56 Canadian Record of Science. 



Complete lists of additions and donations to the Museum 

 have been given at our Monthly Meetings, and need not, 

 therefore, be repeated here in detail. We have received 

 twenty-five additional specimens of Canadian Birds in 

 exchange for some of our duplicate specimens, and shall 

 be able to make further additions in this way in the near 

 future. 



I have just commenced cleaning and re-arranging the 

 Shells, of which we have about 4,000 specimens. It is 

 several years since anything has been done to them, and 

 dust and disorder have to some extent marred their beauty. 



If, however, they are put into good order, and have 

 English names placed upon the different groups, the col- 

 lection will be much improved in appearance, and they 

 will become interesting and intelligible to the ordinary as 

 well as to the scientific visitor. 



For, at present, the name (Meleagrina radiata) conveys 



to very few the fact that they are looking at a Pearl 



Oyster ; the name (Archatina perdix), does not vividly 



impress on the mind that this is the shell of one of the 



largest Land Snails in the world ; and our specimens of 



the beautiful Pearly Nautilus are not labelled at all, so 



that visitors pass them without paying any homage to 



this queen of all the Sea-Shells, and are hardly aware that 



they are looking at the only surviving. representatives of 



one of the most ancient and highly distinguished families 



of the Mollusca. 



Eespectfully submitted, 



J. B. Williams, 



Curator. 



