COUNCIL FOR 1849. 
9 
Natural-History generally, claims, in a high degree, the support 
of this Society. One object of the above Society is to employ 
competent collectors in such districts as are known to he rich 
in natural productions, either recent or fossil, and to distribute 
the Collections, thus accumulated, amongst individuals or 
public institutions, who have promoted the undertaking; it 
being a part of the plan, that one specimen, at least, of each 
species, shall he the property of this Society, and be deposited 
in our Museum, thereby securing the preservation of one com¬ 
plete series of all the objects which may be discovered. The 
Natural-History Society has commenced its labours by collecting 
Tertiary Fossils of the Isle of Wight and adjacent Cliffs of 
Hold well and Barton. From these sources a vast number of 
valuable specimens has been obtained, more than 20,000 of 
which have already been distributed amongst its members. 
To this Society the Museum is indebted for an interesting 
series of Tertiary Fossils, which forms the most valuable 
addition to the Geological Collection during the past year. It 
includes more than 50 species, either quite new or unfigured 
in any British Work; many of these are accompanied by 
beautiful and accurate drawings, executed, under Mr. Charles- 
worth’s direction, by Mr. Smith, an artist, whose merits as a 
delineator of objects of Natural-History, are w r ell known to the 
Members of this Society. 
Another valuable acquisition in this department is a tooth 
of the Megalosaurus from the Malton Oolite, presented by 
Hr. Murray, of Scarborough. This tooth is not only unique as 
a Yorkshire Fossil, but in regard to size and the extent of fang 
preserved, is the most characteristic specimen known. Another 
Heptilian Tooth, less rare than the foregoing, but equally fine 
of its kind, belonging to the genus Polyptichodon, also from the 
Malton Oolite, has been presented by the Rev. William Walker, 
of Slingsby, who liberally allowed The Keeper of the Museum 
to select, from his cabinet of Malton Fossils, all such specimens 
as were considered likely to be of value to the Geological 
Collection, including much finer examples of several species 
than were previously in the posession of the Society. From the 
Yorkshire Naturalists’ Club has been received a Starfish from 
