22 PnOCKEDrPfOS OF THE 



Tlio additions to the Herbarium during the past year have 

 been chiefly from Japan, Sumatra, India, Madagascar, and the 

 territories of the Uuited States. From Japan have been 

 obtained an extensive series collected by James Bissett, Esq., a 

 Fellow of this Society, during his residence in that country, 

 Mr. H. O. Forbes, now exploring in the East, has sent ex- 

 tensive collections from Sumatra, together with a fine series 

 of diftcrent species of Myrmecodia. Mr. C. B. Clarke also has 

 presented a large and valuable series of critically named plants 

 from his Indian herbarium; and other collections from the same 

 country have been received from Dr. Aitchison and Mr. Duthie. 

 The last collections from Madagascar made by the lamented Dr. 

 Hildebrandt have been received, forming with his earlier collec- 

 tions a very imjjortant addition to our knowledge of the flora of 

 that island, as well as of Eastern Tropical Africa, and giving 

 additional cause for deploring the early loss of that accurate 

 scientific explorer. The representation of the Flora of Mada- 

 gascar in the Herbarium lias been further increased by a set of 

 the plants collected by the Eev. E. Baron, and still more by the 

 recently received collections of the Eev. AV. Deans Cowan, which 

 are rendered the more valuable by original coloured drawings of 

 the Orcliidece. Several American botanists have, in recent years, 

 been exploring the new regions in the south-east of the United 

 States dominions ; and parcels of plants have been received from 

 Parry, Vasey, Suksdoi'f, Curtiss, and Lemori, besides specimens 

 from Pj'of Asa Gray of the new and remarkable species described 

 by him from these regions. 



The British Herbarium has been increased by several local 

 collections, which have greatly added to the representation of 

 the geograj^hical distribution of our Flora. And the important 

 collections of Diatomaceai of the late Eev. E. O'Meara, containing 

 nearly 1200 specimens of these minute plants, with which he 

 was so intimately acquainted, have been acquired. 



The collection of prints and drawings of plants lias been 

 greatly increased during the year — the principal additions being 

 an extensive scries of original drawings of Indian plants in thir- 

 teen folio volumes, formerly the property of Dr. J. Fleming, and 

 the original water-colour drawings of Maund's ' Botanic Grarden,' 

 comprising pictures of 1218 plants, presented by the JNIisses 

 Maund. 



The Department of Geology and Palaeontology occupies 

 the ground-floor of the eastern half of the New Natural History 

 Museum, Cromwell Eoad, having a series of nine galleries set 

 apart for the display and conservation of its collections, and is 

 now quite separated from the " Mineralogical Collection," which 

 is placed in tlie Eastern Gallery on the first floor. 



In the old Museum only a small proportion of the collection 

 of fossils could be seen by the ordinary visitor, and the portion 



