14 BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTQRY) 



In the Department of Entomology work was confined to necessary- 

 maintenance. In view of the possibility that a considerable reorganiza- 

 tion of the exhibited series may be undertaken in the near future no 

 new exhibition work was put in hand. 



Additions to the Geological Galleries included : a plaster cast of a 

 complete skeleton of a bird, Diatryma ; Liassic fishes from Wiirttem- 

 berg, Germany ; and an illuminated exhibit of a coal-ball, and of 

 transparencies and collodion films of coal plants. 



In the Mineral Gallery a valuable collection of gemstones, including 

 90 cut stones, many of large size and fine quality, bequeathed by 

 Mr. T. B. Clarke-Thornhill, was displayed in a lighted case. A tempor- 

 ary exhibit of the first Rhodesian meteorite, a stone, weighing 491b., 

 which fell on the 7 March, 1934, in the Mangwendi native reserve, 40 

 miles east of Salisbury, was arranged in the Central Hall ; also an 

 exhibit illustrating the formation and materials of pebbles, utilizing 

 many specimens from the collection presented by Mr. E. J. Dunn. A 

 further lot of unique material from the meteorite craters at Henbury, 

 Central Australia, was exhibited in the Pavilion. 



In the Department of Botany the cleansing and painting of all the 

 exhibition cases was begun. An exhibit of three volumes of the Sloane 

 Herbarium was shown for some months ; and special exhibitions of 

 mosses, fungi, and alpine plants, were set up. 



Study Collections. 



The usual work of naming, labelling, registering, and incorporating 

 accessions continued in all Departments. As in previous years, the 

 Trustees are much indebted to numerous workers who gave their 

 services voluntarily, many of whom worked continuously throughout 

 the year. Research workers were given access to the collections in all 

 Departments and were assisted in their investigations. 



The rearrangement of the Ungulate collection was completed, and 

 numerous accessions were named and incorporated in the sections of 

 Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes, and in many groups of invertebrates. 



In the Department of Entomology the work of sorting and incorpor- 

 ating accessions proceeded steadily, but the arrears show no signs of 

 diminishing. Critical revisional work was directed to a number of 

 special groups. In the Lepidoptera most progress was made with the 

 Hesperiidae, Lymantriidae, Lasiocampidae, and Geometridae, but many 

 smaller families and groups of genera received attention. In the 

 Diptera the nematocerous families, especially in respect of the British 

 fauna, the Bombyliidae, and the Calliphoridae received most attention. 

 In the Hymenoptera the expansion and revision of the Tenthredinoidea 

 were continued, the Formicoidea were kept up-to-date, and consider- 

 able advance was made with the Ichneumon idea. In the Coleoptera 

 particular attention was paid to larvae and to the coleopterous fauna of 

 high altitudes in East Africa and Abyssinia. In the neuropterous 

 orders numerous investigations were made, and parts of the collections 

 of Odonata and Neuroptera were expanded. In the Orthoptera 

 attention was directed to work on special collections. In Hemiptera 

 revisional work was done upon the Delphacidae, Gerridae and Derbidae, 

 also the Aphididae and Coccidae. The long neglected collections of 

 Mallophaga and Anoplura were partly overhauled and put in order. 



