84 ACCOUNTS, ETC.; OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Amazon Expedition. 



The collections brought home from Brazil by Mr. E. E, 

 Austen and Mr. F. O. Pickard Cambridge (to whom Messrs. 

 Siemens, Bros., & Co. gave an invitation to join their 

 cable-laying expedition up the River Amazon, on the under- 

 standing that all specimens collected by them should become 

 the property of the Trustees) proved to be of considerable 

 scientific interest and were valuable additions to the Museum 

 collections. 



The Trustees have returned their special thanks to Messrs. 

 Siemens for the friendly interest they have shown in the 

 Museum. 



Comuay Spitzhergen Expedition. 



Special leave of absence was granted to Dr. J. W. Gregory, 

 an Assistant in the Geological Department, to enable him to 

 accompany Sir W. M. Conway on an exploring expedition to 

 the interior of Spitzbergen, on the understanding that all 

 the specimens obtained by Dr. Gregory should become the 

 property of the Trustees. 



Dr. Gregory, who was away for four months, made good 

 use of the opportunity afforded him, and brought home 

 important Zoological and Geological collections. 



Huxley Memorial. 



A proposal by the Committee of the Huxley Memorial 

 Fund to place a statue of the late Professor Huxley in 

 the Museum has been agreed to, subject to the Trustees' 

 approval of the statue. The full-sized model for the statue,, 

 which is being executed by Mr. Onslow Ford, R. a., will shortly 

 be completed. 



Purchases. 



Important collections have been acquired by purchase, 

 among which special mention may be made of the collection 

 of Fossil Plants of the Coal Measures formed by the late 

 Professor W. Crawford Williamson ; the fine series of Birds, 

 chiefly Woodpeckers, brought together by the late Mr. Edward 

 Hargitt ; the Steere collection of Birds from the Philippine 

 Islands ; a fine collection of Fossil Bird-remains from 

 Patagonia, collected by Senor Ameghino ; the Power collection 

 of British Coleoptera and Hemiptera ; and the collection of 

 Oriental Hymenoptera formed by Colonel C. T. Bingham. 

 The details of these and of numerous other important purchases 

 made during the year will be found in the reports of the 

 Keepers of the several Departments. 



