3^ PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



Vertebrate Zoologj'. Dr. J. E. Gray, a frequent visitor to the 

 buciety's Museum, recognized the worth of the young man, and 

 induced him to e.xcliange his post lor one in tlie British Museum ; 

 and on April 5, 3841, he was appointed an Attendant of the 

 I'irst Class in the Department of Zoology. In this modest 

 position be worked for 55 years; and never had the Museum a 

 more industrious, more conscientious, more devoted servant tlian 

 Edward Gerrard ; he was Dr. Gray's right-hand man, always the 

 best of my Iriends, and equally lielpful to me in later years. 



AVhen Gtrrard entered upon his new duties he was just in 

 time to bear a hand in the removal of the Zoological collections 

 from Montague House into the new Museum at Bloomsbury, and 

 to form there the new exhibition of Mamnwls ; it consisted 

 almost exclusively of mounted skins; but Dr. Gray, who fully 

 understood the importance of osteology for his systematic studies, 

 set immediately to work with his usual energy to supply this 

 desideratum. In this Gerrard's assistance was iuAaluable to him ; 

 only a few of the skeletons were mounted, the majority being 

 kept disarticulated in wooden boxes in a large basement-room in 

 which a fire had to be kept all the year round to prevent the 

 boxes and labels from getting damp and mouldy. Here Gerrard 

 could be found engaged in arranging the collections and pre- 

 paring a systematic Manuscript Catalogue. Dr. Gray's ' List 

 of Osteological Specimens in the British Museum' (1847) was 

 based upon that Manuscript ; and a greatly enlarged later 

 edition, 'Catalogue of the Bones of Mammalia in the British 

 Museum' (lb02), was almost wholly Gerrard's work. This 

 collection remnined the centre of his solicitude and its care his 

 favourite occupation. It was a proud day for him when lie saw 

 the magnificent series of skeletons, with the individual history of 

 which no one was more intimately acquainted than himself, set up 

 fur the first time for exhibition, filling an entire gallery in the new 

 ]\luseum at South Kensington in systematic arrangement. Great 

 was his morlification that he had to witness the breaking-up and 

 dispersal of this unique exhibition at the time of his retirement 

 from the Museum. 



Besides this special work, Gerrard had other important duties 

 to perform in the Department. A general supervision of the 

 acquisitions of former years, and the registration and conservation 

 of all new accessions to the classes of Mammals, Keptiles, Batra- 

 chians, and Fishes, were entrusted to him, until by additions to 

 the staff some of these duties could be assigned to others. 



After o,") years of service Gerrard retired in 1S96. According 

 to a "Minute" of the Trustees' meeting on July 25, "the 

 Trustees in accepting Gerrard's resignation, desired the Director 

 to express to liiin their high appreciation of his very long- 

 contiiuied and faithful servi.-e." This " appreciation " is probably 

 unique in the annals of the Museum, as regards a member of the 

 class of Atteiulants. 



Gerrard was endowed with an uuujuallv strong constitution. 



