10 
REPORT OF THE 
The House designed for the Sub-curator, is finished, lighted with 
Gas, and occupied by that valuable officer. The whole of the lower 
floor of the Museum thus becomes available for the Laboratory and 
collections, and the Council recommend that immediate steps be 
taken for rendering these extensive rooms practically useful. 
The condition of the Museum is satisfactory, the principal rooms, 
now extremely well warmed by Hot Water-pipes, are suitable for 
study at aU seasons of the year. The collections are increased and, 
what is of more consequence, the progress of order is observable 
amongst them, 
Under the direction of the Secretary, the foreign Birds have been 
remounted by Mr. Baines, after having been carefully examined, 
discriminated, and catalogued by a highly competent authority—Mr. 
Gould. The Society is thus put in possession of a nearly perfect 
catalogue of the Ornithological collection, embracing more than a 
thousand species. A duplicate copy of the catalogue has been 
prepared, and the labelling of the Specimens will be proceeded with 
forthwith. 
The collection of British Shells has been revised by the Keeper 
of the Museum, who has commenced the enlargement of this at 
present very limited series. 
The Society is indebted to Edward Hailstone, Esq. for a very 
choice collection of Sponges and Corallines* and to the Rev. John 
Blackburn for two excellent examples of the Animal which inhabits 
the Paper Nautilus Shell. 
The Stormy Petrel, has been added to the Allis collection of 
Bird’s Skeletons, and the bones of the Polar Bear, Civet Cat and 
Serval have been mounted and placed with the other osteological 
treasures. Thus the Zoological collections, taken in general, are 
undergoing improvement in completeness and in classification. 
No very important addition has been made to the Minerals, but 
the Geological department of the Museum, by donation and 
purchase, has been considerable increased. The Rev. A. Griesbach’s 
collection, purchased by the Council, has yielded some unique and 
many very valuable specimens from Malton and Westow; inte¬ 
resting Fishes, a rare Pentacrinite, and a remarkable series of 
Ophiuridee, have been obtained by purchase from the Lias and 
* Collected by bis late brother Samuel Hailstone, Esq., to whose labours the Society owes its 
beautiful series of British Crustacea. 
