x MAMMALS AND BIRDS 149 



made of dull wood stained a dark brown. A change 

 of this kind, though apparently trifling, effects an 

 improvement in the appearance of whole depart- 

 ments. It is also costly, and involved an enormous 

 amount of work. The opportunity of withdrawing 

 badly-stuffed specimens and of mounting others on 

 natural wood with the bark on was not neglected. 



A great change was also begun, on logical lines, 

 in the Mammalian galleries. Hitherto the stuffed 

 skins had been placed in one gallery and the 

 skeletons in another. They were now placed side 

 by side in the same galleries. 



In 1897 great progress had been made with the 

 reorganisation of the birds. The great gallery on 

 the ground floor, to the left of the main entrance, 

 was well on its way towards completion, and all 

 the specimens placed in systematic order, beginning 

 with the bower birds on the left, and ending with 

 the ostriches on the right ; while down the middle 

 and in some of the bays were cases illustrating the 

 nesting habits of British birds. In every one of 

 these the surroundings are either exactly those of 

 nature, or the most careful artificial imitations the 

 same rocks, sticks, flowers, grasses, reeds, or heather. 



In 1898 the rearrangements of the mammals 

 on Flower's system was nearly completed for the 

 classes Chiroptera (bats), Edentata, and Primates. 

 Money was also forthcoming for good stuffing, such 

 as Flower had long been anxious to get. 



This year saw the addition of Sir Richard 



