ii6 NATURAL SCIENCE. August, 



collections of minerals ; a collection of Russian minerals presented by 

 the late Emperor Nicholas of Russia ; the Loftus, the Prior, the 

 Dew-Smith, the Kirkby, the Atthey, the Abbs, the Trevelyan, the 

 Hutton, the Goring, and the Duff collections of fossils ; the Robert- 

 son and the Winch herbaria of British plants, and the Bowman 

 herbarium of British and Foreign plants ; the Tankerville collection 

 of corals, sponges, etc. ; the Alder collection of Mollusca ; the Hodge 

 collection of Crustacea and Echinodermata ; the Bold collection of 

 Coleoptera and other insects, Wasserman's Lepidoptera, Raine's 

 Lepidoptera ; Albany Hancock's Tunicates, Nudibranchs, etc. ; and 

 the even better known collection of British birds and eggs and nests 

 made by John Hancock. The Raine collection of the nests and eggs 

 of British birds is also a very interesting and extensive one. Many 

 original drawings, principally Bewick's birds, vignettes, etc., and 

 Albany Hancock's original drawings of the Nudibranchiata, together 

 with numerous books, have also been handed over to the care of 

 the museum. It needs only a glance at the above list to show 

 that the museum is not only rich in specimens, but that many of 

 these are very valuable type-specimens. The Hutton collection of 

 fossil plants from the Coal-Measures is especially noteworthy as 

 forming the basis of, and furnishing the figures for, the " Fossil Flora 

 of Great Britain," by Lindley and Hutton (1831-37). Another most 

 interesting collection of fossil fishes is that which was formed by the 

 late Thomas Atthey, and which was presented by Lady Armstrong. 

 The specimens used in the preparation of Alder and Hancock's Ray 

 Society monograph on the Nudibranchiata, although not on exhibi- 

 tion, are preserved in the museum. A large portion of the museum 

 is devoted to the Hancock collection of birds. We shall notice other 

 important specimens if we now make a rapid survey of the rooms. 



As we approach the museum we find that it occupies a com- 

 manding position at Barras Bridge, a convenient and pretty part of 

 the city. It is within easy reach of the Medical College, and the 

 College of Science is almost next door. It is surrounded by trees, 

 and the grounds are laid out as a rock garden, which an enthusiastic 

 member of the committee keeps in a never-failing succession of 

 bloom. At the back of the building are large cages, in which are 

 kept certain live animals, and at present one can see there a llama, 

 a herring gull, a peregrine falcon, and a condor. Entering the 

 museum we find ourselves in a corridor decorated with innumerable 

 ruminant horns. Here we can secure a guide to the museum, a guide 

 to the Hancock collection of birds, a catalogue of the local fishes, and 

 another of the local fossils ; all the work of the curator, Mr. Richard 

 Howse. There are more ambitious catalogues which we need not at 

 present mention. Passing to the right or left we find that the 

 collections are arranged in three large rooms well-lighted from the 

 roof, in galleries around these rooms, and in large and spacious 

 corridors. A series of workrooms is placed in the back of the 



