164< .VCCOUNTS, ETC. OF THE BEITISH MUSEUM. 



monographs of the Hepatics, Characese, Freshwater Algse 

 and Diatoms. He has revised the transcripts and text of 

 the Illustrations of the Botany of Cook's First Voyage 

 in accordance with Solander's original manuscript, and has 

 assisted in the preparation of a Glossary of Botanic Terms 

 for publication. He has laid out, revised, named, and 

 catalogued several collections of Arctic Mosses ; has named 

 some gatherings of Mosses from New Zealand and other 

 countries ; has revised Rhynchohypnum, Harrisonia, Fissi- 

 dens, and other genera ; has provided an index to the genus 

 Adiantum, and has completed the incorporation of the Lyell 

 Herbarium. 



Mr. Blackman has been engaged during the past year on 

 work in connection with the collections of Fungi, Myeetozoa, 

 and Lichens under his charge, and on exhibition work in the 

 Public Gallery. Various small collections of Fungi have 

 been incorporated with the General Herbarium, and the 

 large collection of North American Fungi, lately purchased, 

 is being put into a condition suitable for revision and incor- 

 poration. His work in the Public Gallery has consisted, 

 largely, in the writing of labels for the various exhibition 

 cases in course of arrangement. With the assistance of 

 Mr. Horrell, he has completed cases exhibiting the peculiar 

 characters of water plants, salt-marsh plants, and arctic and 

 alpine plants ; the case begun last year, which deals with 

 the Vascular Crj'ptogams, both recent and fossil, from a 

 systematic point of view has also been finished. With the 

 same assistance, a case has been begun which deals with the 

 Gymnosperms in a similar manner. Considerable progress 

 has also been made, under his direction, with a series of 

 models intended to illustrate the general changes undergone 

 by the Wheat seed and seedling in the process of growth. 

 He has abo begun an exhibit in which the chief points in 

 the structure, life history, and manner of growth of Bacteria 

 will be illustrated by means of drawings, micro-photographs, 

 models, and permanent sealed cultures. 



Of the additions to the collection by purchase, the most 

 notable acquisitions were the herbarium of exotic Mosses, and 

 of Hepatics of Monsieur Emil Bescherelle, of Paris, containing 

 nearly 16,000 specimens. Its chief value consists in the types 

 of many new species described by M. Bescherelle, and in the 

 large number of specimens collected in the French Colonies, 

 and hitherto poorly represented in the Museum. It contains, 

 also, collections made in the islands of Amsterdam and 

 St. Paul, in Brazil, Paraguay, Tahiti, Japan, Mexico, and the 

 Marquise Islands, which were described by M. Bescherelle, 

 and many authentic specimens from older French botanists 

 and explorers. 



There was also acquired a complete set of Ellis and 

 Everhart's valuable North American Fungi, consisting of 

 3,600 specimens. 



