148 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER chap. 



The type characters of each order and family were 

 also carefully explained in print and illustrated by 

 specimens. These two great undertakings, going 

 on side by side, and added to all his administrative 

 and social duties, taxed his brain and health 

 severely, in spite of the unfailing assistance which 

 he received from the Museum staff, and more 

 especially from Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. W. 

 Ogilvie Grant in the complete reorganisation and 

 classification of the birds, and by Mr. G. A. 

 Boulenger, Mr. Oldfield Thomas, Dr. Woodward, 

 Mr. Jeffrey Bell, and indeed by all those on the 

 staff in other departments. Volunteer help was 

 also forthcoming. It was stated in the Report of 

 1896 that 33,000 more persons had visited the 

 Museum than in the previous year. 



A provisional whale room to accommodate the 

 collection of Cetacea, which Flower had always 

 deemed could only be properly housed in the 

 national collection, was built. An example of the 

 importance of detail in museum exhibition occurs 

 in a change made in the next year, 1897, which 

 involved an alteration in the mounting of all the 

 specimens of birds and of many others. Hitherto 

 these had been placed on stands of pale polished 

 sycamore. Flower thought that these were in- 

 effective, unnatural, and ugly, and consulted the 

 President of the Royal Academy, Sir Frederick 

 Leighton, as to what improvements could be made. 

 In accordance with his suggestion the stands were 



