ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 37 



The final re-arrangement of the Passerine Birds in the new cabinets keeps pace with 

 the progress of the " Catalogue of Birds." 



A fair start has been made with the re-arraugement of the collection of Reptiles. Of 

 the order of Lizards which most needed a thorough systematic revision, the families of 

 Varanidcs and Geckotida. have been arranged. 



The re-arrangcment of the Batrachians has been completed. In 1850, the year of 

 publication of the first edition of the " Catalogue of Tailed and Limbless Batrachians," 

 the number of species known was 72, which were represented in the British Museum by 

 199 specimens ; while in the second edition, published last year, not less than 143 species 

 are described, and 1,137 specimens enumerated. 



Of Mollusca and Crustaceans, only a few small groups, like the genera Teredo, 

 Galeomma and Ocypoda, have been arranged, in connection with reports on some general 

 collections to be mentioned hereafter. Also, the systematic arrangement in tbe Entomo- 

 logical Branch has made but little progress; thatofthe Lepidopterous Family, ZaszorawpzWiE, 

 has been completed, and that of the Hymenoptera, belonging to the difficult family of 

 Chalcididcc, continued. On the other hand, many of the more important acquisitions were 

 worked out, and among the Lepldoptera alone some 340 types are reported to have been 

 added by description to the collection. 



Much progress has been made in the arrangement of the Polyzoa, Caslenterata, Sponges, 

 and Protozoa, this woi"k being carried on chiefly with the view of sej)aratlng from the 

 study collection a well-named series for exhibition in the New Gallery. The arrival of 

 the magnificent collection of Reef-corals brought together during the voyage of H.M.S* 

 " Challenger," of the various large consignments received from H.M.S. "Alert," and of 

 many perfect examples from Mauritius, was very opportune, and the determining and 

 labelling of these objects Is nearly completed. Also, the " Challenger " specimens of ths 

 Deep-sea Medusa; have been carefully compared with the published reports, and added to 

 the very small collection which the Museum previously possessed of these animals. 



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 13,380 specimens (viz., 171 

 Mammalia, 852 Birds, 250 Reptiles, 311 Batrachians, 272 Fishes, 3,203 Mollusks, 

 314 Crustacea, 7,498 Insects, 186 Echinoderms, 323 Corals and Sponges) have been thus 

 distributed among eight institutions, viz., the Museum of Edinburgh, Nottingham, 

 Owen's College, Manchester, Marlborough College, Carlisle, Halifax, of the Somerset 

 Natui-al History Society and the Haberdashers' Company. All the applicants who have 

 established a claim for the reception of zoological duplicates, have now been admitted for 

 selection, so that on the next occasion the Institutions which head the list of applicants 

 can be supplied with a second consignment. 



HI. — Cataloguing. 



The following Catalogues have been Issued during the year 1882 : — 



1. " List of Hymenoptera, with descriptions and figures of the typical specimens in the 

 British Museum," Vol. I. TenthredinidcB and Sincidtz. By W. F. Kirby, 8vo. (pp. 450, 

 •with 16 coloured plates). 



2. " Catalogue of the Batrachia salientia s. ecaudata In the collection of the Bi"itlsh 

 Museum," Second edition. By. G. A. Boulenger, 8vo. (pp. 503, with 30 plates). 



3. " Catalogue of the Batrachia gradientia s. caudata and Batrachia apoda In the 

 collection of the British Museum," Second edition. By G. A. Boulenger, 8vo. (pp. 127, 

 with 9 plates). 



The seventh, eighth, and ninth volumes of the " Catalogue of Birds " are In the press, 

 and a full report of the " Alert " collections, as well as the second volume ol the " List of 

 Hymenoptera," and a second edition of the "' Catalogue of Lizards," are in course of 

 preparation. 



Reports on recent acqu sitlons, with descriptions of the new species, were prepared In 

 connection with the work of arrangement, and published In various scientific journals. 

 The following may be mentioned: — " On the African Mongooses;" " On a collection of 

 Rodents from North Peru ;" " On Rodents from South Western Africa ;" " On a collec- 

 tion of Mammalia from Central Mexico ;" " Description of a new genus and two new 

 species of Insectlvora from Madagascar," by Mr. O. Thomas ; " Account of the Reptiles 

 and Batrachians collected by Mr. Whymper in Ecuador," by Mr. G. A. Boulenger ; 

 " A contribution to the Molluscan fauna of Madagascar " (based upon Mr. Johnson's 

 collection); " On Fresh-water Shells of Australia," by Mr. E. A. Smith; "On the 

 species of Ocypoda In the collection of the British Museum," by Mr. E. J. Miers ; 

 " Descriptions of new Coleoptera from Madagascar" (five papers reporting chiefly on 

 the collections made by the Rev. Deans Cowan) ; " Buprestida " in the Biologia 

 Central!- Americana, by Mr. C. O. W aterhouse ; " Heterocerous Lepldoptera collected in 

 0.63. E 3 Chili 



