427 



It is defcirable that attention should be given, to the col- 

 lecting a complete suite of the quadrupeds of this county, 

 particularly of the smaller species, as the mice, moles, shrews, 

 &c. To this end contributions are requested from the 

 members and friends who reside in the country, or are fre- 

 quently rambling among our rural retreats. 



Dr Neisler, also contributed many specimens of shells and 

 fossils, principally collected in the place of his residence. 



Rev. Mr. Russell then made the following remarks, viz: 

 Having been present at the opening of the case of fishes, 

 echini and Crustacea, collected by Mr. Edward D. Ropes, 

 at Zanzibar, it is with pleasure that I add my testimony to 

 the excellent order in which they come to hand. Nothing 

 could exceed the delicacy of several echini , or the beauty of 

 their spines, apparently uninjured in the least, by being 

 placed by him in boxes and then plunged in the can of pre- 

 pared alcohol. The same may be said of the crabs, which 

 are very liable to become mutilated by attrition on the pas- 

 sage home. Small fishes, mere minnows in size, were 

 sometimes wrapped together and packed in small paper 

 boxes. The holuthuria were of remarkable characters, 

 having the fringed apparatus peculiar to some species in. 

 fine preservation. From the stomachs of some of these, H. 

 F. King succeeded in procuring several diatomacea or mi- 

 croscopical forms of oceanic life, but identical with species 

 in our seas, so far as he has examined them. From the 

 folds of others, sticking to their outside, I procured two 

 small fragments of algge or sea weeds ; one an Ulva, the 

 other a Gelidium. I should be glad to have sea weeds espe- 

 cially from the tropical seas and from reefs, so mentioned in 

 the instructions accompanying the Society's cans. They 

 may be plucked on the spot wherever fishes are procured 

 and thrown in with them as sort of dunnage ; perhaps to 

 the benefit of the other specimens — but a better way would 



