290 



NATURE 



\July 26, [883 



Second to Dr. Dohrn's collection, but of value as a 

 complete local collection of all classes of marine animals, 

 is that from the Gothenburg Museum exhibited by Mr. 

 Oscar Dickson. The most interesting specimens here 

 are several series illustrating the development of Pleuro- 

 nectid and other fishes. 



A very interesting general collection is exhibited by the 

 Government of New South Wales, in spite of some mis- 

 haps to bottles in the course of a long journey. The 

 Sydney Museum promises to become one of the grandest 

 zoological institutions in the world, the colonial Govern- 

 ment having appreciated the unique interest attaching to 

 the natural history of the Australian continent, and wisely 

 having determined that whit money can do to build up 

 in Sydney the great illustrative collection dealing with 

 that subject, shall be done. Though not exhibited as ex- 

 amples of preservation as are Dr. Dohrn's series, nor 

 labelled and identified with neat accuracy as are Mr. 

 Dickson's, yet the Australian collection now at Kensing- 

 ton is of great interest to the professional zoologist, com- 

 prising many marine invertebrates as yet undetermined. 

 It is under the charge of Mr. Ramsay, the accomplished 

 curator of the Sydney Museum, who has brought over 

 some of the reserve stores of the collection under his 

 charge. 



The American exhibit has the advantage of being the 

 actual permanent collection of the National Museum of 

 Washington, which has coma into existence under the 

 combined auspices of the United States Fisheries Com- 

 mission and the Smithsonian Institute. The whole collec- 

 tion is not here, but we have a considerable part of it. 

 For example, an admirable series of coloured casts of the 

 fishes of the American waters, lifesize reproductions of 

 the gigantic Octopus and Architeuthis, a complete series 

 of the Crayfishes (Astacids) of North America and of the 

 edible Crustacea generally, and samples of the more re- 

 markable forms of life obtained in deep-sea exploration off 

 the American coast. 



In relation to the deep-sea specimens, we cannot but 

 regret that no collection is shown in the Exhibition illus- 

 trating the results of the Challenger and other exploring 

 expeditions conducted by the British Government. No 

 such collection has, we believe, ever been presented to 

 the inspection either of the general public or of professed 

 zoologists, and the present would have been a very 

 suitable occasion for such an exhibition. Whilst the 

 Americans have taken the trouble to send across the 

 Atlantic the newest dredging and sounding apparatus 

 devised and employed by Agassiz, Sigsby, and others in 

 their recent explorations of the deep-sea bottom, no 

 such exhibit on the part of our own authorities is to be 

 found. 



In the Canadian department there is no general collec- 

 tion of any scientific importance, but amongst the zoo- 

 logical specimens, which (so far as the Invertebrates are 

 concerned) are nearly all erroneously named, badly pre- 

 served, and unintelligently arranged, are some which are 

 noteworthy. A bottle four feet high from British Columbia 

 contains several specimens nearly putrid) of the remark- 

 able Pennatulid Osteocella, with flesh and polyps attached. 

 Some ten years ago the calcified axes of these Alcyona- 

 rians excited considerable discussion in England, being 

 mistaken by an eminent zo >logist for the notochord of an 



unknown fish. In another bottle is a fine specimen (not 

 labelled) of the very rare Cryptochiton Stelleri, whilst in 

 one of the table- cases is a very large and probably new 

 Hexactinellid sponge. 



The collections from British India are remarkable, as 

 comprising the important collection of Indian fishes be- 

 longing to Dr. Francis Day. The invertebrate collections 

 are also extensive, but are not fully named. 



As a general collection illustrating the British fauna of 

 a certain size and important in relation to the food of 

 fishes, should be mentioned the exhibition of living 

 microscopic organisms by Mr. Thomas Bolton of Bir- 

 mingham (in the Western Arcade). From day to day 

 various living marine and freshwater Crustacea, Worms, 

 Polyzoa, and Hydroids (also oyster-spat and newly- 

 hatched fishes) are shown in small aquaria and under the 

 microscope by this enterprising and meritorious natu- 

 ralist. A complete collection of the drawings issued by 

 Mr. Bolton to the subscribers to his weekly " micro- 

 scopic tubes" (concerning which our advertisement 

 columns may be consulted) is also exhibited. 



Special collections dealing with particular groups of 

 animals are to be found scattered in the various foreign 

 and British courts. A collection (preserved in alcohol) of 

 freshwater Crustacea of remarkable completeness is exhi- 

 bited by Dr. Lilljeborg in the Swedish Court. It com- 

 prises most of the species of Cladocera and Copepoda, 

 which inhabit the great Scandinavian lakes and serve as 

 food to fishes. Recently some remarkable species of 

 Cladocera identical with these have been discovered by 

 Mr. Conrad Beck in the lakes of Cumberland, and the 

 collection now under notice has been purchased by two 

 English naturalists to assist them in identifying the 

 species present in the Scotch lakes, which they intend 

 to explore immediately. 



Aquatic insects and their larval forms have a special 

 importance for fishes, since the larva; often feed on 

 young fish or fish-eggs, whilst the adult insects are preyed 

 upon by the adult fish. In the Swedish department there 

 are two interesting collections of such insects, and in the 

 American department are two sample cases from the great 

 collection of Prof. C. V. Riley, which exhibit in the most 

 complete way both by actual specimens and adjacent 

 illustrative diagrams the various phases of life of a few 

 insects the larvae of which inhabit the water. There is 

 no serious attempt by any English exhibitor to deal with 

 this subject. 



In fact most of the English zoological exhibits come 

 under our Classes 2 and 3. There are most complete 

 and valuable collections dealing with the growth of the 

 oyster and the various conditions affecting it, as encoun- 

 tered by the oyster-culturist. The exhibit of Mr. Fell 

 Woods is the most important of these. Mr. Henry Lee 

 shows a very pretty series of oyster-shells and pearls in 

 relation to their importance in the manufacture of orna- 

 ments, buttons, &c. As trophies, we cannot pass without 

 a word of admiration the gorgeous cases of corals, sponges, 

 starfishes, and sea-mats exhibited by Miss Gardiner. They 

 include finer specimens and a greater variety than either 

 the trophy exhibited in Lady Brassey's name, or in the 

 series from the Bahamas, which are well worth inspection. 

 It is only proper that a protest should be entered here in 

 the pages of a scientific journal, in referring to the 



