48 ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Beitish Museum (Natural History). 



STATEMENT of Progress made in the Arrangement and Description of the 

 Collections, and Account of Objects added to them, in the Year 1887. 



The Introductory Series in the Great Hall has made progress. In Bay TI, an inte- 

 restino- contribution to the history of thie general external characters of the Mammalia has 

 been made in a series of the antlers of a stag, illustratiog the annual growth and shedding 

 of these organs in successive years of the animal's life, presented by Mr. W. H. St. Quin- 

 tin. In Bay III, the anatomy of birds has been further developed by a series of dis- 

 sections of the heart and other parts, and by a case of the feathers of the peacock so 

 arrano-ed as to show the possibility of the most higldy complex and beautiful ornaments 

 havinc been acquired by small sucessive steps. In Bay V, the external topography of 

 the principal modifications of Fishes is shown by a series of specimens with all the parts 

 clearly named, and a commencement has been made of illustrations of the dental and 

 tegumentary systems. In Bay VI, considerable progress has been made with the anatomy 

 of insects, especially the characters and homologies of the neuration of the wings, and a 

 series has been arranged showing the most striking external differences in the two sexes 

 of animals of this class. 



Two cases have been placed on the floor of the Hall illustrating general laws in Natural 

 History, which do not come appropriately within the systematic collections of the depart- 

 mental series. One, for the specimens in which the Museum is Indebted to the liberality 

 of Mr. Heni-y Seebohm, shows tliat two forms of Crows (the Hooded Crow, Corvus cor/iix, 

 and the Carrion Crow, Corvus cortme) which appear quite distinct, and which, judged by 

 their external characters, might be held to be different species, may in a state of nature, 

 unite, and produce offspring of a perfectly Intermediate character. In the same case Is a 

 series of Goldfinches, showing a complete gradation between birds of different coloration, 

 and which have naturally been held to be different species. Both groups illustrate the 

 . difficulty, continually Increasing as knowledge increases, of defining and limiting the term 

 " species," of such constant use in biology. 



The second case placed near the entrance of the hall, shows the great variation to 

 which a species may become subject under the influence of domestication, as illustrated 

 by choice examples of the best marked breeds of pigeons, all of which are supposed to 

 have been produced by careful selective breeding from the wild rock pigeon, of which a 

 pair are placed at the top of the case. For much assistance in collecting and selecting 

 these specimens, the Museum is indebted to Mr. T. B. Coombe Williams. Other cases 

 of similar character are in preparation. 



The numerous donations made to the Museum during the year are recorded in detail in 

 the reports of the keepers of Departments, but the following, which are of special import- 

 ance, may be mentioned here, although more fully described in the reports referred to. 



Mr. E. G. Wardlaw Kamsay has deposited In the Museum, under certain conditions, 

 his magnificent collection of birds and his extensive ornithological library. The collection 

 was formed chiefly by the late Marquis of Tweeddale, and consists of between 30,000 and 

 40,000 birdskins. It is particularly rich in birds of the Philippine Islands, Andaman 

 Islands, and Malayan Peninsula, in which faunas the Museum was deficient. The books 

 consist of about 2,300 volumes, and comprise a number of most valuable works. 



Lord Walsingham has presented the entire collection of Macro-Lepidoptera (1,737 

 specimens) made during his travels in California and Oregon in 1871 and 1872; and a 

 particularly interesting collection of 2,540 specimens of mounted larvae, with a series of 

 perfect insects of each species, mostly British. 



A further valuable collection of American birds, consisting of 3,959 specimens has 

 been presented by Messrs. F. D. Godman and O.SalvIn. 



The Lords of the Admiralty have presented to the Trustees an interesting collection of 

 Zoological specimens from Christmas Island, made by the oflicers of H.M.S. " Flying 

 Fish," under the command of Captain Maclear. 



A collection of skins of birds and mammals, butterflies, and anthropological objects, 

 despatched by Emin Pasha from Wadelal, has successfully reached the Museum. Among 

 other objects of great inierest it includes two skeletons of the Akkas, a diminutive 

 negro race of Central Africa. 



Mr. 



