BRITISH MUSEUM. 11 



Revision, rearrangement, and re-labelling proceeded continually 

 throughout the exhibition galleries, and specimens were renewed as 

 necessary. 



The 8tudy Collections. 



In all departments the work of incorporating acquisitions, deter- 

 mining specimens, investigating and describing new species, and when 

 possible revising the classification of groups, continued to occupy most 

 of the time of the scientific staff and of numerous voluntary and tem- 

 porary workers. 



It is impossible to give even a brief summary of the progress made 

 during the year in this section of the Museum's activities, but a few 

 examples may be given. The specimens of the cat family were re- 

 arranged and brought together, and several groups of birds were 

 studied and re-classified in accordance with the latest views as to their 

 affinities. The collection of Sea-snakes and part of that of Flat-fishes 

 were revised and rearranged. Special attention was given to British 

 land and freshwater Mollusca, and a manuscript list of the collection 

 of Spiders was completed, which, when bound, made ten large volumes. 

 Many families of insects were revised, but in this Department espe- 

 cially it is impossible, even with the aid of many voluntary workers, to 

 keep the collections uj) to date. Fossil Mammals received much 

 attention, especially in relation to the Galilee and Rhodesian Skulls 

 and the Upnor Elephant, and the arrival of large quantities of material 

 from East Africa threw a heavy burden on those responsible for the 

 fossil Reptiles. Work on a thorough reorganisation of the rock- 

 collection in the Dej^artment of Mineralogy was continued. In the 

 Department of Botany the collections of several families of both 

 flowering plants and cryptogams were revised. 



Advisory and Economic Activities. 

 Sir Sidney Harmer continued to act as Vice-Chairman of the Colonial 

 Office Committee responsible for the direction of the " Discovery " 

 Expedition for the investigation of whaUng problems in the Dependencies 

 of the Falkland Islands. He also devoted much time and labour to 

 the sifting and analysis of statistics and reports on the subject of 

 whaling. It has been arranged for the collections sent home from the 

 '■ Discovery " to be received at the Museum and for all possible assis- 

 tance to be given to the staff employed in working them out. 



Mr. C. Tate Regan, F.R.S., represented the Museum at the Annual 

 Conference of the Museums Association held at Bournemouth during 

 July, and Dr. A. B. Rendle, F.R.S., and Mr. J. Ramsbottom, O.B.E., 

 at the International Botanical Congress held at Ithaca, New York, in 

 August. Dr. F. A. Bather, F.R.S., attended the Fourteenth Inter- 

 national Geological Congress at Madrid in May ; Major E. E. Austen, 

 D.S.O., Dr. H. A. Bay lis, and Mr. M. A. C. Hinton the Annual Conference 

 of the Royal Sanitary Institute in London in July; and Mr. B. H. 

 Soulsby the Fourth International Congress of Librarians at Prague 

 in the same month. 



The collection of information, mainly supplied by the Colonial Office 

 and the Foreign Office, with reference to the protection of animals 

 throughout the British Empire and in some foreign countries was 

 continued. In this connection it is of interest to note that as a result of 



