REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 47 



British birds' eggs has been fitted up entirely afresh, the 

 numerous faded eggs being replaced by others from the 

 cabinet of the late Jos. Watson; the eggs are brought up close 

 to the glass on false bottoms, and are now protected from the 

 light by American cloth covers. In a companion case a set 

 of British birds' nests is also being fitted up, and promises to 

 form an attractive collection. 



The library has received a good deal of attention. The 

 books on the shelves have been roughly classified and re- 

 arranged, and the volumes, about five hundred in number, 

 from the libraries of the late Dr. Thos. Pigg and the late 

 T. J. Bold, have been catalogued and inserted. The sets of 

 transactions received in exchange from other scientific bodies 

 had long ago outgrown the accommodation available for them 

 in the library, and were scattered irregularly in various store 

 cupboards in the museum. They have now been brought 

 together, sorted out, and redistributed in a systematic manner. 



William Voutt, who now spends the greater part of his time 

 working in the museum, has, in addition to helping me in a 

 variety of ways, been engaged in fitting false bottoms into 

 cases, making glass-topped boxes for the birds' nests, going 

 through the Hancock collection of bird skins, and painting 

 desk-cases in the zoology room ; and he has now nearly 

 finished a lengthy and much needed piece of work in the 

 scraping, cleaning, and painting of the cases on the bird room 

 gallery. 



A range of new upright top-cases has been fitted above 

 two of the rows of desk-cases in the zoology room. These 

 give accommodation for the exhibition of spirit specimens 

 and many objects which could not be shown in the desk- 

 cases, and will greatly facilitate the improvements in the 

 invertebrate collections which I hope soon to undertake. 

 Mention was made in the last report of Mr. R, C. Clephan's 

 gift of a set of diagrams illustrating Egyptian archaeology. 

 Twenty-five of these have now been framed and put up in the 

 ethnology corridor, where they not only form a valuable 

 addition to the collection, but also greatly add to the general 



