Contents: A volume containing Thomas Alcock's lectures in zoology delivered at Owens College, Manchester, between 25 October 1867 and 20 March 1868. Alcock was employed by the College to teach zoology to evening students, something which he did for several years. At the time, a significant proportion of Owens students studied at evening classes, although few of them pursued regular courses of study. The lectures were delivered on Fridays between 7.30-8.30 pm.
The volume comprises Alcock's copy of the lectures, and presumably it is in his own hand. The lectures deal with the main classes of animals. As well as these lectures, the volume includes details of examination questions presumably devised by Alcock for Owens College, University of London and the University of Cambridge natural sciences tripos. Some of these questions appear to be prepared for specific pupils e.g. for "Miss Gregson".
The lectures as presented in this volume do not correspond exactly with the syllabus in the Owens College Calendar 1867-8,. Alcock had previously given lectures on "Zoology or four plans of animal creation" for first series of Science lectures for the people at Carpenter’s Hall, Manchester in 1866/7. These notes, although they shown some common elements with the 1866/7 lectures, are sufficiently different to show that there was no direct connection. .