ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 53 



Twenty-three sponges from Madagascar ; purchased. 



Sixteen dried specimens, with the sarcode upon them, presenting much of their natural 

 appearance, from St. Thomas, West Indies ; purchased. 



Nineteen deep-sea forms (including a Hi/alonema and a Corallistes) from the Caribbean 

 Sea, collected by Captain Cole ; purchased. 



Five remarkably fine and curious sponges (including the types of two new species), 

 from near Geelong, Victoria; presented by J. Bracebridge Wilson, Esq. 



A set of seven type specimens of species described by H. J. Carter, Esq., f.r.s.j and 

 presented by him. 



Protozoa. — The acquisitions (about 151) to this group are of greater importance thaa 

 usual, owing to the reception of the first consignment from the " Challenger " collection, 

 consisting of 90 microscopic slides of Orbitolites, already referred to, also of 11 slides pre- 

 pared and named by Dr. W. B. Carpenter from the " Porcupine " and " Valorous " col- 

 lections. Twenty-five additional slides of recent and fossil Orbitolites from various 

 localites have been also presented by Dr. Carpenter. 



VII, — Visitors and Students. 



The number of visits from persons who have specially consulted portions of the col- 

 lection, or who have acquired attendance or assistance, was 6,818, as compared with — 



1883 

 1882 

 1881 

 1880 

 1879 

 1878 

 1877 

 1876 

 1875 



The number of students and visitors to the Department appears to be considerably less 

 than in the years 1881 and 1882. This is due in a great measure to the fact that, in the 

 old building, many persons visiting the galleries on the so-called private days were 

 entered as students, whilst in the present building, which is open daily, they are included 

 in the general class of visitors. 



Albert G'unlher. 



5,229 in 



the year 



- 



9,628 





- 



7,407 





- 



4,260 





- 



4,003 





- 



3,064 





- 



3,671 





- 



3,425 





- 



2,799 





- 



Department of Geology. 



I. — Arrangement. 

 A. — Vertebrata. 



Fossil Mammalia. — South East Gallery. — During the j^ast year a series of remains 

 (bones and implements) of " Prehistoric Man " have been tableted, labelled, and arranged 

 in Table-case 1. 



The fossil remains of the Simiida and Lemuridce have also been re-tableted and 

 labelled. 



A large and carefully selected series of the bones of extinct and other wild animals, in 

 many instances found associated with remains of man from British, European, Asiatic, 

 American, and various other foreign caves, have been labelled and arranged in Wall- 

 case I. and Pier-case 2. 



The unexhibited collection is labelled and catalogued, and placed in drawers beneath 

 the Table-cases. 



The rich and extensive collection of Fossil Carnivora has been retableted or mounted 

 on stands, labelled, and entirely re-arranged in Table-cases 2 and 3, and in Pier-cases 

 3, 4, and 5. 



The remains of the Cave-bear (^Ursus spelaiis) and of the Arctoidotherium (a large 

 Ursine carnivore from South America), have been articulated, and form two nearly com- 

 plete skeletons, which are mounted and placed in Pier-case 4-5. 



The orders Insectivora and Rodentia have been carefully examined, all the specimens 

 have been re-tableted, labelled, and re-arranged in Table-case 24. A skeleton of the 

 Beaver {Castor Europoius) from the Cambridgeshire Fens, has been articulated and 

 mounted for exhibition in the same case. 



An extensive series of plaster casts of Cetaceans from the Antwerp Crag (prepared 

 from the original type-specimens* in the Koyal Museum of Natural History in iJrussels), 

 have been placed in Wall-case 16. 



A plaster 



• Figured and described by Van Beneden, in his Osteograpliie des C^taces Fossilea d'Anveis, &c. Texte 



aud Atlas. 



0.73. H4 



