these is a wish to call the attention 

 of the curious, as well as scientific, to the most complete 

 collection of British Natural History, which has ever yet 



been 



nus. 



