BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). 91 



Meeting of the Trustees held on the 22nd of February 1890, 

 when the following resolution was passed : — 



" That while recognising the desirability of opening the 

 " National Museums on Sunday afternoons, and the liberality 

 " of one of the Vice-Presidents of the National Sunday League, 

 " in offering to place at the disposal of the Trustees the sum 

 " of 500 I. for the purpose of thus opening the Natural History 

 " Museum during a portion of the present year, the Trustees 

 " hesitate, under present circumstances, to take the respon 

 " sibility of opening the Museum on Sundays without the 

 " concurrence of the Government." 



The bequest of an important collection of mounted British 

 Birds, by the late Mr. E. T. Booth, of Brighton, was announced, 

 but it was attended with such conditions as to cause the 

 Trustees to waive their claim in favour of the Corporation of 

 Brighton, that body having expressed its willingness to accept 

 the collection and to use its best endeavours to carry out the 

 wishes of the testator. 



During the year 1,013 presents, many of which embrace a 

 large number of individual specimens, were received by the 

 Trustees. The more important of these will be found men- 

 tioned in the reports of the Keepers of Departments, but 

 the following may be alluded to here as of special interest : — 



From His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, k.g. — A 

 light-coloured Snipe and a Reeves' Pheasant, killed in Norfolk. 



From the Earl of Tankerville. — A Bull and Cow from his 

 stock of wild cattle preserved in Chillingham Park. 



From the Duke of Hamilton, k.t. — A Bull from the herd of 

 wild cattle preserved in Chillingham Park. 



From the Canadian Government. — Zoological specimens 

 which formed part of the Canadian Exhibit at the Colonial 

 and Indian Exhibition. 



From the Royal Commission for Victoria at the Paris 

 Exhibition (1889). — A collection of Dried Botanical Specimens. 



From H. J. Carter, Esq., f.r.s. — A valuable collection of 

 fresh-water Sponges, comprising all the species at present 

 known to science. 



From Dr. J. Leidy. — A perfect skull of Oreodon Cuthhei^t- 

 soni, from the " Mauvaises Terres " (Miocene), White River, 

 Dakota, U.S.A. 



From the Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew. — A Her- 

 barium formed by Ferro, an apothecary in Venice, who died 

 in 1674. 



From Major J. W. Yerbury, r.a. — A valuable collection of 

 British Insects, chiefly Diptera, obtained in Devonshire. 



From F. S. Worthington, Esq. — A collection of small Mam- 

 mals, Birds, and Reptiles, from the desert of Egypt, together 

 with specimens of the rocks and sand from the locality in 

 which they were obtained (to illustrate the prevailing resem- 



0.81. blance 



