Arrangement of the Collection. 23 



Mr. G. R. Gray was principally engaged in the completion of 1870-1874. 

 his " Handlist of Birds" which required his close attention to 

 innumerable details. After his death it served as a most useful 

 guide to Dr. Giinther, in verifying the contents of the boxes in 

 which the study-series was kept, and in relabelling them. But 

 still more important work was entered upon ; it was decided to 

 prepare a general Catalogue of the collection of Birds on the 

 plan of the Catalogue of Fishes. Mr. Sharpe threw himself with 

 enthusiasm into this work, completing in the first year the 

 Diurnal Birds of Prey, of which 2340 specimens referable to 

 341 species were in the collection. Of these, by far too large a 

 proportion were exhibited in the gallery, viz., 723 specimens 

 of 281 species. 



In the class of Reptiles Dr. Gray went over the entire 

 collection of Testudinata and Amphisbsenians and catalogued 

 them. The gigantic Land Tortoises, of which a large and still 

 increasing collection had been got together, formed the subject 

 of monographic treatment by Dr. Giinther. 



Mollusca. In 1871 the Department lost Dr. W. Baird by 

 death, and the collection of shells was now placed in the sole 

 charge of Mr. E. A. Smith. His time was fully occupied by the 

 incorporation of the large collections successively acquired in these 

 five years : such as those presented by Mrs. Gray, Julius Brenchley, 

 G. F. Angas and others. The collection of Cephalopods had 

 received many interesting additions since the publication of 

 Dr. Gray's Catalogue in 1849 ; and Dr. Giinther worked for 

 some time at a MS. list, but he discontinued it in expectation of 

 a promised monograph of this group by Professor Steenstrup 

 (which, however, was never published). 



Mr. Butler arranged the dry specimens of Myriopods and 

 Arachnids ; he also incorporated the Crustaceans and Insects 

 from the Banks Collection, having taken charge of the collec- 

 tion of Crustaceans until Mr. Miers was able to relieve him of 

 this duty. 



Entomological Section. Mr. F. Walker was now the only 

 person still engaged in cataloguing parts of the collection, and he 

 continued to work for the Department until 1873. The four 

 entomological Assistants devoted themselves entirely to rearranging 

 the specimens in the cabinets, and incorporating arrears. Much 

 progress was made in this work between 1870 and 1874 : 

 Mr. F. Smith, after completing the arrangement of Hymenoptera 

 (to the Thynnidse), joined Mr. C. O. Waterhouse in his work on 

 the Coleoptera ; they arranged the sub-family Clytinse, which in 



