Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 35/1-2. (Győr, 1997)

Tanulmányok - Szabó Péter: A Recently Acquired Xántus-relic

data on the natural geography of the sea" at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1862. Xántus published very interesting descriptions of the morphology of volcanos in Mexico and the Philippines. He was the first Hungarian to publish scientific papers on Siam, Borneo and the Philippines. As a founding member and later Vice-President of the Hungarian Society of Geography (established in 1872), he made a lasting contribution to the development of geography in Hungary. His scholarly papers are solid works of 19th century descriptive geography, based on his own experiences and travels, which significantly widened the scope of interest of his Hungarian colleagues and other contemporaries. György Topái and Gábor Csorba John Xánius' activities in zoology and his collections in the Hungarian Natural History Museum John Xántus /1

825-1894/ with his varied life and adventures is an important personality in the history of the Hungarian zoological science, and he is among the most famous collectors for the Hungarian zoological collections as well. Besides his home activities, Xántus' collectings in North America and South East Asia made his name known to scientific circles, yet, up to now there were no detailed publication on these - the present paper reviews Xántus' expeditions with his results in chronological order. The fire in thhe Natural History Museum during the the revolution in 1 956, destroyed all the birds, reptiles, molluscs, etc. in the collections in Budapest. Fortunately, however, most of the insects and mammals are still available here. From North America we have 73, and from South East Asia 1 58 specimens of mammals (lists provided in the paper), then about 7 thousand beetle specimens representing at least 1600 species in the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Being one of the oldest mammal collection in Hungary, and also an important material from scientific point of wiev, with such a rarities as Rhinoceros sondaicus and Myotis rosseti, it was recommended for inclusion under the Hague Convention in 1 994. Péter Szabó A Recently Acquired Xántus-relic: Old Shatterhand's Henry-Carbine The Modern History Collection of the Xántus János Múzeum in Győr acquired an interesting new item in the summer of 1994. The significance of this recently purchased Henry-carbine lies in the fact that the name of the museum's eponym was engraved into its bolt-nab. We have no reason to deny the originality of the object, but further research is needed to detect the exact location form which the weapon comes, as well as the circumstances under which it became Xántus's property. These results will help us to explain the connections between Xántus's person and the legendary hero of Karl May's novels, and we shall also be able to decide whether Xántus's Henrycarbine can be considered as the prototype of that weapon. ARRABONA 35/1-2.