38 KEPORT OF THE COiMMITXEE. 



Mr. John Hancock has, with his accustomed generosity, made 

 a valuable addition to the collections of the Society by the gift 

 of his own original water-colour and pencil drawings of birds, 

 etc , which, have been drawn with the greatest care from life, 

 and which, to a great extent served as the models for his stuffed 

 cases of birds now in the Museum. These drawings have been 

 mounted and framed, the frames having been most kindly pre- 

 sented by Lady Armstrong. 



In the autumn of last year Capt. J^evile E.. Sayers, ever mind- 

 ful of the wants of the Museum, kindly presented an interesting 

 collection of Madrepore Corals, which he had obtained from the 

 Pearl-fishing divers on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, off 

 Queensland. Likewise several specimens of Fishes and Mol- 

 lusca, from Australia and Torres Straits. In September last 

 Messrs. "Wm. Benson & Son, of AUerwash, obligingly presented 

 to the Society six large slabs of fossil footprints from the Eed 

 Sandstone Quarries of Corncockle Moor, Dumfriesshire. Origin- 

 als of these footprints have been long desired for the Museum, 

 and which are only obtained very rarely. The casts given to 

 the Society by Henry "Witham, Esq., an original member and 

 "Vice-President of the Society, were obtained in 1829-30. 



The additions to the library through exchanges with kindred 

 Societies have considerably increased during the current year, 

 consisting chiefly of Reports and Transactions of the Learned 

 Societies of North America, Great Britain, Europe, and the 

 Colonies. ]S"early one hundred volumes or parts of volumes have 

 in this way been added to the library. 



A list of other donations and additions to the Collections of 

 the Society will be found at the end of this Report. 



The following donations to the Maintenance Fund have been 

 made during the past year : — 



J. Ralph Can- Ellison, Esq., Hedgcley, Alnwick ... £10 

 G.H. Philipson, Esq., M.D.,El(lonSfinare 5 5 



The Committee cannot close their Report without expressing 

 their regret at the loss the Society have sustained in the death 

 of their President, the late Bishop of Durham. It is needlees 

 to speak of the learning and attainments of Bishop Lightfoot, 



