346 



NA TURE 



\^Pcb. 



tion, on May i, 1S85, represented no less than 358 locali- 

 ties in 1 197 specimens, having a total weight of 1,134,836 

 grammes. The wall-repositories of this hall will contain 

 the collection of stone species, as also the beautiful and 

 instructive collection of building materials amassed by 

 a voluntary' fellow-labourer, Herr Felix Karrer. 



The Halls VI. to X. are destined for the Geological 

 Division. At the head of this department is Herr Theodor 

 Fuchs, with his assistants, Herren E. Kittl and F. Wahner. 

 In Hall VI. will be displayed the rich phyto-palasonto- 

 logical collection acquired for the Museum in largest part 

 by purchase from Baron von Ettingshausen, and contain- 

 ing the types enumerated in his many descriptive works, 

 a collection which has already been exhibited by himself. 

 In the wall-repositories of this hall a collection of instruc- 

 tive specimens is to be presented, illustrating the dynamic 

 processes in the formation and transformation of stones. 

 The Halls VII. to IX. will present to view the collection 

 of petrifactions classified, in the first place, according to 

 the grand orders of the different ages and, within this 

 classification, according to the zoological system. Hall 

 X., finally, is destined for the exhibition of the skeletons 

 of the larger Mammalia of the C;enozoic age, as also of 

 the numerous and beautiful moa skeletons we possess. 



The treasures of this last hall will enable the student 

 to pass now, without break of continuity, into the prehis- 

 toric series of specimens under the direction of Herr F. J. 

 Szombathy, with Herr N. Wang as his assistant. This 

 collection will extend through the Halls XI. to XIII. 

 Sorted into great groups, there will be displayed in 

 these spaces the accumulations of the Paleolithic and 

 Neolithic periods, the Bronze period, the Hallstatter 

 period, the Lat^n period, then of the Roman and Mero- 

 vingian periods. Within these large groups the dis- 

 tribution will be of a geographical character, so that each 

 locality will have its own treasures of the prehistoric age 

 grouped by themselves. The most prominent section in 

 this division will be formed by the excavations from the 

 celebrated burying-field on the Hallstatter Salzberg, and 

 hardly less interest will be excited by the disentonibments 

 from the caves of Moravia and Krain, from the settle- 

 ments and burying-grounds in Carinthia, in Krain, in 

 Northern Bohemia, &c. 



The remaining spaces of the Hochpartcrrc are allotted 

 to the ethnographical collections under the supervision 

 of the Custodian, Herr Franz Heger, with his assistant, 

 Dr. M. Haberlandt. Here, too, the arrangement will be 

 of a geographical nature, Halls XIV. and XV. being 



assigned to the ethnography of America, Hall XVI. to that 

 of Australia and Oceania, and Hall XVII. to that of Africa, 

 while Halls XVIII. and XIX., along with some smaller 

 adjoining compartments, will represent the ethnography 

 of Asia. In this division, which will have all the charm 

 of novelty for our Viennese public, the richest collections 

 are those from Brazil, and, next to these, from the regions 

 of the Upper White Nile. 



In complete accordance with the structural arrange- 

 ment of the Hochparterre is that of the " First Floor," in 

 which the Halls XXL, XXI I., and so on, will range them- 

 selves exactly above the Halls 1., II., &c., the inter- 

 mediate number of XX. being borne by the vestibule in 

 the Hocltpartcrre. The whole of this "First Floor" is 

 devoted to the exhibition of the zoological collections. 

 This division falls under the supervision of the Director, 

 F. Steindachner, who has, in addition, specially reserved 

 to himself the care of the collections of Fishes, Amphibia, 

 and Reptiles. Other officials of this division are Herr A. 

 von Pelzeln and Friedrich Kohl for the Mammalia and 

 Birds ; Profs. Brauer and Dr. E. Becherfor the Mollusca ; 

 Herr A. Rogenhofer for the Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, and 

 Hymenoptera ; Herr L. Ganglbauer, for the Coleoptera 

 and Orthoptera ; Prof. F. Brauer, for the Diptera and 

 Neuroptera ; Herr C. Kolbl, for the Crustacea, Myria- 



poda, and Arachnida ; Dr. G. von Marenzeller and Dr. 

 von Lorenz, for the other divisions of the invertebrate 



animals. '■►-^ 



Most richly represented in the zoological division are, — 

 the group of birds, in respect of which, and more parti- 

 cularly the types from Brazil — thanks to the collections of 

 Natterer, formed in his time — our Museum still, perhaps, 

 takes the first rank among the Museums of Europe ; the 

 group of fishes, which recalls to mind the labours of a 

 Heckel, a Kner, and recently our excellent Steindachner ; 

 the group of insects in general, and, in particular, that of 

 the Diptera, in which are incorporated, among other col- 

 lections, the celebrated ones of Meigen and Schiener, 



In Hall XXI. are exhibited the Protozoa, Coelenterata, 

 Echinodermata, and Vermes ; in Hall XXII., the Arthro- 

 poda; in Hall XXIII., the Mollusca; in Halls XXIV. 

 to XXVI., the Fishes; in Halls XXVII. and XXVIII., 

 the Amphibia and Reptiles ; in Hall XXIX., a 

 special collection of the Birds of Austria-Hungary ; in 

 Halls XXX. to XXXI 1 1., the systematic collection of 

 Birds; and in Halls XXXIV. to XXXIX., the Mam- 

 malia. 



In some adjoining rooms on this floor will be exhibited 

 the very rich and magnificently prepared collection ot 



