P. Teale. The whole of these specimens afforded the materials for an interesting communication read during the Session, by Mr. T. P. Teale, one of the Curators, on the "Aire Valley Deposit, and its Organic Remains." This circumstance, we trust, will not be lost sight of by other Members of the Society, either in making the contributions to the Museum available for Papers, or by taking advantage of any discoveries of local interest, to bring a notice of the same before the Society, by which means many facts of great importance may be permanently recorded, and a stimulus given to other individuals not connected with the Society, to transmit information on any points of interest, whether of a scientific or historic character; it being the legitimate province of Institutions of this nature, to collect and give permanence to all communications bearing upon the topography of the district.

In consequence of the great increase of Zoological specimens, and the old cases being found quite inadequate for their proper display, the Council have erected new cases in the East Gallery, in which will be placed some of the smaller Quadrupeds and Cetacea, and more space will be allotted to the Reptiles, Fish, and Invertebrata, which are undergoing re-arrangement.

To the collection of Comparative Anatomy, two interesting additions have been made, consisting of a

B

fine skeleton of the Red Deer, from His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, which completes the Osteological series of the Cervine Ruminants of the British Isles; and from Mrs. Wombwell and Mr. Edmonds have been received two specimens of the American Tapir, one of which has been articulated, and forms a valuable accession to the illustrations of the Anatomy of the Class Pachyderma. To this class, also, the Society are in hopes of receiving important acquisitions from their Honorary Member, Mr. Boyne, who has promised to collect specimens for the Museum during his travels in Southern Africa,—a country peculiarly rich in the larger species of this interesting group of animals, as well as many other genera of quadrupeds, desiderata for the Museum. To the Horns of Ruminant Animals have been added a fine pair of the Cape Ox, by Mr. John Rhodes.

To the British Birds have been added five fine stuffed specimens of the Ruff, from Mr. Goodman, and several other species of Birds from Mr. Oxley, of Redcar.

Mr. T. P. Teale has presented thirty-four wet preparations of Fish, Crustacea, and Molluscous Animals, including a specimen of that rare British Fish, the Crested Blenny, taken on the Yorkshire coast.

The collection of Invertebrated Animals has also

received several additions, consisting of Foreign Shells, from Mr. W. S. Ward, Crustacea and Annelides, from Mr. T. P. Teale, jun., and a fine specimen of Gorgonia Flabellum, from Dr. Heaton.

The additions to the Library during the Session have been important and numerous. The British Government have contributed the Magnetical and Meteorological Observations at Toronto and Hobarton for 1843, 1844, 1845, and 1846. The Smithsonian Institution, at Washington, have transmitted many publications of their own, besides those published under the auspices of other bodies in the United States. From the Society of Arts, also, various Government Reports, and other works of interest, have been received. The Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh, and the Liverpool Philosophical Society, have presented their Proceedings; the Geological and Chemical Societies of London, their Journal; and many Provincial Institutions their Reports.

The Council, wishful to provide more space for the increasing wants of the Library, have determined. to remove the Book Cases from the Council Room into that formerly used as a Laboratory.

It having appeared to the Council that a cheap guide to the objects in the Museum would be of great assistance to the general visiter, and would also be the means of imparting instruction on the

first principles of classification to those commencing the study of Natural History, it was determined to prepare such a desideratum, and the manuscript is now in the printer's hands.

From the number of individual specimens in the Museum, it was found utterly impracticable to make anything like a Catalogue of its contents, without defeating the object most desirable to be borne in mind-that of price. It was, therefore, decided to combine in a pamphlet the characteristics of the modern systems of classification, and to point out such illustrations of the different kingdoms of nature as the specimens in the Museum afford examples of, and enumerate the principal groups in each case, which will be numbered to facilitate the reference.

With regard to the Finances of the Society, the Council are not able to announce so large a balance in the hands of the Treasurer as at the close of the two last Sessions. The funds of the Society are, nevertheless, in a satisfactory state, there being, after defraying the heavy expenses of last year, a small balance in hand, exclusive of money yet to be received.

The Council have pleasure in reporting that the Meteorological Observations, which form one very important though unobtrusive business of the Society, have been steadily and satisfactorily carried

on. They hope that, in addition to their value as a contribution to the general Meteorological Observations in the kingdom, they will be found of special local value in relation to the sanitary condition of Leeds. The following abstract will show the monthly averages for the year 1853, and a Register of the daily observations can be inspected by any of the Members of the Society in the Library Room :

The greatest degree of Heat, as indicated by the Thermometer, in the shade was 97°, on August 5th; the minimum, December 26th, 17°.

The greatest Barometric pressure was on April 13th and 18th, being 30.580 inches; the temperature of the Mercury being 59°. The least pressure was on September 25th, 28.754 inches; temperature 61°. The greatest fall of Rain was on Wednesday, the 5th October, being 1.140 inches.