Visit to the British Museum. 427 



Henry Keeping, he made the most complete collection ever attempted 

 by any geologist, and it still remains unrivalled. 



Mr. Edwards contributed six Memoirs to the Palasontographical 

 Society, 1848-1856, also separate papers to the " London Geological 

 Magazine," 1816, the " Geologist," 1860, and the " Geological 

 Magazine," 1865, descriptive of the Eocene Mollusca in his collection. 



Mr. S. V. Wood continued the work for Mr. Edwards, describing 

 and figuring the " Eocene Bivalves " in the annual volumes of the 

 Palajontographical Society for 1859, 1862, 1870, and 1877. Each 

 specimen which has been figured is specially marked. 



About 500 species have been described and figured, but the col- 

 lection is very rich in new and undescribed forms. 



The last Collection is that of a Naturalist who devoted his entire 

 life to the study and illustration of a single class of organisms, 

 namely, the Brachiopoda. It was formed by the late Mr. Thomas 

 Davidson, LL.D., F.E.S., F.G.S., V.P. Pal. Soc, etc., (formerly of 9, 

 Salisbury Eoad, West Brighton, and Muir-house, Midlothian) ; 

 between the years 1837 and 1886, with the object of illustrating his 

 great work on the " British Fossil Brachiopoda," published by the 

 Palseontographical Society, in six large quarto volumes, between the 

 years 1850 and 1886, comprising 2290 pages of text, and 234 plates, 

 with 9329 figures, and descriptions of 969 species. 



Dr. Davidson was also the author of the Eeport on the recent 

 Brachiopoda collected by H.M.S. " Challenger " (vol. i. 1880) ; of 

 the article "Brachiopoda," in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth 

 Edition, 1875 ; of a Monograph of Eecent " Brachiopoda " (Trans. 

 Linnasan Society, 1886 and 1887), and of more than fifty other 

 separate Memoirs mostlj^ bearing upon Brachiopoda both Eecent and 

 Fossil, printed in the Transactions and Journals of the various 

 learned Societies, etc. 



His collection, both of Eecent and Fossil Brachiopoda, together 

 with all Di-. Davidson's original drawings, his numerous books and 

 pamphlets were j)resented by him to the British Museum through 

 his son William Davidson, Esq., February, 1886. By his direction 

 the entire collection of recent and fossil species are to be Icept 

 iogetJier in one series, for the convenience of reference of all men of 

 science who may wish to consult the same. 



At the conclusion of Dr. Woodward's remarks Mr. William Topley, 

 F.G.S., kindly added some valuable information with reference to 

 William Smith's maps and sections and his geological work in 

 various parts of England. 



The President then returned thanks to Dr. Woodward, and 

 expressed the interest which, he said, he and all the members present 

 felt in this very important addition made to the exhibition-series of 

 the Galleries devoted to Geology and Palaeontology. After a further 

 examination of the Collections the Members separated, well pleased 

 ■with their visit to this deservedly popular Museum. 



