Dec. 1847.] 341 



a few foreign ones. During the past year a comparatively large number 

 has been received, and it is to be hoped that efforts -will be made towards a 

 further increase. We enumerate for 1847, eighty mounted specimens and 

 five skins of Mammalia, chiefly of foreign species, presented by Dr. Wilson, 

 and six specimens presented by Dr. Thomas S. Savage, Mr. Germain, &c. 



Ornithology. Of this department, in which at this time we stand equal 

 to any in the world, a special report is hereto appended, prepared by Mr. 

 John Cassin, who, with Mr. Wm. Gambel, has particularly attended to its 

 arrangement. 



In Oology, belonging to the department of Ornithology, in the past year 

 we received in donations, eggs of 79 species of birds, principally from Dr. 

 Wilson and Mr. William H. Edwards. 



Herpctology. Our collection of Reptilia is a large and valuable one. A 

 part of it, however, is not in the best state of preservation, but will be early 

 attended to in the coming year, and before any loss of consequence is sus- 

 tained. During the past year 88 species of Reptilia have been presented, 

 chiefly by Drs. Hallowell, Savage, Wilson, and Hildreth. 



Ichthyology. In this department we have not made much advance. It is 

 to be hoped the Academy will hereafter encourage this branch more than it 

 has done. During the past year, Dr. Thomas S, Savage presented several 

 jars of fishes from Western Africa, many of which are probably new, and 

 we are indebted to several members for a large specimen of the rare Squatina 

 Dumerili. 



Mollusca. The arrangement of the conchological cabinet has been kindly 

 undertaken by Dr. R. E. Griffith, who with the greatest liberality is also in- 

 corporating with it his own private collection, which, as he progresses, he 

 presents to the Academy. In this step he has been followed by the ever 

 liberal Wilson, so that when the collection is fully arranged, with the addi- 

 tion of the two private cabinets, it will contain between 9 and 10,000 spe- 

 cies, many of them of the most valuable character. 



During the past year there have been presented 1209 species of shells by 

 Dr. R. E. Griffith; 383 species by Dr. T. B. Wilson; 200 species by Wm. 

 Thompson, Esquire, of Ireland ; 40 species by Mr. C B. Adams ; 31 species 

 by Mr. T. A. Conrad; and 30 species by several others, inall 1893 species, 

 and almost 2300 varieties. 



Entomology . The destruction of the Academy's once fine collection of 

 Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, for a while quite discouraged those members 

 who were particularly interested in this department, but the general stimulus 

 which has been infused into the Academy by the rich contributions to other 

 departments, has aroused them once more to exertion in the formation of a 

 new collection, which already bids fair to surpass the one lost. Our fellow 

 member, Mr. R. Kilvington, during the past year, made a liberal dona- 

 tion of 1035 specimens, comprising 345 species of British Lepidoptera. and 

 Dr. T. S. Savage has recently presented a collection in alcohol, of large and 



