BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY) 13 



GENERAL PROGRESS AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM 

 (NATURAL HISTORY). 



His Royal Highness Prince George and Their Royal Highnesses 

 the Duke and Duchess of York visited the Museum on 9 March and 

 27 March respectively. 



The total number of visitors to the British Museum (Natural History) 

 during 1933 was 606,712 as compared with 602,918 in 1932. The 

 visitors on Sunday afternoons numbered 101,347 as against 101,205 

 last year. The total number of visitors attending the tours of the 

 Official Guide-Lecturer during 1933 was 18,702, being a decrease of 522 

 on the figure for 1932. 



The Treasury agreed to the inclusion in the Estimates for 1934 

 of provision for the recruitment during the year of three new Assistant 

 Keepers and five subordinate staff. 



The Trustees approved plans submitted by H.M. Office of Works 

 for the first half of the new Entomological Block, for the further 

 extension of the new Spirit Building, and for the refitting of the 

 portion of that building occupied by the Entomological Department. 



During the past four years over 400,000 herbarium sheets have been 

 added to the Department of Botany, and the limits of the accommoda- 

 tion available in the Department have almost been reached. 



Exhibition Galleries. 



The exhibition of Game Animals of the Empire was dismantled, and 

 the replacement of the specimens in the lower Mammal Gallery was 

 begun. Temporary exhibits of Southern Rhodesian mammals, and of 

 mammals recommended for protection by the International Conference 

 for the Protection of the Fauna and Flora of Africa, were placed in 

 the new Whale Hall. Minor rearrangements were made in the Bird 

 Gallery, and the arrangement of the British series was continued. A 

 small exhibit illustrating the commercial uses of reptile skins was 

 arranged in the Reptile Gallery. Progress was made with the re- 

 arrangement of the Fish Gallery, and the exhibit illustrating coloration 

 of fishes was completed. The rearrangement of the exhibits of 

 Coelentrates and Sponges was begun. 



In the Entomological Department the diorama of aquatic insects was 

 completed. The exhibit of ants was entirely rearranged and expanded 

 and general re visional work was carried on as usual. 



Additions to the Geological Galleries included : a special exhibit 

 of fossil mammal remains from Olduvai, Tanganyika ; a group of the 

 sessile Lamellibranch (Plicatostylus) from the Lias of U.S.A. ; a fine 

 example of Hoplites vectensis from the Gault of Hants ; and a series 

 of Jurassic Brachiopoda illustrating the internal structure. The 

 mounting in the Fossil Reptile Gallery of the skeleton of Iguanodon 

 atherjieldensis from the Isle of Wight was completed. 



In the Department of Mineralogy a temporary exhibit of a selection 

 of minerals (gemstones, agate cups, medicines, etc.) from the collection 

 of Sir Hans Sloane (1753) was set out in a lighted case in the Central 

 Hall. The cases introductory to the study of rocks were entirely 



