182 Natural Historic in London, 



when I was last at the Museum. At that period there were only two of 

 these animals ; and so little care was taken in stuffing the skins, that the 

 legs resembled gate-posts more than the limbs of a beautiful quadruped. At 

 present, due attention has been observed to preserve the just proportion and 

 symmetry of the parts, and the three figures form an interesting group. I 

 mention these objects, because their improved appearance in limine augwceA 

 well for the improvements in other parts of the establishment. On entering 

 the ante-room of the saloon, I was pleased to observe a large collection of 

 fossil univalve shells, arranged in cases, which cover the centre of the room ; 

 these, however, have only been introduced very recently, to judge from the 

 catalogue of 1827, in which they are not in any way noticed. I shall revei't 

 to this collection again. The saloon contains a beautiful collection of simple 

 minerals, a great part of which belonged to the Greville collection. Of this 

 collection 1 have only to repeat what I stated in Art. II., that " it is, 

 perhaps, as well classed as the space allowed for it will admit of,*' More 

 care, however, appears to be taken in placing labels ; and several new speci- 

 mens have been added, particularly of meteoric stones, and meteoric native 

 iron. The next room, No. 8., contains the collection of recent shells, in 26 

 cases, well arranged, and conveniently displayed for inspection. The names 

 of Lamarck are on one side, and those of Linnaeus (which are here more 

 generally known) on the other. The collection may be regarded rather as 

 a useful than a splendid one, compared even with private collections in this 

 country ; among others might be particularised that of Dr. Goodall, Provost 

 of Eton. On taking a general view of the whole, the reason did not appear 

 very obvious why its arrangement should have required so many years to 

 complete. It is true, that the system of Lamarck was but imperfectly 

 understood in England, even seven or eight years since ; but many natural- 

 ists might have been found on the Continent, who would, with much ease, 

 have arranged the collection in fewer weeks, than it has taken years to 

 accomplish ; and a whole generation of young men havegrown up between the 

 years 1810 and 1825, who might have profited by it, and been now adding 

 to the stock of natural knowledge in various parts of the world. It is, 

 however, useless to dwell upon the past ; it is more gratifying to observe, 

 that there is now a well-arranged collection of recent shells in the British 

 Museum, accessible to the public ; and young persons who visit London, and 

 are desirous of cultivating this branch of natural history, may have an 

 opportunity of improvement which few, if any, of our provincial towns 

 present. 



'* Si fas est docej^i,'* if it be lawful for the curators of this collection 

 to receive a hint, not ab hoste, but from a true friend to the scientific insti- 

 tutions of his own country, he would suggest, that the collection might be 

 made more instructive, by placing the name of each genus at full length, at 

 the head of each compartment, where the species occupy more than one ; 

 and, where two genera begin with the same letter, as Capsa and Crassina, 

 instead of simply placing C, to add the first letters, and write Cap. Cras. ; 

 because learners who are examining the shells, are frequently prevented 

 from reverting to the generic words, by the company crowding round the 

 cases. As conchology forms the amusement or the study of many ladies 

 who neither read Greek, nor are familiar with the works of Cuvier or La- 

 marck, a short explanation of the terms Gasteropoda, Cephalopoda, &c. 

 would be useful. It would, at least, remind them, that the knowledge of 

 the shell forms but a small part of the natural history of the Mollusca ; and 

 that a knowledge of the structure of the animals, and of their modes of 

 forming their shells, would be infinitely more curious and valuable could it 

 be obtained. 



Let us now return to the fossil shells in the ante-room. These are chiefly 

 univalve shells, from the tertiary formation of the Paris basin ; but there is 

 one great defect in the arrangement of these, and of all the other fossil 



