Letter from Sir Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax, regarding the museum collection of the Zoological Society of London

Lists specimens sent to the Natural History Museum

List of specimens held

It was proposed in the setting up of ZSL that there would be a museum for zoological specimens, and items began being collected c.1827 including a collection of Sumatran specimens donated by Lady Sophia Raffles, widow of ZSL founder Sir Stamford Raffles. The museum was housed firstly within our office building at 33 Bruton Street in central London, and charged entry for people to visit. Many specimens were donated by fellows, John Gould donated his collection of Himalayan birds in 1831 to the museum, for example. The museum proved very popular, and grew at such a rate that it was one of the reasons for moving office to Leicester square. It was decided that the Society either needed to purchase a dedicated building for it - or to disperse the collection. ZSL Council chose the latter, and by 1855 the collection had been dispersed to various other collections including the British Museum (Natural History) and Norwich Museum.

List of specimens sent to British Museum. Presumably compiled by JE Gray and GR Gray before their published version in 1846. Lists reveal 803 mammals, 4425 birds, 663 bird skins, 21 human skulls with origins

"List of the Specimens of Mammalia in the Collection of the British Museum.", 1843. Copy signed by Hodgson. Not annotated. "List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I - Accipitres.", 1844. Copy signed by Hodgson. Not annotated. "Catalogue of the Specimens of Mammalia in the Collection of the British Museum. Part III. Ungulata furcipeda.", 1852. Copy annotated by Hodgson. "Catalogue of the Specimens and Drawings of Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes of Nepal and Tibet, presented by B.H. Hodgson, Esq., to the British Museum. Second Edition.", 1863. Three copies annotated by Hodgson.

Letters concerning the Symposium held on 11-12 June 1987; correspondence with William Timym about his bronze Oryx model

Papers on the present status of Arabian Oryx on the Jiddat Al-Harasis and veterinary implications for the reintroduction of the Arabian Oryx in Saudi Arabia

Black and white aerial photographs of the area for the Wadi Serin Facility, colour photographs of the Wadi Serin Reserve and possible site for Education Zoo project, and colour photographs of the Wadi Serin Facility

Maps of Oman