3974 The Zoologist— May, 1874. 



Official Handbook to the Collection of Animals of the Wiirtemherg 

 Stuffed Animals Company ( Limited). 1873. 



The best way of introducing this Handbook to the readers of 

 the 'Zoologist' is by reprinting the author's account of his own 

 labours and of the Collection on which those labours have been 

 expended. 



" The animals enumerated in the following Catalogue have been all 

 prepared by Herr Ploucquet, of Stuttgart, whose skill in modelling and 

 mounting preparations iu Natural History will be remembered by every 

 one who visited the International Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Pai-k. Since 

 that time the Collection has been very largely increased, and many of the 

 more recently made groups give evidence of still further advance iu the art 

 which obtained for Uerr Ploucquet so distinguished a fame in England, 

 twenty years ago. His Collection has been packed and sent over under his 

 own personal superiutendeuce, and is being remounted and arranged by 

 his brother naturalist, Herr Miiller (who was for several yeare Curator of 

 the Museums at Teflis), and by his pupil Herr Tiedemann, both of Stutt- 

 gart. The great interest manifested by the public in the exciting and 

 comical groups exhibited in the old Crystal Palace justifies the assumption 

 that the present extensive Collection could not have found a more appro- 

 priate home than under the reconstructed roof of the same building. The 

 illustrations of animal life here displayed coutain upwards of 1500 speci- 

 mens ; and it may confidently be asserted that there is no other Collection 

 which will bear comparison with it. In the compilation of this Catalogue 

 the most recent works on Zoology have been consulted, and the multiplica- 

 tion of generic names has been, as far as possible, avoided. It is hoped, 

 therefore, that this interesting exhibition will afford, not only amusement, 

 but also instruction in Natural Histor}'." 



The Collection very properly and naturally resolves into two 

 series, one consisting of the comical groups exhibited in 1851, the 

 other of groups aiming to represent animals in natural attitudes 

 and following their customary occupations. There is yet a third 

 series suspended from the ceiling, and consisting of bird-skins, 

 hanging over the spectator's head. The principal attraction of the 

 comical groups is the fable of Reynard the Fox, a stor}' immor- 

 talized by the poet Goethe and illustrated by the painter Kaulbach : 

 the following argument is given by the compiler of the Hand- 

 book : — 



" The Lion, the king of beasts, made a proclamation summoning all 

 auimals to his royal court, and all but Reynard the Fox duly obeyed the 



