10 



Richter. The Sixth Part is in the press and will complete 

 the volume. 



The Proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the So- 

 ciety in 1847 contain an unusual number of papers on 

 various subjects, and present original descriptions of very 

 numerous species of Mollusca and of Vertebrata. 



The Council can scarcely pass over this opportunity of 

 reminding the Society that the Part for 1848 ^vill make the 

 Seventeenth Annual Volume of this valuable Miscellany, 

 and they conceive it to be a subject of just pride and con- 

 gratulation to the Fellows that they have for so long a 

 period afforded this desirable medium of publication to 

 authors in every branch of Zoology. Impressed with the 

 extreme value of this work, and gi'ateful to the men of 

 science who have laboured to supply the Society with 

 contributions, the Council have determined upon publish- 

 ing a series of Illustrative Plates in 8vo, w hich it is hoped 

 will supply a desideratum in zoological literature, while the 

 low price at which they are intended to be sold, if success- 

 ful, will place them in the hands of every one who has a 

 copy of the Proceedings. 



2. Museum. 



The financial condition of the Society has prevented any 

 expenditure upon the Collections in the Museum beyond 

 what was absolutely necessary for their conservation, and 

 the Council feel the less regret upon this point because the 

 progress of the National Collection now" provides a great 

 increase of materials for the study of Zoology, as far as it 

 can be prosecuted from presened specimens. They are 

 therefore for the present more particularly desirous of di- 

 recting the resources of the Society to those objects which 

 cannot be effected by any other Institution, and they be- 

 lieve that in this course they are not only acting most 

 beneficially for the progress of knowledge, but also for the 

 interests of the Society. 



In connection with this subject, the Council refer with 

 pleasure to the Anatomical Demonstrations which have been 

 gratuitously given at the Society's house by Dr. Melville ; 

 and they have farther to announce that Lectures on more 

 popular subjects will be occasionally given at the Gardens. 



