CHARACTER OF HIS SYSTEM 57 



development or suppression, as the case might be. 

 We see the system in the highest degree of 

 perfection reached at the time of writing in the 

 Central Hall of the Natural History Museum, 

 where the range is wider than at the Hunterian 

 Museum. But the idea of the work at Lincoln's 

 Inn Fields is equally good ; its execution is in many 

 cases not inferior, and from the fact of its being a 

 practical school of anatomy, the collection of pre- 

 parations of the softer parts, such as muscles, liga- 

 ments, and interior organs, is naturally much larger. 

 This, it should be noted, was begun, put in hand, 

 and rapidly completed more than forty years ago.^ 



The first of the series were the bones of " hands " 

 of every kind, showing the extremities of the front 

 limbs of all the existing mammalia and of fossil 

 species then, or from time to time, discovered. 



Some of the very first specimens to begin the 

 series were prepared by Flower himself But 

 though be was an elegant worker in this department, 

 he mainly confined himself to initiating and explain- 

 ing what he wished done. The practical work was 

 in the hands of very able expert assistants, whose 

 skill he thoroughly appreciated. Among these were 

 Professor Pettigrew, Dr. Murie, Dr. Alban Doran, 

 and Dr. J. G. Garson.^ 



An instance of the patient getting out of minute 

 details of structure for comparison is to be seen in 



I See pp. 64-65, and 66-68. 

 2 Now Secretary to the British Association. 



