Removal and Rearrangement. 59 



allotted. This room was at first fitted with seventy-six cabinets, 1882-1884. 

 in accordance with the estimate made in 1876, but so rapid had 

 been the increase of this collection within the last seven years 

 that additional cabinets were urgently required. The drawers 

 with which the cabinets were fitted are of different depths, the 

 depths being multiples of a certain unit, so as to be interchange- 

 able not only between different cabinets, but also within 

 the same cabinet.* The skins are kept in glass-topped boxes of 

 various sizes, but also multiples of a unit. By this plan great 

 economy of space, easy shifting of any part of the collection, 

 and, above all, security from dust and insects were effected. 

 The Bird Room also served as a work room for two Assistants, 

 one Attendant, and the visitors who studied any part of the 

 collection. 



The exhibition in the Reptile Gallery left much to be desired. 

 The almost insuperable difficulties of preserving Lizards or 

 Snakes in a dried state without distortion of their natural 

 features, and reluctance to bringing any number of specimens 

 in spirit into the main building, caused this exhibition to be 

 very incomplete. Tortoises and Crocodiles were represented on 

 a much more liberal scale : the latter being now placed on the 

 floor, where they could be examined, instead of on the top of the 

 cases, as in the old Museum. Of the former the unique series of 

 Giant Tortoises could be shown in its completeness. 



The arrangement of the Fish Gallery was delayed by the 

 non-delivery of cases required for recent acquisitions, and could 

 not be opened to the public until 1885. This was not to be 

 regretted, as opportunity was thus given to make a more strict 

 selection of the specimens in the wall-cases. As the ornamental 

 colours of stuffed fishes nearly always disappear, some suitable 

 examples were experimentally painted from drawings of the 

 living fish to show the gorgeous coloration of the Coral-fishes 

 and Wrasses of the Tropics. This spacious gallery also afforded 

 room for showing a series of the various types of Sharks, 

 and other large fishes, of which only small and undeveloped 

 individuals are generally preserved in Museums. Seven table- 

 cases contained the skeletons and unmounted skins of species 

 of small or moderate size in closed drawers. 



The bulk of the study collection of Reptiles and Fishes, which 

 were preserved in spirit, were deposited in the Spirit Building, 

 of which a short description will be given further on. The 



* The principle followed in the construction of this type of cabinet 

 was first used by Messrs. Salvin and Godman for this collection of Birds. 



