V. 



Morphology at the National Museum. 



WHEN, in 1862, Professor Owen, afterwards Sir Richard Owen, 

 published a scheme for the erection of a National Museum of 

 Natural History at South Kensington, he designed that in the centre 

 of the building there should be a lecture theatre, and above it a 

 circular domed museum of 100 feet diameter, which would " serve for 

 the reception of an Elementary Collection, illustrating the characters 

 of the Provinces, Classes, Orders, and Genera of the Animal 

 Kingdom." The series of specimens proposed to be there displayed 

 were to be of such a nature as would be most profitably shown to, 

 and studied by, the wage -classes after the hours of work. The 

 specimens were to be accompanied by instructive labels, and, where 

 necessary, diagrams ; and this, he urged, " would best fulfil the wish 

 of the Legislature as expressed by the ' Report of the Select 

 Committee on Public Institutions ' of i860, and reiterated by 

 honourable members in successive annual debates on the British 

 Museum." 



Later, it was decided to dispense with the lecture theatre, but 

 the idea of an introductory or index museum was firmly adhered to, 

 and the recesses or bays on the east and west sides of the entrance 

 hall were to be reserved for the purpose. The first steps were taken 

 towards the realisation of this project as soon as the cases were ready 

 to receive specimens, and in 1882 a " Guide to the Index Museum, 

 Aves," eight pages in length, was issued and sold in the Museum. 

 This guide is very interesting as showing what were the exact lines 

 on which Owen intended to elaborate his scheme of an introductory 

 series. The pamphlet begins in very popular language, but as soon 

 as technical terms are introduced the character of the text changes, 

 and such passages, for instance, as the description of the brain of the 

 bird are certainly not adapted to the intellect of the general public. 

 Although the conception of the idea of an Index Museum occurred as 

 far back as i860, the collection cannot be said to have received actual 

 shape until Sir William Flower succeeded to the directorship of the 

 Museum. The first real impetus to the work was given when, in 

 1884, ^^6 appointed Mr. R. S. Wray, B.Sc, who unhappily suc- 

 cumbed to pulmonary phthisis in 1889, to assist him in this work. 



The present scope of the Index Museum may be gathered from 



