COUNCIL FOR 1844 . 
19 
logical collection in the Museum. Attractive as the foreign birds 
are, regarded only as objects of popular interest, it is hardly 
necessary to remark how greatly tlie value of the collection 
will be increased, when every specimen shall have been criti¬ 
cally examined, and its species determined, by so competent an 
authority as Mr. Gould. In connection with this branch of 
Natural History, Mr. Meynellhas presented the Museum with 
his entire collection of Eggs of British Birds, amounting to 
more than 400 specimens, and embracing upwards of 200 spe¬ 
cies. Lieut. Bhodes has presented the Museum with a collec¬ 
tion of West Indian Fishes, valuable for the unusual perfection 
in which their characters have been preserved, as well as for 
their intrinsic interest; the collection containing many of the 
more remarkable tropical genera, as Platax, Balistes, Mono¬ 
can thus, &c. 
The sum of P.SO has been laid out in the purchase of 
Shells, to improve the general conchological collection, which 
now contains examples of nearly all the well-marked generic 
forms, and is sufficiently complete to be consulted with ad" 
vantage. Mr. Joseph Clarke has likewise presented the 
Museum with a fine series of North-American Uniones. 
The British marine shells have been remounted on tablets 
and arranged in the raised case above that containing the 
foreign collection. Although this series includes most of the 
larger British species, yet, as a whole, it is but a very imper¬ 
fect illustration of our native Testaceous Fauna, embracing 
not more than 250 out of above 600 species known to inhabit 
the British Seas. It is probable, however, that many present 
desiderata will be obtained, when railway communication shall 
have rendered the Coast more easily accessible. 
