917 



THE SCHEME FOR THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE 



COLLECTIONS OF THE BOMBAY NATURAL 



HISTORY SOCIETY IN THE PRINCE OF 



WALES MUSEUM OF WESTERN INDIA. 



BY 



BERNARD C. ELLISON, 



Curator of the Museum. 



(^With two lilates.^ 



Foreword. 



This is intended to be a synopsis of the proposed scheme brought 

 out on March 1st and it is printed to give our members a general 

 idea of what lias been mooted during the past few mouths. It was 

 originally written in greater detail and scientific termenology was 

 made use of, but it has been thought advisable to simplify it for the 

 general reader, bringing out only the salient points of the scheme, 

 thereb}^ curtailing its length to a great extent. 



Scope of the Museum. 



It is our hope that when the Natural History Wing is built 

 we shall be able to include a world-wide Fauna, but for the present 

 we are governed entirely by conditions of space. We believe 

 therefore the best policy would be to confine ourselves to the Fauna 

 of India, Burma and Ceylon. It may be noted, however, that this 

 scheme makes provision and allows for the future enlargement 

 of the Museum. 



The proposals here put forward are intended as a very general 

 preliminary scheme embracing the general lines on which it is 

 proposed to conduct the Natural History Branch of the Museum. 



Sections to be represented in the Museum. 

 The sections to be represented in the Natural History Museam 

 are as follows : — 



1. Teaching alcoves (General Zoology). 



2. Mammals. 



3. Birds. 



4. Reptiles and Amphibia. 



5. Fishes. 



6. Invertebrates. 



Each of the above sections will be illustrated respectively by 

 means of mounted and spirit specimens, casts, photographs, maps 

 showing distribution, etc., — all demonstrating the Fauna of the 

 Oriental Region. Apart from the special sections dealing with 

 these particular classes it is proposed to prepare a general section 

 comprising all the various orders. This section would constitute 

 what would be the teaching gallery of the Museum. The Museum 



