COUNCIL FOR 1849. 9 



Natural-History generally, claims, in a high degree, the support 

 of this Society. One object of the above Society is to employ 

 competent collectors in such districts as are known to be rich 

 in natural productions, either recent or fossil, and to distribute 

 the Collections, thus accumulated, amongst individuals or 

 public institutions, vv^ho have promoted the undertaking; it 

 being a part of the plan, that one specimen, at least, of each 

 species, shall be the property of this Society, and be deposited 

 in our Museum, thereby securing the preservation of one com- 

 plete series of all the objects which may be discovered. The 

 Natural-History Society has commenced its labours by collecting 

 Tertiary Fossils of the Isle of Wight and adjacent Cliffs of 

 Hordwell and Barton. From these sources a vast number of 

 valuable specimens has been obtained, more than 20,000 of 

 which have already been distributed amongst its members. 



To this Society the Museum is indebted for an interesting 

 series of Tertiary Fossils, which forms the most valuable 

 addition to the Geological Collection during the past year. It 

 includes more than 50 species, either quite new or unfigured 

 in any British Work ; many of these are accompanied by 

 beautiful and accurate drawings, executed, under Mr. Charles- 

 worth's direction, by Mr. Smith, an artist, whose merits as a 

 delineator of objects of Natural-History, are well kno^vn to the 

 Members of this Society. 



Another valuable acquisition in this department is a tooth 

 of the Megalosaurus from the Malton Oolite, presented by 

 Dr. Murray, of Scarborough. This tooth is not only unique as 

 a Yorkshire Fossil, but in regard to size and the extent of fang 

 preserved, is the most characteristic specimen known. Another 

 Reptilian Tooth, less rare than the foregoing, but equally fine 

 of its kind, belonging to the genus Polyptichodon, also from the 

 Malton Oolite, has been presented by the Rev. William Walker, 

 of Slingsby, who liberally allowed The Keeper of the Museum 

 to select, from his cabinet of Malton Fossils, all such specimens 

 as were considered likely to be of value to the Geological 

 Collection, including much finer examples of several species 

 than were previously in the posession of the Society. From the 

 Yorkshire Naturalists' Club has been received a Starfish from 



