4 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [January, 



NOTES ON EUROPEAN ENTOMOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS. 



By Philip P. Calvert, Ph.D. 



It having been suggested that readers of the News would be 

 interested to know something of European entomological mu- 

 seums, the opportunities which the writer has enjoyed of per- 

 sonally examining some of these have been availed of to gather 

 some data of a general character which are here presented. 



I.— THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



The Natural History collections of the British Museum were 

 formerly also contained in the classical building on Great Russell 

 St., Bloomsbury, London, W. C. , which is now devoted to art 

 and literature. They were removed to the present handsome 

 Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, 

 London, S. W., rather more than a decade ago, under the direc- 

 torship of Prof (Sir) Richard Owen. The present director is 

 Sir William Henry Flower. 



While the Insects are represented in the show collections open 

 to the public by specimens selected to illustrate their anatomy, 

 development, habits, classification and such special subjects as 

 mimicry and melanism, the valuable material " for students only" 

 is to be found in the Department of Insects, lodged in the base- 

 ment in a continuous series of rooms between the front wall and 

 a corridor parallel thereto. Light is afforded by the windows 

 facing Cromwell Road, having a southern exposure; before these 

 are the tables for the use of the Museum entomologists and stu- 

 dents. The cases containing the collections are in that part of 

 each room which lies next to the corridor, and are not so well 

 lighted as one could wish, since the only source of light is the 

 above-mentioned row of windows at the other end of the rooms. 

 The specimens are preserved in drawers with glass tops, enclosed 

 in cases with solid doors. 



The staff of the Museum at the present time includes the fol- 

 lowing entomologists, well known by name to the readers of the 

 department of Entomological Literature of this journal: Messrs. 

 A. G. Butler (Assistant Keeper), C. O. Waterhouse (in charge 

 of the Department of Insects), E. E. Austen, C. J. Gahan, G. 

 H. Hampson, F. A. Heron, W. F. Kirby and R. I. Pocock. 

 There are also four boy attendants. While the Department can 



