department of zoology. 101 



Department of Zoology. 



The principal events in the progress of this Department in 

 the year 1893 have been the following :— 



(a.) The erection of the new part of the building which 

 contains the collections of specimens preserved in spirit was 

 commenced in 1891, as described in the report for that year ; 

 the building was ready for occupation about the middle of 

 last year. Although by this addition the storeage space 

 has been increased to a total of 1,15C feet of wall, or upright 

 cases 10 feet high, and to 796 feet of table-cases, it has 

 not proved to be in any way excessive of the actual require- 

 ments of these collections. All the spirit specimens hitherto 

 stored in the main building have been removed, and those 

 accumulated in the old part of the spirit house have 

 been extended, so as to allow of future accessions being 

 easily incorporated in their proper systematic places. During 

 this operation almost all the bottles had to be transplaced, 

 and advantage was taken at the same time to thoroughly 

 clean them, and to restore a general orderly arrangement 

 which could not be maintained whilst the cases were in an 

 overcrowded condition. 



(6.) The arrangement of the collection of Birds' Eggs, 

 which was entrusted to Mr. Seebohm in 1891, has been com- 

 pleted. All these specimens, 46,900 in number, are named, 

 and have written upon them references to the locality where, 

 and generally to the date when, they were collected ; besides, 

 they are entered in a systematic manuscript list. This collec- 

 tion fills 33 cabinets, with 30 drawers each, the Eggs them- 

 selves being placed in glass-top boxes filled with cotton-wool. 



(c.) By a special grant made by the Lords Commissioners 

 of Her Majesty's Treasury the Trustees were enabled to 

 acquire the celebrated collection of Beetles formed by the 

 late Mr. Francis P. Pascoe, and thus probably to prevent its 

 removal to a foreign country. This collection is one of the 

 most important to the student of Coleoptera, not only on 

 account of its extent (it comprises about 49,000 specimens), 

 but principally on account of the authentic determination of 

 the specimens, and the enormous number of types, which 

 alone amounts to some 3,200. It is particularly rich in species 

 of the families of Longicorns and Curculionidse, to the study 

 of which Mr. Pascoe devoted himself for more than 40 years, 

 and to the knowledge of which special interest is attached 

 from an economic point of view, inasmuch as the larvae of 

 these beetles are wood-borers, doing an immense amount of 

 injury to young trees and valuable timber. The acquisition 

 of this collection will prove an inestimable boon to British 

 and Colonial Entomologists, and greatly accelerate the pro- 

 gress of the work of the Coleopterists of the Department. 



0.107. H (d.) The 



