32 



MUSEUMS. 



almost daily — the type series of Butterflies and Moths of the neighbour- 

 hood, especially, being largely made use of by local amateur collectors in 

 identifying their captures. The work of building up the large Sigillarian 

 trunk taken from the coal-bearing measures at Wigan, referred to 

 in the last Report, has been completed, but the finishing off of the 

 exhibit has been delayed, so that an additional length of the main stem, 

 showing more of the characteristic Sigillarian markings, may be added. 

 This portion, through the active interest of Mr. Knowles and 

 Mr. Haworth, it is expected, will come to hand shortly. 



Zoological Department. 

 (a) General. 



During the past year there has been no change in the number and 

 duties of the staff. The work of cataloguing the Birds has been 

 continued, and to the Catalogue of the Parrots (Psittaci), published in 

 1897, there have been added during 1898 the Cuckoos and Plantain- 

 eaters (Cuculi) and the Woodpeckers (Pici). Other groups are in 

 course of preparation. The acquisitions made during the year have been 

 large, and a considerable amount of the time of the scientific staff is 

 taken up in the identification, cataloguing and registering in stock of 

 these specimens. 



It is important, in view of the great increase of exhibition space at 

 an early date, that as many specimens as possible should be prepared for 

 exhibiting, so that when the time comes they will be ready for removal 

 to the various exhibition cases. The store material will, without doubt, 

 yield a large number of specimens for this purpose, but the working up 

 of this material consumes so much time, entailing as it does the 

 scientific examination of every specimen either to identify it or to 

 verify the name already attached, and also, when satisfactorily determined, 

 the preparation and mounting in suitable exhibition jars, that it becomes 

 almost necessary, in order to make any material progress, that a staff 

 should be able to devote the whole time to this work alone. Some 

 preparations have been made from this source, and also from the 

 acquisitions as they are received, but the progress is slow when taken 

 along with other duties. 





