THE BRITISH MUSEUM 



Each of these alcoves is devoted to a class of animals 

 one to mammals, one to birds, one to fishes, and so on. 

 In each case very beautiful sets of specimens have been 

 prepared, illustrating the anatomy and physiology of 

 the group of animals in question. Here one may see, 

 for example, in the alcove devoted to birds, specimens 

 showing not only details of the skeleton and muscular 

 system, but the more striking examples of variation of 

 form of such members as the bill, legs, wings, and tails. 

 Here are preparations also illustrating, very strikingly, 

 the vocal apparatus of birds. Here, again, are finely 

 prepared wings, in which the various sets of feathers 

 have been outlined with different-colored pigments, so 

 that the student can name them at a glance. In fact, 

 every essential feature of the anatomy of the bird may 

 be studied here as in no other collection that I know 

 of. And the same is true of each of the other grand 

 divisions of the animal kingdom. This exhibit alone 

 gives an opportunity for the student of natural history 

 that is invaluable. It is quite clear to any one who 

 has seen it that every natural history museum must 

 prepare a similar educational exhibit before it can 

 claim to do full justice to its patrons. 



A third feature that cannot be overlooked is shown 

 in the numerous cases of stuffed birds, in which the 

 specimens are exhibited, not merely by themselves on 

 conventional perches, but amid natural surroundings, 

 usually associated with their nests and eggs or young. 

 These exhibits have high artistic value in addition to 

 their striking scientific worth. They teach ornithology 

 as it should be taught, giving such clews to the recog- 

 nition of birds in the fields as are not at all to be found 



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