80 
Transactions of the 
[Monthly Microscopical 
Journal, Feb. 1, 1869. 
in preparation, of his extensive catalogue, wlien, alas ! death snatched 
him off too soon to finish the good work. The catalogued specimens 
were left in perfect order. Excepting partly in the case of the 
series of teeth, which would have formed volume III. ; the remainder 
were somewhat irregularly distributed in the cabinets, though more 
or less under special headings, such as E.B., Kespiratory System 
of Birds ; T.A., Organ of Taste ; M., Muscular System, and so on. 
To those so numbered (chiefly physiological specimens) notes regard- 
ing them were extant ; but many others had only the name of the 
object or donor appended. A considerable proportion of the slides 
had become unsatisfactory in condition, were duplicates, or were 
unfit to be kept as permanent objects. 
In this state of things the Council deputed me (having for- 
merly been Prof. Quekett's assistant) to put the whole in better 
order. After overhauling the entire series, I rejected some 4000, 
and then repaired, classified, and numbered consecutively the re- 
mainder (about some 12,000) in groups, which the following 
tables exemplify. Knowing somewhat the purport of Quekett's 
intended future design, I endeavoured to fulfil his ideas, in so far 
as mere arrangement was concerned, and to make his microscopical 
series exponent of John Hunter's specimens. Hence the Physi- 
ological Series is followed by a Pathological one, and that by a 
division of Natural History. Moreover, the nature and quantity 
of objects necessarily caused the formation of the last-mentioned 
section. 
Judging critically of the total series as it at present stands, I 
would say it has many short-comings, and is not precisely appli- 
cable to microscopical collections of smaller compass. On the 
other hand, the arrangement has advantages, if viewed merely as 
histologically expressive of the Hunterian preparations and speci- 
mens. Quekett's two volumes of elementary tissues, ending with the 
Skeleton, and the forward state of the Series on the Teeth, led 
insensibly to a succession of organs physiologically subdivided. 
Hewson's and Dr. Todd's sets of specimens could not well be incor- 
porated under each object's proper heading, unless by weakening 
the respective value of each series. Pathology is but a rough out- 
line, the minor divisions being only such as there were specimens 
to represent — and not at all a complete epitome of what ought to 
be. Whether Urinary deposits should not come under chemical 
constituents -is an open question. Parasites and Entozoa are both 
found in the Pathological and Natural History divisions. Kecent 
Woods, and again Fossil Woods, intermixed in separate series and 
differently classified, does not seem very satisfactory. Parasites 
under Insecta instead of Arachnida, is another of the anomalies. 
Each and aU of these can only be defended on the grounds of 
expediency, as the nature of the series and the size of the sHdes, 
