[MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. MS. SLOANE 1847, FOL. 182.] [_Fol. 182._] Sr I craue your pardon that I haue no sooner sent unto you. I shall be very reddie to do you service in order to your desires And shall endeavour to procure you such animalls as I haue formerly met with & any other not ordinary wch [shall _crossed out_] are to bee acquired. though many of my old assistants are dead. & sometimes they fell upon animalls, [not to bee _crossed out_] scarce to bee met with agayne. I wish I had been acquainted with your desires 3 yeares ago. for I had about fortie hanging up in my howse. wch the plague being at the next doores the person intrusted in my howse, burnt or threw away. The figure of the weasell Cray [_see Note 60_ and p. 82] was in a long paper pasted together at the ends & I make no question you will find it otherwise I would send another [the willick wee in _crossed out_] that fowl wch some call willick, [_see Note 128_] wee meet with sometimes. The last I met with was taken on the sea shoare. the head and body black the brest inclining to black headed and billd like a crowe, leggs set very backward wings short leggs set very backward (_sic_) that it move overland very badly only. it may bee a kind of cornix marina. [The latter portion very badly written and difficult to decipher.] [_Fol. 184 verso._] That litle plant upon oyster shells [_see Note 91_] I remember I haue seen & surely is some kind of vescaria or calicularia of what that other [was _crossed out_] electricall body was Mr. Boyle[129] showed [_smear_] by this time more tryall hath probably been made, something of jet it might consist of. [129] The Hon. Robert Boyle (1627-1691), although deeply learned in many branches of science, was chiefly distinguished as a chemist. He took a leading part in the founding of the Royal Society, and was elected President in 1680, but from some conscientious scruple did not accept the office. Naturalists are deeply indebted to him, as he was "the first that made trial of preserving animals" in spirit (see Grew's "Musæum Regalis Societatis" (London, 1681), p. 58). I thank you that you were pleased to enquire of those German gentlemen concerning my sonne I receiued a letter lately from him he hath not been unmindfull of the R. Society's co[=m]ds & hath been in Hungaria in the mines of Gold, sylver & copper at Schemets, Cremitz & Neusol & desired mee to signifie so much to Mr. Oldenberg. [The above is hastily scrawled; it was evidently indited to Merrett, as indicated by the reference to the German gentlemen, &c.; the date would therefore be some time in the year 1669. Wilkin prints it in the 1836 Edition, Vol. i., p. 408, but it is not in Bohn's reprint.] APPENDIX A. [TWO LETTERS FROM DOCTOR CHRISTOPHER MERRETT TO SIR THOMAS BROWNE, MS. SLOANE 1830, FOL. 1 TO 3. THEY ARE BOUND UP IN INVERSE ORDER OF DATE.] [Reply to No. 2 in the above Series.]