Guides and Catalogues. 63 



collections of which they were severally in charge, the Entomo- 1884-1885. 

 legists and Ornithologists working in the Insect and Bird Rooms. 

 Finally, a large room in the basement was fitted up for the 

 Articulator, the Taxidermist, etc., and another for the Depart- 

 mental carpenters. 



1884-85. 



GUIDES AND CATALOGUES. 



The time had now arrived to prepare the "Guides" on 

 the plan adopted some years back. The Keeper proposed 

 to the Trustees to prepare the guides with a twofold object : 

 they should not only fulfil the primary purpose of serving as 

 guides to the public during their visits to the Museum, but also 

 retain their usefulness as short instructive popular expositions 

 of the animal kingdom, illustrated with woodcuts representing 

 certain of the most important types or remarkable objects, and 

 with plans of the galleries. He further proposed that separate 

 Guides to the different Zoological Galleries should be prepared, 

 viz. : 



1. Guide to the Mammalian, Osteological, and Cetacean 

 Galleries, giving a short and comprehensive account of the 

 class Mammalia. 



2. Guide to the Bird Gallery, with the Guide to the Gould 

 Collection of Humming Birds as an appendix. 



3. Guide to the Reptile and Fish Galleries. 



4. Guide to the Shell and Insect Galleries. 



5. Guide to the Starfish and Coral Galleries. 



6. Guide to the British Saloon, with a descriptive list of the 

 groups of British Birds as an appendix. 



This proposal was sanctioned by the Trustees, and the Guide- 

 books to the Mammalian, Reptile, Shell, and Starfish Galleries 

 were completed or taken in hand in the present and following years. 



Since the first consignment was received from H.M.S. Alert 

 in 1880 (mentioned above, p. 44), further collections made during 

 the surveying voyage of the same ship in Australia and the 

 Western Indian Ocean were sent in by the Lords Commissioners 

 of the Admiralty. These collections were so extensive and 

 important that the Trustees sanctioned the Keeper's proposal 

 to prepare a full account of them in the form of a separate 

 volume. The work of examining the collections had proceeded 

 during the last three years, but the completion and publication 

 of the Report was delayed by the removal of the Department. 



