i897-] CarpenTKR. — Irish Animals iji the Dublin Museum. 129 



" index collection " to the whole animal kingdom. It will 

 be seen that the general zoological series in the upper hall, 

 under the new arrangement, runs regularly from the protozoa in 

 the first case of the top gallery to the mammals on the floor. 



The lower room has to be divided between the geographical 

 distribution series and the new Irish collection. After much 

 consideration it was decided to partition the room into three 

 equal sections b}^ placing transversely across it two pairs of 

 tall cases, each pair set back to back. The eastern third of 

 the room is for the geographical collection, the middle third 

 for the Irish invertebrates, and the western end for the Irish 

 vertebrates. The collections of Irish invertebrates are yet in 

 process of formation, but the general scheme may be indicated. 

 We will suppose a visitor has entered the Museum from 

 Merrion-square ; after passing through the geographical col- 

 lection he enters the Irish invertebrate section by the eastern 

 end. Here the southern wall-cases and window-cases will be 

 devoted to the protozoa, sponges^ hydroids, sea-anemones, 

 corals, &c. ; the worms, polyzoa, and brachiopods are already 

 roughly arranged in the cross-case at the western end of the 

 section. In the wall-cases and window-cases at the northern 

 side will be shown the Crustacea and in the eastern cross-case 

 the arachnids, millipedes, and centipedes. Having thus 

 walked around the Irish invertebrate section our visitor turns 

 his attention to the floor-space, which is occupied by fifteen 

 table-cases placed in five transverse rows ; beginning at the 

 east end, the first three rows are for the insects, the next row 

 and a half for the molluscs, and the last half row for the 

 echinoderms. The molluscs and echinoderms are already 

 roughly arranged, and a few boxes of insects have been ex- 

 hibited. It will be long before this section of the Museum 

 really approaches completion, for so little is known of certain 

 orders of Irish invertebrates. Some of the animals, such as 

 the protozoa and the rotifers, on account of their small size, will 

 have to be represented by coloured drawings, or glass models, 

 as also the sea-anemones and nudibranch molluscs, spirit- 

 specimens of which give but a poor idea of the living animals. 

 It is hoped, however, that each year may be marked by additions 

 and improvements to this collection, as more naturalists are 

 found to turn their attention to imperfectly-known groups, and 



