Arranging Museum Cases for Birds. 63 



This accumulation of collections of cases of birds was almost 

 about sufficient to entirely blot out, if not consume, the entire 

 general collection in the Museum. But, as so often happens 

 with those *vho get more than they can accommodate, something 

 happened.* The generosity of the Hon. T. R. Ferens, M.P., 

 in presenting a handsome sum to the Corporation of Hull for 

 the purchase of pictures, caused that body to build a new Art 

 Gallery, and the old Art Gallery, consisting of three excellently 

 top-lighted rooms, became vacant. I got it; and in went the 

 birds. And then the trouble began. Then it was that the 

 absurdity and uselessness ot lack of method of making bird 

 cases was forced upon me. To have to take several hundred 

 cases, of all so.ts and sizes, from those large enough to be 

 made into good sized ' dug-outs,' to others which would 

 suffocate a mouse, and fit them together with a straight line 

 at the bottom and another at the top, and at the same time 

 keep the birds in their natural order, is a Chinese puzzle which 

 once solved is never forgotten Nor was the matter simplified 

 by tne fact that one case sometimes contained two or more 

 species of birds which should be as far apart as the size of the 

 rooms would allow. 



However, the cases were first placed together in the other- 

 wise empty rooms. Then the duplicates were sorted out, it 

 being unnecessary to state that the best of each species was kept. 

 The rest were carefully cleaned up and made as presentable as 

 possible with a minimum of expense, and ' lent ' to the Art 

 School, the Secondary Schools, and several elementary schools 

 in the city. In this way about 250 cases were disposed of, 

 without interfering with the value of the collection remaining ; 

 in fact the loss was an improvement. It is sincerely to be 

 hoped that these cases may do a little towards :reating an 

 interest in birds among our young people, and thus counteract, 

 to some extent, the effect of the Wild Birds, etc. Protection 

 Acts, which, admirable and necessary though they are, are 

 not inclined to create ornithologists. 



1 hen the glass had to be removed from each case in turn, in 

 order that the specimens, some of which had been interned for 

 nearly half a century, might receive attention, and in order 

 that birds out of place might be put in something like sys- 

 tematic order ; due care, of course, being paid to keep the data 

 of each species. This alone gave an insight into the methods 

 of taxidermic glazing. Some of the glass fell out if the back 

 of the case was tapped ; other pieces were gummed, glued, 

 papered, screwed and rivetted, and then secured with sprigs 

 ana held in position with wood strips. In such instances, it 



* See 'Pastimes for Curators,' Museums Journal, 191 1, and Hull Museums 

 Publication No. 85. 



1917 Feb, 1. 



