Removal and Rearrangement. 57 



The rearrangement of the collections was begun during the 1882-1884. 

 removal. In fact, careful plans of the galleries had been prepared 

 before the removal, showing in detail the disposition of the con- 

 tents of each exhibition, and particularly of the large objects and 

 separate show-cases occupying the floor between the fixed cases. 

 Thus most of the contents of every van-load could be moved into 

 their permanent position as soon as they arrived at South Ken- 

 sington, but in some of the galleries the work of rearrangement 

 occupied a much longer time than was anticipated, owing to 

 various circumstances. Thus in the Shell Gallery the repairs of 

 the old table-cases necessitated a double removal of the 3200 

 drawers and the 28,000 tablets belonging to the collection of 

 Shells. In the Fish Gallery a similar cause, combined with an 

 influx of a great number of late additions, retarded the com- 

 pletion of the work. In the Insect and British Galleries new 

 exhibition-series had to be formed, and of course many modifi- 

 cations of the original plans suggested themselves during the 

 progress of the work. 



The Osteological Gallery was the first to be arranged ; it was 

 selected for the reception of the whole of the osteological prepara- 

 tions of terrestrial Mammalia. This gallery, on the second floor, 

 corresponds in length and width to the Mammalian Gallery imme- 

 diately below, which was chosen for the exhibition of the stuffed 

 specimens, but it is intersected by twelve iron girders which 

 support the roof. Being lit from above as well as from the sides, 

 it offers a great amount of sunlight, a condition particularly 

 beneficial to the appearance and preservation of mounted 

 skeletons. The gallery was furnished with twenty-four exhibi- 

 tion cases of a fl-Hke shape, projecting 14 feet into the room 

 and hiding the lower half of the girders. The space within, and 

 surrounded by the three sides of, each case was furnished with two 

 cabinets containing the non-exhibited portions, viz., skulls and 

 loose skeletons as well as the skins of the same species or genera. 

 In the exhibition was now also introduced a representative series 

 of the few anthropological specimens in the collection. Hitherto 

 no effort had been made to form an anthropological collection in 

 the Museum. The Royal College of Surgeons had paid special 

 attention to this subject for many years, and had brought together 

 an unrivalled collection of human crania and skeletons, so that it 

 seemed a duty to assist, rather than to compete with, them in its 

 further development. The duplication of such a collection in 

 London would have been of doubtful advantage, even if the 

 Zoological Department had had sufficient room and means for 



