IS97-] 127 



IRISH ANIMALS IN THE DUBLIN MUSEUM. 



BY GKORGE H. CARPENTER, B.SC. 



Visitors to the Natural History Galleries in the Museum of 

 Science and Art, Dublin, must have noticed, during the last 

 few months, that extensive re-arrangements of the collections 

 were in progress. Some may have wondered why such radical 

 alterations were undertaken, considering, perhaps, that the 

 old system was good enough. Others may have thought that 

 the changes had no reason — unless to furnish innocent occupa- 

 tion for the museum staff. Now that the main features of the 

 new scheme have been carried out, a short statement of the 

 plan and object of the changes — especially as regards the 

 collections of native animals — may be of interest to readers of 

 the Irish Naturalist. 



The Natural History building, situated to the. south of 

 Leinster Lawm, consists of a low-pitched, ground-floor store}^ 

 and a lofty upper hall surrounded by two galleries. In the 

 former arrangement of the collections, which had lasted for 

 several years, the south side of the ground-floor room was 

 devoted to a collection illustrating the geographical distribution 

 of animals, while the north side was occupied b}^ collections 

 both Irish and general, of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles. 

 Upstairs, the centre of the floor of the hall was used for the 

 general collection of mammals, while along either side were 

 ranged table cases containing the general collection of inver- 

 tebrates alternating occasionally with life-history groups of 

 Irish birds ; in cases against the north wall was the collection 

 of Irish invertebrates (excepting insects), on the landing 

 outside a collection of British mammals. Ascending to the 

 low^er of the two galleries the visitor found it entirely devoted 

 to birds — an Irish and a general series. In the top gallery 

 were displayed a set of British birds' eggs and nests and Irish, 

 general, and economic collections of insects. 



The incongruity of some of these arrangements was evident 

 enough to the stafl"of the museum, but objection to the general 

 upset involved in a radical change of plan, necessarily 

 accompanied by the cessation of systematic work on specimens, 



