10 
EEPORT OF THE 
arranged, and thus space is gained for exhibiting the fossils 
of the Silurian System which Mr. Murchison's labours have 
rendered so interesting, and of which a large donation from 
the Tortworth district, presented by Thomas Weaver, Esq. 
has furnished a valuable and characteristic illustration. ^ 
The collection of Vertebrated Animals has received some 
excellent additions ; chiefly of birds, from Australia, presented 
by the Rev. Robert Affleck, Bart, and from Africa and Europe 
by Giles Munby, Esq. which are undergoing the process of 
preparation for the cases. The British Birds have been en¬ 
tirely rearranged ; but the now large and valuable collections 
of Foreign Birds and Reptiles require the scrupulous attention 
of a naturalist well versed in this branch of knowledge. 
The collections of Comparative Osteology have been aug¬ 
mented by the purchase of sixteen skeletons prepared by Mr. 
Allis, who at the same time presented the bones of an elephant 
and some other gifts to the Society. From Philip Davies 
Cooke, Esq. we have received the skeleton of a Quagga, the 
head of a Zebu, and the body of an Alpaca. These additions 
are such as, when mounted, to render necessary some further 
cases for this branch of the collection. 
Few additions have been made to the Invertebral Animals 
in the Museum ; but the Council have reason to think that 
an important accession to this department is prepared for us 
by Mr. James Backhouse, who, while engaged in long and 
zealous missionary labours, found leisure to exercise his love of 
natural history, and to remember this Museum, on the shores 
of Australia and Van Dieman's Land. 
Adequately to display our collection of foreign jMollusca 
* Mr. Weaver’s valuable memoir on the district of Tortworili may be seen 
in the Geological Transactions, 
