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rank next to these ; and the Society possesses only S3 speci- 

 mens of Fishes, and 28 of Reptiles. The number of Birds 

 in its cases amounts to 146, of which 103 are natives of 

 this country ; and out of SOO British species, about 60 are 

 thus illustrated. 



In reference to some of these objects of Zoological interest, 

 the Council cannot refrain from remarking, that there is a 

 circumstance observable in the Catalogue of Donations, 

 which they should hope to find hereafter of more frequent 

 occurrence. The amusements of the Sportsman and the 

 Angler have, in several instances, contributed to enrich the 

 Museum with useful specimens ; and persons not professing 

 much knowledge of Natural History, have thus rendered 

 it an essential service, at no expense to themselves. 



In giving a general list of desiderata, it is by no means 

 intended to intimate, that Contributions of another class 

 will not be acceptable ; and still less to complain, in any 

 degree, of the support which the Institution has received. 

 It is not surprising, that in a Museum which has been only 

 a few years established, there should be great deficiencies ; 

 the wonder is, that it should already, in some degree, embrace 

 every part of the range of natural science ; that it should 

 already number in its catalogues twenty thousand spe- 

 cimens collected from the land and the water. The accumu- 

 lation, in so short a time, of such a multitude of the materials 

 of instruction, is highly honourable both to the Society and 

 to the County : it fully answers the sanguine hopes with 

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