ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 35 



spirit specimens of Ophiurids were named and arranged in accordance with Mr. Lyman's 

 system ; the naming of the specimens of the British collection was revised ; with very 

 few exceptions all the new additions were named, and, together with the " Challenger " 

 specimens of Echinoids, incorporated in the general collection. 



Dr. L. Orley, of Buda-Pesth, spent several months in the examination of the collection 

 of Nematoid worms in the Museum ; he gratuitously re-arranged them, described the 

 new species, and prepared a manuscript list of the specimens in tho iVJuseum. 



The greater part of the time of the assistant in charge of the collection of Corals and 

 Sponges was devoted to the re-arrangement of specimens acquired in previous years, and 

 to the elimination of duplicates. A detailed examination has been made of the Melithaeid 

 Alcyonarians ; microscopic preparations of the majority of the specimens have been 

 made, and a revision of the group, with description, of the new species, prepared for 

 publication. The "Challenger "specimens of the T>eep~sea, MadrejJora7-ia and Slylasteridce, 

 and of the Pennatulida or Sea-Pens, have been carefully compared with the published 

 " Reports," and incorporated in the general collection. The labelling of the Bower- 

 bankian collection of microscopic slides of British and Foreign Sponges has been completed, 

 and the whole systematically arranged. Also the arrangement of the dry sponges from 

 the same collection has been proceeded with. 



Finally, the whole collection of microscopic preparations has been classified and 

 labelled. It includes all groups of animals, from the Mammalia downwards, and 

 numbers 3,500 slides, exclusive of more than 2,200 sponge-slides. 



II. — Duplicates. 



All specimens which during the work of arranging the collections are found to be 

 duplicates, are set aside, either for purposes of exchange, or for distribution to the 

 Museums of Edinburgh and Dublin, or provincial Museums in the United Kingdom, or 

 Colonial Institutions. In the course of the past year 18,336 specimens (viz., 166 

 Mammalia, 1,551 Birds, 197 Reptiles and Fishes in spirit, 3,597 Shells, 103 Crustaceans, 

 12,489 Insects (chiefly Coleoptera), 62 Echinoderms, 36 Corals, and 125 ISponges) have 

 been thus distributed among seven institutions, viz., the Free Library and Museum of 

 Livei'pool, the Kelvingrove Museum at Glasgow, the Free Library and Museum of 

 Derby, the Museums of Newcastle and Belfast, the London University (for purposes 

 of examination), and the South African Museum at Cape Town. Applications from other 

 institutions, which have been received in the course of the year, will be attended to as 

 soon as a sufficient number of duplicates have been accumulated, and whenever the staff 

 on whom this additional duty devolves can be spared from more urgent work. 



ill. — Catahiguing. 



The following Catalogues have been issued during the year 1881 : — 



1. " Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum," Vol. V. Turdidaz (Warblers 

 and Thrushes). By H. Seebohm, 8vo. (pp. 426, with 18 coloured plates). 



2. " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," Vol. VI. Timaliidce. By R. 

 Bowdler Shaipe, 8vo. {^y^. 420, with 18 coloured plates). 



3. "Illustrations of tyj^ical Specimens of Lepidoptera Heterocera in the collection 

 of the British Museum," Part V. By Arthur G. Butler, 4to. (pp. 71, with 23 coloured 

 plates). 



4. "A Guide to the Gould Collection of Humming Birds," illustrated with woodcuts, 

 and a map showing the geographical distribution. 



The seventh, eighth, and ninth volumes of the " Catalogue of Birds " are in course of 

 preparation ; and a second edition of the " Catalogue of Batrachia salientia" and the 

 first volume of a general catalogue of Hymenoptera, are in the press. 



Manuscript lists have also been prepared of the specimens of Insectivorous Mammals, 

 by Mr. O. Thomas ; of the Crinoids, by Prof. F. J. Bell, and of the Nematoid worms, 

 by Dr. Orley. 



Reports on collections recently received, with descriptions of the new species, were 

 prepared in connection with the work of arrangement, and published in various scientific 

 journals. Two were prepared jointly by the staff of the Department, viz. : — " A Report 

 on the Zoological Collections made during the Survey of H.M.S. 'Alert' in the Straits of 

 Magellan and on the coast of Patagonia (P.Z.S. 1881, pp. 140, with 11 plates) ; and " A 

 Report on a Collection made by Staff-Surgeon Conry in Ascension Island" (Ann. & Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. 1881, pp. 11). Of other reports on recent accessions the following only need 

 be mentioned: —"Notes on the Species of Rhynchocyon and Petiodromus" (sent by 

 Sir J. Kirk) ; " The Amphisbffinians and Ophidians collected by Prof. J. B. Balfour in 

 Socotra " — by Dr. Giinther; "Report on a collection ot Lizards made by Mr. Buckley in 

 Ecuador " — by the late Mr. A. O'Shaughnessy ; " On the Lizards of the genera Zacer/a 

 and Acanthodactylus " — by M. G. A. Bonlenger ; " On the Indian Species of the genus 

 il/as"— by Mr. O. Thomas; " On a collection of Shells from Lakes Tanganyika and 

 Nyassa " (sent by the Rev. E. Coode Hore, Sir J. Kirk, and Mr. J. Thomson)— by 



0.90. E 2 Mr. 



