70 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER chap. 



possibly have added " in the British Museum " also, 

 had he thought it desirable ; and he urged that it 

 would be far better to pay a high price for a few 

 well-stuffed specimens than to have cabinets full of 

 monstrosities. It would be better merely to have 

 the birds' skins in drawers. There was very much 

 more in this address which was at that time new to 

 the public ; and it is very interesting to see how 

 Flower gradually carried most of his points and 

 made them part of what may now be called general 

 policy in such matters. Except in the cases of British 

 birds and their nests, which originated with Dr. 

 Gunther, improved taxidermy remained to the end 

 largely an unfulfilled desire as far as the Natural 

 History Museum was concerned, simply because there 

 was not enough money forthcoming to pay for these 

 works of art. But he was able to make a beginning 

 by employing- some of the few real artists in the 

 business. When there was a little spare money he 

 caused a few artistically stuffed birds to be set in 

 the wall cases, where the series of families and sub- 

 families are shown. Contemplating some of these, 

 which looked almost alive among the old specimens 

 from Bloomsbury, he remarked that he hoped that 

 they would convert the public by contrast. They 

 seem to have convinced the Trustees in any case, 

 for the progress lately made, on the lines which 

 Flower marked out, and under the care of Dr. 

 Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. W. Ogilvie Grant, has been 

 rapid. But this belongs to the period not of con- 



