EEPORT ON MUSEUM WORK 55 1 



Some minor changes in the zoology room are also worth 

 mentioning. We have turned out a number of the store- 

 cupboards and re-arranged their contents. The overhauling 

 of the reptile cases has not yet been completed, but the 

 tortoises' shells have been identified and arranged in natural 

 order. The sponges of tlie Tankerville collection have been 

 re-arranged to secure a better general effect, and I was able 

 to identify nearly all of them through a recent visit to the 

 Natural History Museum at South Kensington. The American 

 bison presented by Mr. C. J. Leyland was mounted very finely 

 by H. Brazenor of Manchester, and now forms an imposing 

 centrepiece to the zoology room. The reproduction of a 

 local rock pool, which we exhibited last year at the Royal 

 Agricultural Show, has been placed on one of the pedestals at 

 the west end of the room. 



In the bird room two desk-cases have been overhauled and 

 fitted up afresh. They represent chiefly some of the distinctive 

 features of bird anatomy, and among the new preparations 

 introduced are illustrations of the regions of plumage, wing 

 and leg structure as compared with that of the limbs of other 

 animals, different types of skulls and palates, etc. A few 

 birds have been mounted, including the glossy ibises shot 

 at Alnmouth. Not much has been done during the year in 

 the fossil room, though the amount of work waiting there to 

 be taken up is very great. Some necessary cleaning of the 

 shelves and specimens is in progress. 



The various pieces of work described above have naturally 

 involved a large amount of labelling. For many of the labels 

 the typewriter has been used ; it is often quite suitable for the 

 purpose, but on the other hand there are many labels for 

 which typewriting would be too bulky and weak. For these 

 some form of printing is necessary, and during this year we 

 have been fortunate in securing at a low price a second-hand 

 press that is excellently adapted to our requirements. The 

 small hand press that we worked with previously had became 

 quite useless. With the new press Miss Welford is turnmg out 



