144 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER 



The rapid progress and vitality of the Museum 

 began to attract the gifts of collectors on a great 

 scale, while the excellent understanding between the 

 Director and the keepers of different departments, 

 and the personal share taken by the former in the 

 elaboration of the Central Hall, convinced every 

 one interested in zoology that the national collec- 

 tion was in competent hands, and encouraged 

 donations. In the single year referred to, Lord 

 Walsingham, besides his collection of mounted 

 larvae, pupae, and perfect examples of British Lepi- 

 doptera, presented the whole of his collection of 

 Macro - Lepidoptera made during his travels in 

 California and Oregon in 1871 and 1872; Messrs. 

 Godman and Salvin presented nearly 4000 specimens 

 of American birds ; and Mr. Wardlaw Ramsay de- 

 posited, under certain conditions, the collection of 

 bird skins, mainly formed by the Marquis of Tweed- 

 dale, Flower's predecessor as President of the 

 Zoological Society, consisting of some 40,000 bird 

 skins, and particularly rich in the birds of the 

 Philippines, Andaman Islands, and Malay Peninsula, 

 in which the collections of the Museum were 

 deficient. As an example of the different per- 

 sonalities interested, it may be noted that donations 

 came from Emin Pasha, then in Central Africa, and 

 from Mr. Ruskin, who presented to the Mineral- 

 ogical Department the Colenso Diamond and the 

 Edwardes Ruby. Ruskin was keenly interested in 

 the work done in the Mineralogical Department, 



