56 Defxirtment of Zoology. 



1882-1884. operations in the old Museum, viz., the spirit-specimens of 

 Mammals, Birds, and Invertebrates, the dry specimens of Rep- 

 tiles and Fishes, had to be temporarily stowed away in the new 

 building until certain rooms were ready for their reception. 

 The part removed in that year constituted about one-fourth of 

 the entire collection. 



The operations were suspended during the winter months 

 and resumed in March, 1883. They continued intermittently 

 to the end of August, when the actual work of removal was 

 completed. This occupied altogether 97 days, on which 354 

 journeys were made by the vans engaged. The collections were 

 removed, either packed in specially constructed boxes or trays, to 

 the number of 5171, or as single specimens, of which there were 

 1348. The spirit-collections were contained in 52,635 bottles. 

 The number of cabinets taken with the collection from the old 

 Museum amounted to 350, and that of other pieces of fittings 

 and furniture to 1348. 



Excepting an insignificant amount of deterioration, which was 

 unavoidable from so general a disturbance, and which is fully 

 compensated for by the thorough examination to which every 

 part of the collections was subjected in detail, no specimen of any 

 value suffered serious injury, save a Pentacrinus, which could 

 be replaced without great difficulty. A number of very delicate 

 and fragile specimens, which might have suffered by being sent 

 in the vans, were conveyed by hand or in cabs.* 



The Keeper and the staff were gratified by the receipt of a 

 copy of the following minute (dated October 13, 1883) : " The 

 Trustees, having had before them a report by the Principal 

 Librarian of the successful removal of the zoological collections 

 to the new Museum without any accident of importance, and of 

 the rearrangement of the specimens, carried out in a great 

 measure simultaneously by carefully considered measures, the 

 Principal Librarian was instructed to convey to Dr. Giinther 

 and his staff their sense of the forethought and care shown in 

 the direction of tho removal and of the zealous assistance of 

 officers and attendants in effecting it." 



* Serious difficulties were experienced with very few objects only, such 

 as the large Basking Shark, the skin of which had become very brittle in 

 drying, and was likely to crack from a jar or from pressure. To release 

 two whales' skulls (of a Greenland Right Whale and a Sperm Whale), a 

 brick wall had to be taken down which had been built across the recess in 

 the vaults in which they had been deposited at the time when they were 

 withdrawn from the exhibition in Montague House. They are two of the 

 oldest objects in the Department, and had not seen daylight since they had 

 been figured by Cuvier in his " Ossemens Fossiles," vol. v. 



