ANNUAL REPORT. HI 



the renaming of the s^Dccimens in the British and Poreign Collec- 

 tions ; though more work of this kind would have been done, but 

 for the encouraging fact that last year the collections were consulted 

 to a much greater extent than was formerly the case. This is pro- 

 bably owing in some measure to the recent increase in the number of 

 the Fellows, but it is doubtless due in some degree to the more acces- 

 sible and increasingly useful state of the collections. 



The Sharpe Collection of Corals, chiefly Palaeozoic, which origin- 

 ally occupied 18 drawers, has been thoroughly examined, the spe- 

 cimens named by Dr. Duncan, and placed upon tablets by Mr. Tate, 

 and the duplicates taken out. Owing to the economy of space thus 

 obtained the collection now occupies but 10 drawers. 



The Committee recommend that the duplicates of these and other 

 British fossils should be offered to the Museum of Practical Geology. 

 The Zoological Catalogue of the whole of the Coral-collections is 

 now in hand, and will shortly be completed. The formation of type- 

 collections of fossils belonging to other classes of animals is in con- 

 templation, and the zoological collection of Echinodermata has been 

 commenced. Some additions have been made to the nucleus of the 

 collection of Polyzoa ; but in this and in other type collections there 

 is a great want of specimens to illustrate certain types of structure. 

 Twelve drawers containing fragile fossils, such as those of the 

 E,ed Crag, have been fitted with glass, and the cleaning, remounting, 

 and naming of the specimens are in progress. 



The Collection of Bordeaux Miocene Possils, occupying 11 drawers, 

 has been thoroughly examined and arranged, the specimens have 

 been placed upon tablets, and the duplicates removed ; and the 

 drawers containing the collection have been fitted with glass. 



The following table contains a summary of the work done in the 

 Museum during the past year, in naming and arranging collections 

 of fossils. 



Drawers. 



England Eed Crag 2 



Gault 2 



,, Lias 1 



„ Inferior Oolite 9 



*Bavaria Jurassic 3 



Bordeaux Miocene 11 



Normandy Jurassic & Cretaceous 4 



Gosau Cretaceous 1 



*Zoological Collection of Corals 10 



Zoological Collection of Echinoderms 3 



*Miscellaneous Corals 1 



47 



In concluding their Eeport the Committee desire to express their 

 opinion that the especial thanks of the Society are due to Dr. Dun- 

 can for his energetic and well- sustained labours in the Museum 



* Corals, named by Dr. Duncan. 



