Report of a Journey Around the World. 



205 



and other trees mostly in blossom. This was a renewal of the 

 spring we had found in England, and again in Stockholm. The 

 bright gorse made the nearer hills golden yellow, while in the 

 distance the mountains were still covered with snow, a taste of 

 what we were to have more of later in the New Zealand Alps. 

 The museum was reached at last and Mr. Edgar R. Waite, the 

 Curator, was expecting us. We made with him a rapid survey of 



156. PORCH OF THK MUSEUM. 



the collections. Some good bird groups ; two penguins in the 

 down were most comical ; a whale skeleton some 80 feet long with 

 ribs more slender than those of our sperm whale ; a cast of Mesoplo- 

 don layardi ; another skeleton of a Mesoplodon and a skull with 

 the tusks folded over the upper jaw so that the mouth could 

 only be partially opened. Many Maori carvings not of superior 

 quality, and houses with painted rafters and raupo panels and net- 

 work ; leaf baskets for food ; fine pigeon pots ; some good carved 

 boxes; a rather broad fife and a phallic flute of the common pat- 

 tern ; two tnokoed heads ; skeletons of Maori and Moriori and 

 main skulls not remarkable. The collection of mounted moa 



I 353 1 



