PHYSICAS E NATURAES 275 



CORRESPONDÊNCIA 



Statement reprding dr. Welwitsch's Angola Reptiles. 

 dr. Alberl Gíinlher, Y. P. R. S., Keeper of tlie Zoological 

 Department, Drítish Museum. 



In a paper entitled «The collections of the African scientific expe- 

 dition» etc, and published by dr. B. A. Gomes in the «Jornal de Scienc. 

 phys. e mathem.» no. xix. Lisbon, 1876^ a letter stated to have been 

 addressed to him by the late dr. Welwitsch under date of IS**" july 

 1857 {quare 1867?) is inserled on p. H (of separate copy) in which 

 the writer complains of the treatment which he and his collection of 

 Angola amphibians saffered at my hands. I shall limií myself to the 

 following statement. 



1. Dr. Welwitsch brought to me in 1864 a series of twenty one 

 species of Angolan reptiles as a free gift, without then or afterwards at- 

 taching any condition to it; wilh his consent they were handed over by 

 me to dr. Gray, then Keeper of the Zoological Department, who repor- 

 ted this donation to the Trustees, dr. Welwitsch receiving the usual of- 

 ficial letter of thanks Yvhich is dated Jan. 10'^ 1865 and still in the hands 

 of the ExeciUors of his will. 



2. I had no reason to donbt that these specimens were dr. Wel- 

 witsch's own property, and it is quite evident from his published letter 

 that he himself considered them to be so : otherwise he could not have 

 stated as one of the alleged conditions that the «duplica tes» only were «to 

 be forwarded to Lisbon.» Nor does it appear that dr. Gomes took ex- 

 ception to this at the time. 



3. The scientific value of this series of reptiles appeared to me so 

 insignificant (three species only proving to be undescribed) that it ne- 



