36 MUSEUMS. 
In all sections of the Museum considerable progress may be 
recorded. To the Exhibition Galleries, in addition to the general 
conservation and maintenance of specimens already there, numerous 
important additions have been made, and many descriptive and 
illustrative labels have been added, to aid alike the general visitor 
and the student. 
In the Lord Derby Museum a collection of heads of African Big 
Game, many mammalian skulls and a large number of Birds, 
Reptiles and Fishes have been mounted and placed on exhibition 
in the General Collections of the Upper Galleries. In the British 
Galleries five additional Bird Groups, with natural surroundings, 
have been placed on exhibition, and an important and much-needed 
case, illustrating, among other sea birds, the changes of plumage 
of the Herring Gull, from the chick, through successive years, 
to the adult plumage of the fifth year, has also been added. Many 
fluid preparations of Invertebrate animals have been prepared and 
exhibited, The collection of British Beetles has been completed 
so far as the Museum specimens afford, 
The work of reducing to skins, for study purposes, the large 
number of mounted specimens of Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and 
Fishes, not required for exhibition purposes, mostly belonging to 
the original Derby Collection, was completed, and enabled the 
Committee to dispense with the services of the taxidermists 
temporarily engaged for that work, Upwards of 8,000 skins were 
thus dealt with. 
In the Botanical and Geological Departments useful work has 
been done. The examination and arrangement of the very large 
Herbarium, acquired last year from the Botanic Gardens, Edge 
Lane, is a big task, but it is a very necessary work before the 
collection can be incorporated into the Museum Herbarium. 
An interesting case of examples of Native Nitrates (“ Caliche’’) 
has been added to the Mineralogical Gallery. 
In the Mayer Museum the Melanesian Section continues as 
hitherto to receive numerous acquisitions from West and South-West 
