8 2 Zoology. 



action. Montague House, where the collections were first installed, 

 was a large mansion, standing in its own grounds, with a high 

 brick wall surrounding it. The oil-paintings which hung in the 

 old Bird-Gallery at Bloomsbury had been on the walls in Montague 

 House, within Mr. Gerrard's recollection. The specimens were 

 all mounted in cases round the sides of the rooms, as well as in 

 pier-cases and table-cases down the centre of the latter. 



In 1845 the present British Museum at Bloomsbury was 

 completed, and a large series of birds, forming undoubtedly the 

 best public galleiy of the age, was placed on view. These 

 specimens suffered to some extent from light, but more from 

 soot and dust, which penetrated the wall-cases from behind, the 

 wood-work being split from too close proximity to the coils of 

 the heating apparatus. 



The Zuological Department was only slowly expanded from 

 the days of Sir Joseph Banks. Solander, who accompanied 

 Banks during Cook's first voyage (1768-71) had been made 

 successively an Assistant, Assistant-Keeper, and Keeper, of the 

 Natural History Departments. Shaw, Konig, Leach, and 

 Children had succeeded him as Assistant-Keepers and Keepers, 

 and most of them were efficient and xealous men. In 1824 John 

 Edward Gray became an Assistant, and in 1840 he was made 

 Keeper of the Zoological Department, a post which he held for 

 34 years. Tht Assistant in charge of the birds was George 

 Robert Gray, his bi'other, who entered the Museum in 1831, and 

 was Assistant-Keeper from 1869 to 1872, when he died in harness. 



During the 34 years that Dr. J. E. Gray reigned over the 

 Zoological Department, immense progress in the development of 

 the collections took place, not merely as the results of surveying 

 voyages, such as those of the Battlesnake, Erebus and Terror, 

 and many others ; but the increase was mostly due to the extra- 

 ordinary energy of Dr. Gray, who set himself the task of making 

 his department the foremost in the world. He has never received 

 full credit for his exertions, for he had to fight against much 

 prejudice within the Museum walls, and when the grants for 

 purchases had been expended, he would freely spend his own 

 money in buying specimens which he deemed to be of importance 

 to the collection. It must be remembered that in the early days of 

 the nineteenth century, England occupied but a poor position from 

 a zoological standpoint, and France was at the zenith of her fame 

 as regards exploration and the encouragement of science. Paris, 

 Berlin, Leyden, were all increasing their zoological collections. 



