ACCOUNTS, ESTIMATES, &C, OF THE BRITISH MUSEU5I. 21 



collection, which is the more valuable as the fish Fauna of the Indian empire is still but 

 scantily represented in the national collection. 



The typical specimens of the Sumatran fishes described by Mungo Park have been dis- 

 covered at a public sale, and were bought by the Trustees. Likewise the typical specimens 

 of Bennett's " Fishes of Ceylon." 



Africa. — A second collection of" beautifully-preserverl examples offish from the Whit^ 

 Nile has been received from Mr. Consul Petherick. It is distinguished by a number of 

 undescribed genera and species, especially of the Silnroid family, descriptions of which will 

 be found in the forthcoming fifth volume of the " Catalogue of Fislies." 



Amongst ihe rarer fishes of West Africa may be noticed several new species of Mor- 

 myrus aud Synodontis ; a uioantic species of GymHa?'c/i?«, identical with, or very closely 

 allied to, its congener, from the Upper Nile. 



Mr. G. Kreft't has transmitted from Australia representative specimens of the Siluroids, 

 discovered by Sir Thomas Mitchell in his exploration of the interior of Australia. 



America. — A very complete selection of the fishes of the West Indian Island of St. Croix 

 has been obtained through a resident collector. 



Dr. W, O. Ayre?, of San Francisco, has presented a second collection of Marine fishes, 

 illustrating the descriptions of the numerous species discovered by him. 



The majority of the additions to the class of fishes are entire animals preserved in 

 spirits, and are stored in the basement vaults, pending the acquisition of an Ichthyological 

 gallery. 



The specimens in a Museum of Natural History, which have been the subjects described 

 by the masters oF the science in its various departments, give great help to the w<'rking 

 •Naturalist, For, precise and instructive as a description may have been at the time when 

 its subject was new, later acquisitions and advanced knowledge give significance to cha- 

 racters, the value of which could not be appreciated at the time of the original examination. 

 Those who are occupied in the progress of Natural History are accordingly impelled to 

 obtain access to the very specimens described, defined and named, by Linnaeus, Cuvier, 

 and their successors, for the purpose of testing the characters selected (or the diagnosis, and 

 of searching for t'eatiires omitted in the first account of the specimen, and calculaced to 

 throw new light on its natural aflfinities. 



The Depaitment of Zoology has been peculiarly enriched with additions of this scientific 

 value during the past year. The council of the Linnaean Society of London, and the council 

 of the Entomological Society of London, sensible of the impoit;mce to the progress of 

 Zoology of the location of classical collections in the National Museum, where easy access 

 is provided for all students with peculiar facilities of observation and comparison, decided 

 to transfer to the British Museum portions of their respective collections of the character 

 above defined. 



1. From the I.inngean Society have been received, — The collections of Shells and In- 

 sect- made by Sir Jose ph Banks, f. r. s. The Insects include the specimens defined and 

 named by Fabricius, in the Banksian Museum, and are the types of the species which he 

 added to the lists ot Linnaeus. 



2. The series of Mammalia and Birds of Australia, including the exemplars of the species 

 described by Temminck, Vigors and Horsfield, in the "Transactions of the Linnsean 

 Society.'' 



3. The .'■eries of Insects, including the exemplars of the .species described by W. S. Mac- 

 leay and Curtis in the same "Transactions." 



4. From ihe " Entomological Society of London" have been received the specimens of 

 Coleoptera and o^ Hymenoptera from the collection of the Kev. William Kirby. The former 

 order includes the ext-mplais of his descriptions and definition (MSS.) of the Staphilinids : 

 the specimens of the latter order are still more valuable as containing the originals of the 

 descriptions and specific determinations published in Kirby 's classical work " Monographia 

 Apum Anglise" (8° 1802). 



In the noble donation l)y John Bowring, Esq., the Trustees have received the lar^itst and 

 most instructive accession to the Entomological Department ever presented by one 

 individual. 



The nature of this and of other noteworthy additions to the Invertebrate Zoology will be 

 given in the report from that department. 



The portion last purchased of the Haberlein collection of Fossils from the Lithographic 

 Quarries of Pappenheim and Solenhofen, includes some of the rarest and most interesting 

 evidences of the exti,nct animals which have been acquired in 1863: more especially in 

 regard to the delicate class of Insects. By this purchase the whole of that famous collection 

 is now incorporated in the Department of Geology. Other noteworthy accessions to the 

 Geology and Mineralogy will be specified in the reports from those departments. 



The total number of additional specimens to the Natural History, during the vear 

 1863, is 102,474, of which 98,754 are registered in the department of Zoology, 3,053 in the 

 department of Geology, and 667 in the department of Mineralogy. 



Richard Owen. 



246. c 3 



