THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 77 



hundreds of new species, and a vast miscellany of zoological and physio- 

 logical information set forth by some of our ablest pens. 



In 1838 the Catalogue of the Mammalia in the Museum, 

 which had been compiled by Mr. G. R. Waterhouse, was pub- 

 lished, and went into a second edition. It is an excellent piece 

 of work, as a short extract will show : 



293. The Cryptoprocta . . From Madagascar. 



Cryptoprocta ferox . . Bennett. 

 Presented by Charles Telfair, Esq., Corresponding Member. 

 Original of Mr. Bennett's description and figure in 

 Trans. Zool. Soc, vol. i. p. 137, pi. xiv. ; see also Proc. Zool. 

 Soc, 1833, p. 46. 



Thus, for new or rare species the visitor had references to 

 the literature, which he could look up on the premises if he 

 were a Fellow. As Curator, Mr. Waterhouse was responsible for 

 the labels ; British species were distinguished by the popular 

 names being printed in red ink. 



The Council inserted the following notice of the Museum in 

 the Report presented to the annual meeting in 1839: 



Under this head may be included a notice of the acts by which the 

 Society, as one of the scientific associations of this country, has contributed 

 to the advancement of zoology during the past year. The Museum is, in 

 fact, essential to the well and profitably-conducting of the business of the 

 evening meetings : in the Museum are performed the greater part of the 

 dissections of the rarer animals ....;* and lastly, to the Museum the 

 zoologist from abroad or at home resorts for the solution of his doubts and 

 inquiries, and for the comparison of his own varieties with the rich and 

 well-arranged series of specimens which now constitute so important and 

 valuable a department of the property of the Society. 



In the closing year of this decade the collections included 

 1,794 mammals, of 800 distinct species; 5,418 birds, of about 

 3,000 species, with rather more than the same number in reserve. 

 Of reptiles, 1,034 specimens, and 1,260 of fishes were exhibited. 

 The osteological collection consisted of 386 perfect skeletons, 

 and 700 mammalian skulls: of the former there were 300 in 

 store, and the rest were exhibited. 



* Owen acted as an unpaid prosector. Under date of June 3, 1840, there is an 

 entry in the minutes of Council to the effect that the Hunterian Professor should 

 he allowed to dissect whenever and whatever he liked, when deaths occurred at the 

 Gardens, and he was to have precedence over everyone else. 



