1868.] SENATE— No. 218. 17 



For this reason the plan proposed by the Director of the Museum, 

 for the arrangement of specimens of animal Palaeontology, should 

 be followed with the same care for the fossil plants. It demands 

 a collection for the study of species and another for the exem- 

 plification of geological stations by a number of characteristic 

 species. 



We have an abundance of fossil plants in the whole thickness 

 of the Silurian. We can follow the development of vegetation 

 in our Devonian, which also abounds in terrestrial and marine 

 vegetable remains. Ascending through the Coal epoch to our 

 recent formations, we may gather from all a number of fossil 

 plants, and by and by have in the Museum the links of that 

 admirable manifestation of life, under atmospheric influence, 

 which animal Palaeontology fails to show us, and which consti- 

 tute an essential chapter in the history of our globe. 



Report on the Collection of Mollusks, by J. G. Anthony. 



The year just closed has been one of considerable activity in 

 the Department of Conchology. During the earlier portion of 

 the year my attention was mainly devoted to exchanges, by 

 which our collection has received large accessions of valuable 

 species ; while during the later portion of four or five months I 

 have been almost exclusively occupied in preparing and mount- 

 ing the specimens on the glass tablets, preliminary to their due 

 exhibition to the public, and also as one very important step in 

 the direction of making out a general catalogue of our Con- 

 chological collection. 



By the exchanges above referred to, we have received during 

 the year just closed, from twenty-five persons, thirty packages, 

 containing 2,305 species and 39,319 specimens, being by far the 

 largest number of species received from this source during any 

 one year since the foundation of the Museum. The character 

 of the species has also been gradually improving, and few are 

 now received which are not directly available in adding novelties 

 to our already large collection. 



While the exchanges have thus largely increased, there has 

 been a considerable falling off in the number received by dona- 

 tion, 156 species and 3,558 specimens being all that has been 

 added from that source, as follows : — 



3 



