EARLY MUSEUMS 



incongruous juxtaposition of the objects contained in this 

 collection make the catalogue very amusing reading. Under 

 the first division, devoted to "Some Kindes of Birds, their 

 Egges, Beaks, Feathers, Clawes and Spurres," we find " Divers 

 sorts of Egges from Turkie, one given for a Dragon's Egge " ; 

 " Easter Egges of the Patriarch of Jerusalem ; " " Two Feathers 

 of the Phcenix Tayle ; " " The Claw of the bird Eock, who, as 

 Authors report, is able to trusse an Elephant." Among 

 "whole birds" is the famous "Dodar from the Island 

 Mauritius ; it is not able to flie, being so big." This is the 

 identical specimen, the head and foot of which has passed 

 through the Ashmolean into the University Museum of 

 Oxford ; but we know not what has become of the claw of 

 the Eock, the Phcenix tail, and the Dragon's egg. Time 

 does not allow me to mention the wonderful things which 

 occur under the head of " Garments, Vestures, Habits, and 

 Ornaments," or the " Mechanick, Artificial Workes in Carvings, 

 Turnings, Sowings, and Paintings," from Edward the Confessor's 

 knit gloves, and the famous "Pohatan, King of Virginia's 

 habit, all embroidered with shells or Eoanoke," also still at 

 Oxford, and lately figured and described by Mr. E. B. Tylor, 

 to the "Cherry-stone, upon one side S. George and the 

 Dragon, perfectly cut, and on the other side 88 Emperours' 

 faces"; or the other "cherry-stone, holding ten dozen of 

 tortois- shell combs made by Edward Gibbons." But before 

 leaving these private collections I cannot forbear mentioning, 

 as an example of /the great aid they often were in advancing 

 science, the indebtedness of Linnaeus in his early studies to 

 the valuable zoological museums which it was one of the 

 ruling passions of several kings and queens of Sweden to bring 

 together. 



Upon the association of individuals together into societies 

 to promote the advancement of knowledge, these bodies in 

 their corporate capacity frequently made the formation of a 

 museum part of their function. The earliest instance of this 

 in our country was the museum of the Eoyal Society in Crane 

 Court, of which an illustrated catalogue was published by Dr. 

 Grew in 1681. 



The idea that the maintenance of a museum was a portion 



