38 Department of Zoology. 



1875-1878. Dr. J. S. Bowerbank in his " Monograph of British Spongiadae," 

 which was published by the Ray Society in four volumes. The 

 foreign series comprised a great number of types also described 

 by its former owner as well as a number which are still 

 undescribed. This purchase comprised also the microscopical 

 preparations showing the structure of the forms described, and 

 two MS. catalogues. The Trustees acquired the whole for the 

 moderate sum of 300. 



GRANTS FOR ANNUAL EXPENDITURE. 



(1875-78.) 



In these four years the grants for purchases of specimens 

 and books were the same throughout, viz., 1200 for the former 

 and 25 for the latter. The grant for "Preparing, etc.," which 

 was 555 in 1875, was raised to 705 in the three following 

 years ; finally, the grant for preparing and publishing Catalogues 

 was 500 in the first two years, and 1000 in the two others. 



THE NEW MUSEUM. 

 (1875-78.) 



In the financial year 1875-76 the building at South 

 Kensington was sufficiently advanced to allow of its definite 

 allocation to the four Natural History Departments. To that 

 of Zoology was assigned the western wing of the building, and 

 an apartment on the ground-floor of the central portion, behind 

 the so-called Index-Museum. This amounted to nearly one-half 

 of the whole building, but was not too large for the requirements 

 of the Department, as, in fact, Dr. Gray had pointed out to the 

 Trustees as far back as 1871. It was evident that to provide 

 more accommodation for exhibition and storage, some structural 

 changes were necessary : 



1. There was no room for the collection of Cetaceans, even 

 if two of the galleries, one for stuffed specimens and another for 

 skeletons, were given up for Mammalia. A large portion of the 

 cemented basement (138 feet x 60 feet) was therefore partitioned 

 off by a wall. Although inconveniently intersected by massive 

 pillars, and not well lit, it afforded room for five of the largest 

 skeletons of Whales, and for a great number of others of 

 smaller size ; it had the advantage of having another smaller 

 compartment annexed to it, in which the unmounted specimens 



