1855-56 dentition of mastodon 21 
days in Perthshire, and then went on to Dundrum, 
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 0 N, 
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^* 
■will show : — 
British Museum : Oct. lo, 1856. 
‘ 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 Mantelf (come and see 
the skeleton of the Din. elepliantopus, which I 
have just had set up). But the specimen of the 
Mastodon lo^igirostris is one we ought to have ; 
and I will do my best to have it purchased with- 
Kindly communicated by Professor Prestwich, F.R.S. 
