10 BEPORT OF THE 



arranged, and thus space is gained for exhibiting the fossils 

 of the Silurian System which Mr. Murchison''s labours have 

 rendered so interesting, and of which a large donation from 

 the Tortworth district, presented by Thomas Weaver, Esq. 

 has furnished a valuable and characteristic illu!§tration. * 



The collection of Vertebrated Animals has received some 

 excellent additions ; chiefly of birds, from Australia, presented 

 by the Rev. Robert Affleck, Bart, and from Africa and Europe 

 by Giles Munby, Esq. which are undergoing the process of 

 preparation for the cases. The British Birds have been en- 

 tirely rearranged ; but the now large and valuable collections 

 of Foreign Birds and Reptiles require the scrupulous attention 

 of a naturalist well versed in this branch of knowledge. 



The collections of Comparative Osteology have been aug- 

 mented by the purchase of sixteen skeletons prepared by Mr. 

 Allis, who at the same time presented the bones of an elephant 

 and some other gifts to the Society. From Philip Davies 

 Cooke, Esq. we have received the skeleton of a Quagga, the 

 head of a Zebu, and the body of an Alpaca. These additions 

 are such as, when mounted, to render necessary some further 

 cases for this branch of the collection. 



Few additions have been made to the Invertebral Animals 

 in the Museum ; but the Council have reason to think that 

 an important accession to this department is prepared for us 

 by Mr. James Backhouse, who, while engaged in long and 

 zealous missionary labours, found leisure to exercise his love of 

 natural history, and to remember this Museum, on the shores 

 of Australia and Van Dieman's Land. 



Adequately to display our collection of foreign MoUusca 



* Mr. Weaver's valuable memoir on the district of Tortworth may be seen 

 in the Geological Transactions. 



