392 Misccllaneousl 



.asnod ari) tii gnoijah^ MISCELLANEOUS '"*^*^^ orfj no ixiobflsqsl) 



THE NATURAL-HISTORY COLLECTIONS AT THE BRITISH MUSEUMtIt 



Somebody has said that the Enghsh people are a great people, not 

 so much in consequence of what they say and do, as in consequence 

 of what they leave unsaid and undone. British reserve (next to the 

 British lion) is supposed to be the main-stay of the British constitu- 

 tion. Unfortunately, as in our social habits so in our public proceed- 

 ings, we are ^ven to carry this virtue to an excess ; so that our light 

 instead of shining as it should do before other nations, too often 

 glimmers ignominiously under a bushel — invisible to the eye of even 

 the natives themselves. A singular illustration of this is to be found 

 in the Reports of the Keepers of the Zoological and Mineralogical 

 Collections of the British Museum contained in the Blue Book just 

 published by order of the House of Commons. 



Every naturalist is acquainted with the magnificent zoological col- 

 lection contained in those galleries of the British Museum which are 

 above the level of the bases of the columns of the fa9ade, but few are 

 aware of the existence of a no less admirable collection in the vaults 

 heloWy consisting of osteological and spirit specimens, not merely 

 supplementary to the dried skins above, but for the zoological student 

 the necessary completement and explanation of the latter. The 

 spectator wandering through the galleries, as he looks at the stuffed 

 skins glancing at him from all sides with their speculationless eyes, 

 little thinks that, could each speak, it would address him very much 

 in the words of the resurrectionized damsel immortalized bj Hood : 



ot 9onr.iioqm£ j^^s for my hones, they 're all pack 'd up (za qHT " 



. j:k^.'i i... '. To go by Pickford's van." ,, ..r* 



And yet so it is : thanks to the zeal and energy of the indefatigable 

 keeper of the department. Dr. Gray, the bones belonging to every 

 skin are in the catacombs below, labeled and marked and ready to be 

 exhibited, like the works of a clock beside its case, whenever room 

 can be made for them. 



. But let the reports of Dr. Gray and Mr. Waterhouse speak for 

 ttieraselves : — 



9g'i, "British Museum, December 12th, 1851. 



tot*** Mr. Gray begs to state to the Trustees, in case any additions should 

 be made to the present buildings, that it is very desirable that some 

 more rooms should be assigned to the Zoological department for the 

 exhibition of the collection of animals in spirits, and of the osteolo- 

 gical collection, which are now arranged in the basement, and con- 

 sequently are in some measure hidden from the public, who are con- 

 stantly inquiring after them. 



** The osteological collection is of the greatest importance, as it is by 

 far the largest and most complete ever formed in this country ; in- 

 deed, Mr. Gray believes that it is as large as all the collections in the 

 country put together, and its exhibition is of the greatest importance 

 ^lo the progress of zoological science, as the classes, orders, families, 

 and genera into which the vertcbrated animals arc divided, are greatly 



