ACCOUNTS, &C. OF BRITISH MUSEUM. 



An important acquisition has been made by the purchase of Mr. Koch's collection of 

 Mastodon tic Osseous remains from North America. The Skeleton exhibited at the Egyptian 

 Hall, together with the rest of that collection, has been taken to pieces, and its various parts 

 have been re-organized from the best data, and in a great measure differently from the 

 manner in which they were formerly exhibited as a whole ; the restored portions will be 

 carefully pointed out. 



Besides some other acquisitions in this branch of Paleontology, such as the skeleton of 

 the Irish Cervus Megaceras, not yet set up, particular mention may be made of the collection 

 of Fossil remains from Northamptonshire, formed by Mr. Baker, and consisting of about 

 2,500 specimens ; also 350 specimens (in addition to about 1,800 purchased last year), 

 of Mr. Byne's collection of Invertebrated animals of the inferior and great Oolite forma- 

 tions, chiefly from Hampton Common ; and a suite of Crag Fossils from the coast of Norfolk, 

 some of them very interesting and rare. 



Since the last Return many desiderata in the Oryctognostic collection have been sup- 

 plied. As very remarkable, the masses of meteoric iron from Alabama and from Tenessee 

 may be referred to, together with the large Meteorites from Triguerre, in France, and 

 from Chandakapoor, and the valley of Berar, in the East Indies. Magnificent opalized 

 stems of Trees from Van Diemen's Land have been presented by Lady Chantrey and by 

 Mr. Crookshank. 



By order of the Trustees, moulds for plaster casts have been prepared of the large Fossil 

 Elephant's skull, and of that of the American Mastodon (both of them purchased some 

 years ago), as likewise of Captain Cautley's crania of Sivatherium and Ghavial. 



Zoological Branch. 



Since Christmas 1842, the arrangement, mounting, naming, and labelling, of the different 

 parts of the Zoological Collection have been steadily proceeded with. 



The greater part of the Keeper's time during the past year has been devoted to the improve- 

 ment of the collections of Mammalia, Birds, Shells and Lepidopterous Insects, with the view, 

 by so concentrating his own labours and those of his assistants to one branch of the Depart- 

 ment, of bringing the entire collection into the best condition in the shortest time. 



The specimens of various classes of animals which have been acquired during the year, 

 Ijave all of them been arranged in their proper places in the general collection. 



These specimens have been regularly entered in the Manuscript Catalogue of Accessions." 



Numerous additions have been made in the Catalogues of Insects, Birds, Mammalia and 

 Reptiles. 



A Systematic Catalogue of the species of Mammalia, with their synonyma, references to 

 where they are figured, and an account of the state and origin of each specimen in the 

 collection, has been printed and published, and a copy of it has been sent to each donor, 

 and to various public collections in England and on the Continent. 



Similar Catalogues of the Birds, Reptiles, Shells, Lepidopterous Insects and Cirripedes 

 are in progress. 



The first part of the Catalogue of Birds, containing the Raptores, is now in the press, and 

 it is expected that a part of the Reptiles and of the Lepidopterous Insects will be ready for 

 printing in the year 1844. 



During the past year there have been added to the several parts of the Zoological Collec- 

 tion 21,864 specimens of different classes of animals; viz. 



Vertebrata: — Mammalia ----- 769 



Birds 2,820 



Reptiles ------ 395 



Fish 619 



4,503 



Annulosa : — Coleoptera ----- 4,306 



Orthoptera 288 



Neuroptera - - - - - 95 



Hymenoptera ----- 956 



Hemiptera _ _ - _ - 377 



Homoptera - - - - - 164 



Lepidoptera - - - - - 3,150 



Diptera ------ 220 



Crustacea ----- 554 



Arachnidse, &c. - - - - ill 



10,221 



Mollusca and Radiata - - - - - - - 6,150 



Total - - - 20,874 



116. C Many 



