96 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Survey of the Fishes of the Nile. 



A report was prepared by Mr. Boulenger in September on 

 the progress made with the collection and determination of 

 the Fishes of the Nile. 



The Survey* was practically started in March 1899, on the 

 arrival at Cairo of Mr. W. L. S. Loat, who had been appointed 

 to make collections at various points on the river. During 

 this period of twenty months about 2,500 fishes were collected 

 and excellently preserved in spirit, and forwarded for study 

 to the Natural History Museum, where they are now deposited 

 until finally worked out and divided between the Museum 

 and the Government School of Medicine at Cairo. Mr. Loat's 

 collections were first made in the region af the Lower Nile, 

 and he gradually worked his way up the river to Wadi Haifa. 

 Leaving out of consideration a large number of marine forms 

 from the lakes communicating with the Mediterranean, 

 examples of over 50 species were secured, three among which 

 prove to be new to science, and several of great interest as 

 being very imperfectly known or unrepresented in the 

 Museum. 



A copy of Mr. Boulenger's report has been forwarded to 

 Lord Cromer for the information of the Egyptian Govern- 

 ment. 



Collecting Trip to the Balearic Isles. 



Special leave of absence was given to Messrs. Oldfield 

 Thomas and R. I. Pocock, Assistants in the Department of 

 Zoology, to enable them to make a collecting trip to the 

 Balearic Islands, which were almost unrepresented in the 

 Museum collections. 



Journeying by way of Bordeaux and Barcelona, they 

 reached Majorca on March 31, and by the advice of the 

 British Vice-Consul, stationed themselves at Inca, a village 

 in the centre of the island, near the lignite mines, and within 

 reach of various limestone caves where bats could be obtained. 

 During the following fortnight collections in all classes 

 were made, and expeditions to the caves of Manacor, and 

 to the Albufera, or reclaimed marsh of Alcudia, where many 

 interesting and peculiar forms were found. An examination 

 was also made of the collections of Don Miguel Riutort, a 

 local enthusiast, who had a small museum of his own, and 

 from whom much assistance and advice was obtained. 



Of lignite fossils, some very fine and perfect teeth of 

 AnthracotheriuTTh magnum were purchased from a workman 

 who had obtained them in the mines at Sineu. They have 

 been determined by Dr. Forsyth Major, who has drawn 



* Initiated by Dr. J. Anderson, F.E.S., whose untimely death occurred last 

 August. 



