160 Let/crs, Exirach, and Notes. 



Rearrangement of tlip Cullection of irm/skias in, the Natural 

 History Museum. — For a ])eriod of about six weeks, from the 

 loth of August to tlie 27th of September last, the Bird room 

 was closed to visitors for the purpose of rearrauging the 

 birdskins in the calnnets to make room for the many 

 additions which have accumulated during recent years, but 

 ■which have not been able to be incorporated owing to the 

 crowded state of the cabinets. 



The number of incorporated specimens to be dealt 

 ^vith, amounting to 700,000 skins and formerly occupying 

 320 cabinets, have been spread over the 379 cabinets now 

 avaihible. The extra cal)inets utilised include forty-four of 

 the old type, placed in tlie ])assage connecting the two 

 Bird-rooms, and eleven smaller top cabinets of a new type, 

 specially designed to accommodate the larger ])irds of prey 

 and Vnlturcs. 



In order to bring tliis about every drawer, except those 

 containing tlie Bucks, which had l)een already rearranged, 

 had to be shifted, and the labour of doing this has been very 

 considerable. The result, however, is eminently satis- 

 factory, and now for the first time for years there is ample 

 room, not only for tlie jiresent vast collection, but for any 

 specimens likely to be added for many years to come. 



In January 1910 it was found that a large number of 

 collections, amounting altogether to about 70,000 specimens, 

 were unnamed. Since that date nearly all of these have 

 been registered, named, and labelled, and, so far as possible, 

 reports concerning them have been published. 1Mie birds con- 

 tained in these collections arc now being gradually incor- 

 porated in their proper places, and are available for 

 examination by students. 



When this is com])leted, the entire bird collection, 

 numbering nearly 800,000 specimens, will be in good order, 

 and with the aid of a new catalogue, which has been 

 prepared and marked so as to show the exact position of 

 each species, it w^ill be possible to find any specimen required 

 without loss of time. 



