Census of the Collection. 97 



CENSUS OF THE COLLECTION. 

 (1894-95.) 



No actual census was taken of the collection, of the kind 1894-1895. 



carried out in 1868 and 1880. But as the registers of accessions 



had been kept with the greatest possible care since that period, 

 the numerical status of the collections in the Department can be 

 ascertained with tolerable accuracy. The number of duplicates 

 distributed among other museums or used for exchanges has been 

 left out of the calculation, as a large proportion had been set 

 aside as duplicates and were never entered in the registers. At 

 any rate their number was not sufficiently large to vitiate the 

 totals given for comparison here. 



The total number of specimens was found 



in 1868 to be close upon 1,000,000, 

 in 1880 to be close upon 1,300,000, 

 in 1895 to be close upon 2,245,000. 



The average of the annual increase during the last fifteen 

 years was 63,000 specimens, whilst it had been 25,000 in the 

 twelve preceding years. 



DUPLICATES. 

 (1894-95.) 



9633 specimens were distributed among various museums 

 and institutions, while several hundreds were utilised for 

 exchanges. 



DEPARTMENTAL LIBRARY. 

 (1894-95.) 



In 1895 the Zoological Library contained 10,036 separate 

 works or 16,238 volumes. All these works were duly entered in 

 the Departmental MS. Catalogue, and the Library itself was 

 kept in perfect working order. 



