Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Iviii. (191 3). 13 



to the name of the animal. Another popular curiosity in 

 the Museum was the venerable head of "Old Billy," a 

 horse belonging to the " Mersey and Irwell Navigation 

 Company " which attained the age of 62 years. 



The Natural History Society does not seem to have 

 had any meetings except business meetings, and this 

 probably suggested the formation of the Natural History 

 Club. The preliminary meeting of the Club was held on 

 1 2th November, 1861, when Messrs. Darbishire, Watson, 

 Sidebotham, Coward, Latham, Harrison, Brown and Ken- 

 derdine associated themselves as the Natural History 

 Club for the pursuit and cultivation of natural history. 

 They were all members of the Natural History Society, 

 all members of which were eligible for election as micmbers 

 of the Club ; and associates of the Club, not exceeding 

 ten in number, might be elected from outside the Society. 

 Mr. Darbishire was the President, Mr. Watson, Treasurer, 

 and Dr. Alcock, Secretary, and all retained office through- 

 out the existence of the Club. It was never a large Club, 

 but all its members were keenly interested in natural 

 history. By permission of the Society the Club undertook 

 the curatorship of the British Room in the Museum, and 

 the reports on the different sections show that the 

 Club did a much-needed work in the Museum. On 12th 

 May, 1862, Mr. Darbishire contributed a paper of sugges- 

 tions in furtherance of the curatorship of the British Room. 

 The objects of the suggestions were, the more effective 

 display of the specimens already in the Museum and the 

 most judicious increase of the collection. From Mr. Dar- 

 bishire's suggestions it appears that the British Section of 

 the Museum was " far from perfect and often out of order," 

 and he proposed that each of the different departments 

 should be under the superintendence of a member of the 

 Club having special knowledge of that department. He 



