deep blue, the greater coverts tipped with verditer green, forming crescentic bands 

 when the wing is expanded; tail dark green; lower part of the abdomen, vent, and 

 thighs, dull bluish black; under tail-coverts, white ; bill and feet, bright red. 



" Total length of the body, 26 inches ; bill, from the gape to the tip, 2i ; from 

 tip to posterior edge of the plate on the forehead, 3 inches ; wing, 8* ; tail, 3| ; 

 tarsi, 3 ; middle toe, 3 ; nail, f ; hind-toe, f ; nail, f. 1 



" I cannot conclude these remarks without bearing testimony to the very great 

 importance of the results which have attended the researches of MR. WALTER 

 MANTELL, in the various departments of science to which he has turned his 

 attention, nor without expressing a hope that he may yet be enabled to obtain 

 some particulars as to the history of this and the other remarkable birds of the 

 country in which he is resident." 



EXPLANATORY. 



Plan of the Work. To ensure the permanent utility of this Hand-Book, a specific 

 notation of the Cases has been adopted in the ground-plan of each Room ; and to 

 facilitate a reference to any particular cabinet or fossil, so far as the present 

 arrangement of the Gallery of Organic Kemains will permit, the letters and 

 numbers affixed to the respective Cases are inserted between brackets, and placed 

 after the letters and figures of the plan ; for example, in page 11, letter A refers 

 to the ground-plan, and [1, A, B, c,] are the numbers and letters painted on the 

 Wall-case containing the fossil Alga, Fuci, &c. 



Minerals. The description of the mineralogical collection is not within the 

 scope of this volume ; but for the convenience of the mineralogist who may not 

 possess MR. KONIG'S excellent Synopsis, a brief notice of the contents of the 

 Table-cases is inserted. 



Fossi Invertebrate/. Of this part of the collection, a very general description 

 only is given, for tlie objects are too numerous, and too small, to be particularized 

 in a hand-book of this nature. Several of the Table-cases of fossil shells are 

 admirably arranged and named by MR. WOODWARD, and cannot fail to prove 

 highly interesting to the Geologist, and instructive to the student in Conchology ; 

 to the latter I would commend, in the strongest terms, Mr. Woodward's " Manual 

 of the Mollusca, or a Rudimentary Treatise on Recent and Fossil Shells" with 

 numerous illustrations, 1 vol. price 2^. published by Weale, as incomparably ttic 

 best and cheapest introduction to this branch of Natural History in the English 

 language. 



Models of Fossils. Models of some of the most remarkable fossils in the 

 National Collection (a list of which is published in the " Synopsis of the British 

 Museum ") may be purchased of the Formatore. 



Casts of the teeth, and of several bones, of the Tguanodon (formerly in my 

 possession) may be obtained of Professor Tennant, 149, Strand. 



* The plate accompanying this description represents the Notornis in two posi- 

 tions, of the natural size, and accurately coloured. 



