2 Department of Zoology. 



1856-1861. ment of the learned and the curious, but for the use and general 

 benefit of the public." To attain this twofold object, Dr. Gray 

 perceived at an early period that it would be desirable to form a 

 study-series as distinct from the exhibition-series, and in the 

 Parliamentary Return for 1858, p. 16, he refers to the forma- 

 tion of both series as being in progress. At the present time one 

 can hardly realise that he had to carry out so beneficial, indeed, 

 so necessary, a measure in the face of considerable opposition by 

 persons who referred to the great Continental Museums, in which, 

 at that time, every specimen was on exhibition. However, he 

 had an unanswerable argument in the disproportion of the 

 magnitude of the zoological collections and the limits of the 

 space available for exhibition. 



THE CONDITION AND LOCATION OF THE COLLECTION IN 1856. 



The galleries and rooms assigned to the Zoological Depart- 

 ment for exhibition contained nearly 30,000 superficial square 

 feet ; all were lighted from the top. They were furnished with 

 tall cases along the walls, and with table-cases occupying the 

 centre of the floor.* A saloon and two adjoining rooms, 35 feet 

 wide and of an aggregate length of 200 ft., were given to the 

 Mammalia, all of which were exhibited in wall-cases, with the 

 exception of the largest specimens, which were placed in a central 

 group on the floor, without any protection. In the table-cases of 

 these rooms Corals and Sponges were shown. The finest and best- 

 lit of the galleries, 300 ft. long, was given up to the two most popular 

 parts of the exhibition, Birds and Shells, the former occupying 

 about 900 ft. of wall-cases, the latter two rows of table-cases. In 

 smaller rooms selected series of Insects and other Articulata, and 

 a number of stuffed Fishes and Reptiles (especially Tortoises) were 

 exhibited, whilst finally a room, 90 ft. by 25 ft*, was reserved 

 solely for a representation of the British Fauna. 



The majority of specimens of Mammals and Birds were fairly 

 mounted, in the usual style of the bird-stuffer of the first half of 

 last century, but there were very few examples of taxidermic art 

 among them, while the Reptiles and Fishes were scarcely more than 

 dried skins. All were mounted on light-coloured highly-polished 

 sycamore stands, the use of which had been adopted by Dr. Gray 

 after long experience ; they offered the great advantage that they 

 could be easily kept free from dust or other impurities, while 



* See plans attached to the Keport of the Select Committee on the 

 British Museum, August 10th, 1860. 



