Growth of the Collection. 35 



directed to acquaint himself with Mammalia, especially the 1875-1878. 

 order Rodentia. 



7. Mr. 8. 0. Bidley, and 



8. Mr. F. J. Bell, who were appointed in 1878, and 

 subsequently took charge, the former of Polyzoa, Hydrozoa and 

 Anthozoa, the latter of Worms and Echinoderms. 



9. Mr. O'Shaughnessy's position in the Department has been 

 denned above (p. 17); he now had charge of the collections of 

 Reptiles and Fishes. 



Dr. F. Briiggemann worked on the Corals to the time of his 

 death (in 1878), and Mr. H. Seebohm commenced the preparation 

 of the Catalogue of Turdidae/ 



GROWTH OF THE COLLECTION. 



(1875-78.) 



There was in these four years no great fluctuation in the 

 annual increase of the collection ; the total increase was 95,200 

 specimens, giving an annual average of 23,800. 



Of the acquisitions, which contained animals of nearly all 

 classes : 



1. The most important and extensive were the collections 

 made by the naturalists attached to the " Transit of Venus " 

 Expeditions to Rodriguez (Messrs. H. H. Slater and G. Gulliver) 

 and Kerguelen (Rev. A. E. Eaton). These collections being 

 at the disposal of the Royal Society were offered by the 

 President and Council to the Trustees under the condition that a 

 complete set should be retained for the British Museum, and 

 that the duplicates should be distributed among five named 

 institutions. 



2. The zoological specimens obtained by Captain H. W. 

 Feilden, the natui'alist of the Arctic Expedition of 1875, were 

 partly presented by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, 

 partly by the collector. Although not very numerous, they 

 were of great interest, including specimens of the Musk Ox, 

 nestlings of the Knot, new species of Fishes and Shells, etc. 



3. Commodore James G. Goodenough, whilst in command of 

 the Australian Station, and cruising in H.M.S. Pearl among the 

 islands of the South Pacific, gave every encouragement to his 

 private secretary, Mr. W. Wykeham Perry, and to Surgeon 

 A. Corrie, to collect at the localities visited. Many consign- 

 ments reached the Museum from this source ; and by the 

 death of Commodore Goodenough, caused by a wound from 



D 2 



