310 MR. O. THOMAS ON SPECIMENS FORMERLY [May 3, 



been rebottled, so that one cannot tell with certainty ^ to which part 

 of the collection they belonged. 



Owing in part probably to some of the intermediate possessors 

 not having been interested in anything but Mammalia, and in part 

 to the comparative absence of individuality in specimens of the 

 lower classes, scarcely any identification has been made in other 

 groups than the Mammalia. But as the Lidth de Jeude collection 

 acquired by the Museum contains specimens of all classes, both of 

 Vertebrates and Invertebrates, as did also the Seba cabinet, there is 

 little doubt that some of Seba's specimens are contained in it, if 

 only they could be identified. At the same time no members of 

 other groups have upon them the old MS. labels to which I attach 

 so much importance. Moreover, the Seba collection of Reptiles 

 was wholly, or in part, purchased by the Emperor Peter the Great, 

 and taken to St. Petersburg, where many of the specimens are still 

 preserved ^. Unfortunately they were all rebottled some years ago, 

 so that none are left in the original bottles ; Dr. Strauch, however, as 

 I am kindly informed by Dr. Biichner, well remembers that the bottles 

 were exactly like those figured by Seba, and therefore like those of 

 the Lidth de Jeude collection. As to the labels, several sorts seem 

 to have been on the bottles, but none quite like those now on 

 our bottles. 



Among the Reptiles and Fishes, in the examination of which I 

 have had the assistance of my colleague Mr. Boulenger, one snake 

 {Eunectes murinus, 66.8.14.308) and one fish {Ohcetostomus cir- 

 rhosus, 66.8.14.154) agree so well with Seba's Vol. ii. pi. xxix. 

 fig. 1 and Vol. iii. pi. xxix. fig. 12 respectively, that, viewed in 

 conjunction with the Mammal identifications, it appears very pro- 

 bable that these specimens are Seba's originals, and that they 

 escaped Peter the Great, and passed with the Mammals into the 

 hands of Prof. Lidth de Jeude. 



It is an unfortunate thing that none of the many eccentricities 

 figured by Seba, such as the Cat with two bodies, &c., are identi- 

 fiable, as they would have been better evidence of identity than any 

 I am able to produce ; but the fact is easily explicable, as the Biitish 

 Museum never has purchased or collected any such specimens, and 

 therefore even if, as no doubt was the case, any of Seba's monstro- 

 sities were included in the " collection tres remarquable de foetus 

 monstrueux" of the Lidth de Jeude collection, they would not 



^ In an interesting leaflet which I owe to the kindness of Mr. R. F. Damon 

 of Weymouth, there is a rough classification of the Lidth de Jeude Museum, 

 and among the chief headings is one of " Une serie de fcBtus des races humaines 

 et des Mammiferes." jSTow, on examining the Museum specimens bearing the 

 printed Lidth de Jeude labels, I find that without exception they are either 

 young specimens or else mothers containing foetuses, so that we may presume 

 that of the rebottled specimens those at least which are adult would not have 

 had the printed numbers, and would therefore in all probability have had the 

 old MS. labels upon them. 



- See Strauch, Zool. Mus. St. Petersb.in seinem fiinfzigjahr. Best. p. 192 (1889). 

 Dr. Biichner informs me that a large part of this collection was destroyed by 

 fire in St. Petersburg in 1747. 



