The Collection in 1856. 3 



painted stands, or (still worse) stands imitating rock or soil, 1856-1861. 

 sooner or later became regular dust-traps. The name of the 

 animal, the locality where it was obtained, and, if presented, the 

 name of the donor, were painted by hand on the stand in bold 

 letters which could be read without difficulty front? a distance. 



The guiding principles in the formation of an exhibition-series 

 as distinct from a study-collection, as well as from a strictly 

 educational series, were not uniformly followed in the various 

 divisions. Nor was this possible at that time and under the 

 conditions then existing, even if they had been fully understood at 

 the time. Thus the Mammalian cases became unduly crowded ; 

 examples of large size, for which no room could be found in 

 store-rooms, were mounted and placed in the galleries, and in 

 some of the cases even the systematic order had to be abandoned. 

 Among the Birds, which were relatively liberally provided with 

 exhibition-space, more specimens had been mounted than were 

 needed even by an intelligent visitor. The exhibition of Reptiles 

 and Fishes was defective in every respect. For the collection of 

 Shells the accommodation was ample, and the series sufficiently 

 complete and systematically arranged to satisfy, not only the 

 casual visitor, but also the large class of collectors who pay 

 frequent visits to the gallery with the object of comparing their 

 unnamed specimens with those in the Museum. With regard to 

 Insects, nothing approaching a complete systematic representation 

 of the higher groups was attempted : a series of showy and 

 remarkable forms were shown, and when faded by exposure to 

 light, were replaced by others ; they were arranged in table-cases, 

 while a considerable number of nidamental structures were placed 

 in the wall-cases close by. As regards the whole host of " Lower 

 animals," specimens which happened to be suitable for exhibition 

 were placed in or on the table-cases, as long as there was space 

 for them, and, finally, the British collection was very incomplete, 

 and only occasionally attended to. 



In spite of the defects indicated, the collections, as a whole, 

 impressed not only ordinary visitors, but also experts, as an 

 imposing exhibition worthy of the Museum of a nation with the 

 greatest colonial possessions in the world. Its generally orderly 

 arrangement in well-made cases, the clean and well-preserved 

 specimens, the richness in scarce and striking types of animal 

 life, the spacious and well-lighted galleries, were all points in 

 which this exhibition compared most favourably with other 

 institutions on the Continent ; and every credit is due to the staff 

 of the Department, and particularly to its Keeper, for having 



