OCR Text |
Show 310 MR. 0. THOMAS ON SPECIMENS FORMERLY [May 3, been rebottled, so that one cannot tell with certainty* to which part of the collection they belonged. Owing in part probably to some of the intermediate possessors not having been interested in anything but Mammalia, and in part to the comparative absence of individuality in specimens of the lower classes, scarcely any identification has been made in other groups than the Mammalia. But as the Lidth de Jeude collection acquired by the Museum contains specimens of all classes, both of Vertebrates and Invertebrates, as did also the Seba cabinet, there is little doubt that some of Seba's specimens are contained in it, if only they could be identified. At the same time no members of other groups have upon them the old M S . labels to which I attach so much importance. Moreover, the Seba collection of Reptiles was wholly, or in part, purchased by the Emperor Peter the Great, and taken to St. Petersburg, where many of the specimens are still preserved2. Unfortunately they were all rebottled some years ago, so that none are left in the original bottles ; Dr. Strauch, however, as I am kindly informed by Dr. Buchner, well remembers that the bottles were exactly like those figured by Seba, and therefore like those of the Lidth de Jeude collection. As to the labels, several sorts seem to have been on the bottles, but none quite like those now on our bottles. Among the Reptiles and Fishes, in the examination of which I have had the assistance of m y colleague Mr. Boulenger, one snake (Eunectes murinus, 66.8.14.308) and one fish (Chcetostomus cir-rhosus, 66.8.14.154) agree so well with Seba's Vol. ii. pi. xxix. fig. 1 and Vol. iii. pi. xxix. fig. 12 respectively, that, viewed in conjunction with the Mammal identifications, it appears very probable that these specimens are Seba's originals, and that they escaped Peter the Great, and passed with the Mammals into the hands of Prof. Lidth de Jeude. It is an unfortunate thing that none of the many eccentricities figured by Seba, such as the Cat with two bodies, & c , are identifiable, as they would have been better evidence of identity than any I am able to produce ; but the fact is easily explicable, as the British Museum never has purchased or collected any such specimens, and therefore even if, as no doubt was the case, any of Seba's monstrosities were included in the " collection tres remarquable de foetus monstrueux" of the Lidth de Jeude collection, they would not 1 In an interesting leaflet which I owe to the kindness of Mr. R. F. Damon of Weymouth, there is a rough classification of the Lidth de Jeude Museum, and among the chief headings is one of " U ne serie de foetus des races humaines et des Mammiferes." Now, on examining the Museum specimens bearing the printed Lidth de Jeude labels, I find that without exception they are either young specimens or else mothers containing foetuses, so that we may presume that of the rebottled specimens those at least which are adult would not have had the printed numbers, and would therefore in all probability have had the old M S . labels upon them. 2 See Strauch, Zool. Mus. St. Petersb. in seinem fiinfzigjahr. Best. p. 192 (1889). Dr. Buchner informs m e that a large part of this collection was destroyed by fire in St. Petersburg in 1747. |