1855-56 DENTITION OF MASTODON 21 



days in Perthshire, and then went on to Dundri m, 

 1 near Burns's country,' where he rejoined his 

 wife. They returned home on September 5. 



The article contributed to ' Blackwood's Maga- 

 zine,' to which Owen refers in his letter of July 20, 

 was signed ENNfl, presumably an anagram for O IV, 

 and was entitled ' A Visit to Selborne.' This was 

 an account of a visit which he paid to Thomas Bell, 

 who was then living in Gilbert White's old house. 



Professor Owen was keenly anxious to add to 

 the collection of fossil bones at the British Museum, 

 and many of his friends who were on the look-out 

 for specimens were in the habit of communicat- 

 ing with him at once as to opportunities of 

 purchase. These communications he evidently 

 looked upon as a personal favour to himself, as 

 the following letter which he wrote to Dr. Falconer 4 

 will show : — 



British Museum : Oct. 10, 1856. 



1 My dear Falconer, — It is most kind of you to 

 have thought of me and my peculiar interest in 

 the dentition of mastodon whilst you were at 

 Darmstadt. . . . It's unlucky that the grant for 

 this year was exhausted by the grand Dinornis 

 collection of Mr. Walter Mantell (come and see 

 the skeleton of the Din. elephantopus, which I 

 have just had set up). But the specimen of the 

 Mastodon longirostris is one we ought to have ; 

 and I will do my best to have it purchased with- 



4 Kindly communicated by Professor Prestwich, F.R.S. 



