LmNDATf aOCTETT OF T,OTST>ON. 2 1 



will be followed by a uniform system of labelling, the labels being 

 descriptive whenever necessary, and by the preparation of an 

 instructive guide. 



The ordinary work of the Department, although much hindered 

 by this transference of the collections, has not been allowed to be 

 interrupted. The acquisitions (which consisted of 5205 Yerte- 

 brates, 18-12 MoUusks, 9038 Annulosa, and 3817 Vermes, 

 Radiata, and Protozoa) had to be taken care of The greater 

 part were at once incorporated in the general collection, and 

 many of the most interesting novelties described. It is with 

 special satisfaction that I notice among the acquisitions impor- 

 tant collections made by officers on board some of Her Majesty's 

 ships, and presented by the Lords Commissioners of the Admi- 

 ralty. Chief among these are the collections made by Dr, Cop- 

 piuger during the progress of the suiwey of IT. M.S. 'Alert ' on the 

 coasts of Australia and in the western parts of the Indian Ocean, 

 which proved to be so numerous and rich in interesting novelties 

 that tliey will be made the subject of a separate Report to be 

 issued as one of the publications of the Museum. Of the ' Chal- 

 lenger ' collections the set of types of Ophiuridge were received ; 

 they are referable to 251 species, of which 176 were discovered 

 during that voyage. 



Mention was made in the last Annual Address of Mr. Boulen- 

 ger's Catalogue of Batrachia Ecaudata. This has been followed 

 since by a second volume, containing an account of the Batrachia 

 Caudata and Apoda. Like the former, it offers an example of the 

 great increase of our knowledge in every branch of Zoology 

 within the last thirty years. In 1850, the year when the first 

 edition of this catalogue was published, the number of species 

 known was 72, represented in the Museum by 199 specimens ; 

 while in the present volume not less than 143 species are 

 described and 1137 specimens enumerated. 



Of the Entomological catalogues, the first volume of the ' List 

 of Hymenoptera ' has been completed by Mr. "W". F. Kirby. In 

 this work it is intended to give a complete list of all the 

 species of Hymenoptera hitherto describecl, with references to 

 the literature, to enumerate the specimens in the collection of 

 the British Museum, and, finally, to describe and figure the 

 most important of them, viz. the types of specific descriptions, 

 many of which have been now publislied for the first time. 



The Departmental Library has been growing apace, 1383 

 works having been added to it during the last twelve months. 

 It will be a matter of congratulation to working zoologists 

 that the Trustees have consented to transfer the very impor- 

 tant collections of Hardwicke's drawings of Indian animals and 

 of Abbott's drawings of North-American insects from the MS. 

 Department at Bloomsbury to the New Museum at South Ken- 

 sington. 



