ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 53 



The constantly increasing cultivation of all branches of Natural History in vai'ious 

 parts of the woi'ld, is, however, leading to a continued increase of literature, ready access 

 to which is indispensable to the correct identification and arrangement of specimens, 

 and to enable the Officers of the Museum to supply such information as is expected from 

 them by the public. It is especially important that the periodicals which contain 

 memoirs on subjects of Natural History necessary for reference, should be continued, 

 and also that provision should be made for the purchase of new books as they are 

 published, and for such old ones as have not hitherto been acquired in consequence of 

 copies not having recently come into the market. 



It has been decided to prepare for publication a general alphabetical authors' catalogue 

 of the books and serials in the whole library of the Museum which, it is honed, will be 

 followed by siiecial classified subject catalogues of each Department, works which will 

 both be of the greatest use, not only to those engaged in the Museum, but to all inter- 

 ested in the literature of Natural History. 



General Library. 



During the year 305 volumes and 951 maps have been presented ; 449 volumes and 10 

 maps transferred from other Departments ; and 571 volumes and 9 maps purchased. 



W. H. Flower. 



Department of Zoology, 



The progress made in the arrangement and description of the Zoological Collections 

 in the year 1888, may be shortly summarized thus : — 



Much progress has been made with the registration and incorporation of numerous 

 recent additions to the study-collections. Such as required immediate attention have 

 been examined in detail, and of many of them desci-iptive reports have been prepared and 

 published. 



In the Exhibition Galleries improvements and additions have been introduced; as, for 

 instance, by the revision and renewal of labels (partly descriptive) in the Mammalian, 

 Keptile, and Shell Galleries; by the formation of Exhibition Series cf Polyzoa and 

 Protozoa ; by additions to the groups of British Birds ; and by placing the Walsingham 

 collection of Larvje of British Lepidoptera into cabinets accessible to the public. 



Some portions of the collection, like that of the stuffed specimens and skeletons of 

 Mammals, were thoroughly overhauled and cleaned ; also the contents of numerous 

 store-boxes were transfered to the new cabinets in the Bird Room as soon as the latter 

 were delivered by the contractor. 



Great progress has been made with the systematic work of cataloguing and describing 

 the collections, three volumes of catalogues having been published, one sent to press, and 

 six being in an advanced state of preparation. Besides, manuscript-lists of the specimens 

 of groups which were under examination, have been jDrepared. 



The suite of Insect Booms, although covering an area more than twice that of the 

 former single room at Bloomsbury, has proved to be insufficient for the arrangement 

 of the cabinets, as well as for the accommodation of the increas^ed number of Assistants 

 and Students. A large aHjoining room, hitherto used as a store-room, has therefore 

 been fitted up and aonnected with the rooms already occupied by this branch of the 

 DejDartment. 



No such relief could be given to the spirit-building, the plethoiic condition of which 

 has been already referred to in last year's report. The collections in that building, 

 hitherto so well arranged and accessible, lapse into a more and more crowded condition, 

 and are in consequence dislocated and difficult of access. As the proposed enlargement 

 of the building is again deferred, for another year at least, the collection of Corals pre- 

 served in spirits, will be the next which lias to be temporarily transferred into a store- 

 room in the main building. No progress has been made in the work on the collections 

 of Corals and Sponges since the resignation of the Assistants who were in charge of 

 them, nor can these important collections be maintained on a level with the present state 

 of science until adequate help, of a permanent or temporary character, is provided for 

 the Department. For the same reason the arr.angement of the immense collection of 

 Birds' eggs, nearly the whole of which has been accumulated from donations, must remain 

 in abeyance. 



I. — Arrangement. 



The additions to the collections of Mammals, Ileptiles, and Fishes have been entered in 

 the printed Catalogues as soon as they were examined and named. 



The systematic examination of the Marsupialia and Moiiotremata has been completed. 

 0.81. G3 The 



