422 Observations on the [May, 



Osteology. — The osteological department is well spoken of by Dr. 

 Jameson. The skeletons he praises were nearly, if not quite, all procured 

 and articulated under my directions. And those who know by actual 

 practice, the trouble of preparing bones of a skeleton ; and afterwards 

 the manual labour, and anatomical and mechanical skill requisite to 

 articulate them, will not be disposed to censure me, or withhold their 

 praise from my industrious and willing assistant M. Bouchez ; for the 

 value of who's services I am pleased at having another opportunity of 

 recording my thanks. 



Ichthyological^ Erpetological, Concho logical, §c. Departments. — -As 

 Dr. Jameson says nothing about these, I shall follow his example, 

 except to observe, that the want of bottles, and means to arrange the 

 specimens, placed them in nearly the same condition as that of the 

 minerals ; that I procured most of them ; the land and fresh water 

 shells of India in particular were chiefly from my own collection, and so 

 were the insects, except a few presented by Dr. M ' Clelland, and one 

 or two other individuals, and some from Chirra Poonjee and Sylhet, 

 which I purchased. 



With regard to Dr. Jameson's suggestions — I have to observe, that 

 fitting up the bird-cases with shelves, is doubtless an alteration, but 

 no improvement upon the plan I adopted. Shelves in high cases, like 

 the Society's, obstruct the view of the specimens and darken the cases ; 

 and for these reasons I removed them. By my plan the specimens 

 could be systematically arranged, and were so ; and in my opinion it 

 admitted of far more being placed in a given space than the shelving 

 system. As to the classification of the birds, I followed that of Vigors," 

 as given in the Zoological Journals, and Stephens' andShaw's Zoology as 

 being simple, easy of access to common readers, and highly approved of 

 by eminent zoologists. No doubt it has faults, but it is the system 

 (perhaps I should say method) best adapted to a Museum where the 

 majority of members are not professed ornithologists ; and to change it 

 for that of Cuvier, the chief merit of which is being part of a general 

 systematic work, is I submit, another instance of an alteration being no 

 improvement. f» 



Dr. Jameson next suggests that the cases should be made " air tight 

 by lining the edges of the doors with shamois leather, poisoned with 

 arsenic." I fully agree with him that specimens of Natural History can be 

 preserved here, and I will go further than he does, and say, they can be 

 preserved here not only almost, but quite as well as they can be in Europe; 

 but not by the means he points out. As for making a case air-tight, the 

 thing is impossible; but it may be made tight enough to become continual- 

 ly dampwitfiin — a rather curious mode of preserving the specimens. Years 



