PREFACE. 



This Catalogue contains a list of the Skeletons, Skulls, and other 

 Osteological Specimens of the Class Mammalia contained in the 

 British Museum ; and references to the works in which the entire 

 skeletons or separate bones of Mammalia are figured, not only of 

 the species in the Museum, but of those which are still desiderata. 

 References to the latter have been added with the view of increasing 

 the usefulness of this Catalogue to students of the Osteological Col- 

 lection. 



For the purpose of showing the disposition of the bones in the 

 different Classes and Orders, a few examples of each have been 

 mounted ; and for the purpose of illustrating the genera and species 

 in the Collection, and facilitating their comparison, a series of skulls 

 has been arranged on separate tablets. 



The bones of the greater number of the skeletons are kept sepa- 

 rately in boxes, to admit of the various bones of the different recent 

 species being compared with each other and with their fossil ana- 

 logues, which cannot so easily and completely be accomplished when 

 they are mounted. To prevent the bones being mismatched, each 

 bone of each specimen is marked with the number of the species, and 

 the letter of the specimen used in the Catalogue. 



The chief value of an Osteological Collection depending on the 

 accuracy with which the names of the species are determined to 

 which the specimens belong, due attention has been paid to this 

 point ; and it is hoped that, in this particular, the British Museum 

 Collection will afford peculiar advantages to the student. Of the 

 Donations the greater portion has been presented by the Collectors of 



