490 



TTTE NATURAL HISTORY RETIEW. 



puzzled at finding, first of all, a general Eeport headed " Depart- 

 ments of Natural History," signed by Professor Owen, and follow- 

 ing it four other reports on the difierent *' Departments " of 

 *' Zoology," " Geology," "Mineralogy," and "Botany," signed by 

 Dr. Gray, Mr. Waterhouse, Mr. Story-Maskelyne, and Mr. Bennett 

 respectively. Some indication, we think, should be given that these 

 four " departments" together make up the general "Department of 

 Natural History," of which Professor Owen has the superintendence.* 

 As has been tbe case in former years, Professor Owen's chief theme 

 all through his present Eeport is want of space. This, as most of 

 our readers well know, has been the standing complaint in Blooms- 

 bury for a long period. As we have pointed out in our last year's 

 volume,f the Government will do nothing to remedy it, so long as 

 the collections remain in their present situation. And, although 

 the shortness of the last Parliamentary Session, together with the 

 incompleteness of the negotiations with the Trustees, have again 

 prevented the removal to Kensington from being carried out during 

 the present year, there can be no doubt that the scheme will be 

 brought before Parliament again upon their next assembly. So that 

 we may now fairly look forward to a nearly approaching period 

 when this long continued evil will be obviated by the transfer of the 

 Natural History collections to a new locality, where ample space is 

 available for their reception, and where they will form the nucleus 

 of a new institution, freed, we trust, from many of the disadvantages 

 to which they are at present subject. 



Eeferring to Professor Owen's Eeport, we find that the total 

 number of additions to the Departments of Natural History during 

 the year 1864 was 12,973, and that the whole of the series under his 

 superintendence was generally in a good state of preservation. 

 The most noticeable acquisition of the Zoological Department during 

 the year is stated to have been the collection made by Mr. Tristram's 

 expedition to Palestine, concerning which the following remarks are 

 given : — 



' The " arnevetli, which cheweth the cud and divideth not the hoof,'* 

 rendered "hare" in our version of Deuteronomy xiv. 7, and Levi- 

 ticus xi. 6, is represented in this collection by the Lepus Syriacus, 



* This is, Ave siippose, the cnsc. But Professor Owen's General Report does 

 not contain a word about " Botany," and the paragraph on the number of additions 

 (p. 23), would seem to indicate that " Botany " is not part of '* Natural History !" 



t Nat. Hist. Rev. 1864, p. 343. 



