December i, 1891] 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



95 



group of natural substances which either belong or are 

 closely related to the mineral kingdom ; although in 

 their formation organised matter has played a very 

 important part. The most important are Coal and 

 Amber. 



A series illustrating the various kinds of rocks is 

 exhibited in the four table-cases in the windows ; but 

 the most important collection is that of the Meteorites. 

 From the entrance of the gallery the large mass of 

 meteoric iron, weighing three and a half tons, found 

 about 1854 at Cranbourne, "Australia," and presented 

 to the Museum in 1862 by James Bruce, Esq., can 

 be seen in the pavillion at the opposite end of the 

 gallery. The other meteorites are in the same room, 

 the smaller specimens in the four central cases, and 

 the larger on separate stands. 



The fall of masses of stone and iron from the sky 

 was very rarely credited by anyone besides the 

 spectators themselves, and till the beginning of this 

 century no attempt to collect such specimens for 

 examination and comparison was made. It is sup- 

 posed that meteorites are closely related not only to 

 the ordinary shooting stars, but also to comets and 

 probably to the nebula? and fixed stars. 



OSTEOLOGICAL GALLERY. 



The Osteological Gallery (on the second floor) is 

 devoted to the skeletons and skulls of Mammalia, the 

 arrangement of which corresponds as far as practicable 

 with that of the stuffed specimens. 



The series commences, on the left hand on enter- 

 ing, with a male and female human skeleton, followed 

 by a selection of skulls showing the different modifica- 

 tions of the cranial and facial bones in the various 

 races of mankind. Among these is the skeleton of a 

 full grown Akka, only four feet high, which appears to 

 be the usual size of the pygmy tribe of negroes from 

 Central Africa. The next wall-case contains several 

 skeletons of man-like apes, the Orang-Outang, 

 Gorilla and Chimpanzee with the principal forms of 

 the other monkeys and lemurs. 



In Cases 4 — 8, numerous representations of the 

 Carnivorous and Rodent Mammalia are shown, the 

 remainder of the cases of this side of the gallery being 

 devoted to the exhibition of skulls of the larger 

 Ungulata, viz.: Elephants, Rhinoceroses and Horses. 

 The series of elephants is continued in the pavilion at 

 the end of the gallery, where skulls and skeletons of 

 the African and Indian elephants are exhibited, among 

 them a skeleton of a very large tusky elephant or 

 Mooknah. 



In the pavillion are also placed skeletons of the 

 Sirenia or Sea Cows, aquatic animals more nearly 

 allied to the Ungulates than to the Whales. Stuffed 

 examples of these animals have also been placed 

 here 



The majority of the cases on the right hand of the 

 gallery are occupied by the Ruminant Ungulata, such 

 as Camels, Oxen, Antelopes, Sheep, Goats, and Deer. 

 Cases 23 and 24 contain the Edentata, Sloths, 

 Anteaters, Armadillos, the Marsupials, and finally 

 the Monotremes Ornithorhynchus and Echidna. 



Along the centre of the gallery is ranged a very 

 complete series of skeletons of the wild cattle of the 



Old and New World, and of the various species of 

 Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus. 



A collection of horns of Oxen, Buffaloes, Antelopes, 

 and Sheep is placed on the top of the cases of the 

 gallery and on the wall of the pavilion. 



BOTANICAL GALLERY. 



The collections of this department consist of two 

 portions, the one open to the public consisting of 

 specimens illustrating the various groups of the 

 Vegetable Kingdom, and the broad facts on which 

 the natural system of classification of plants is based ; 

 the other set apart for the use of persons engaged in 

 the scientific study of plants. 



The natural system of classification is followed in 

 the exhibition cases in the public gallery. The series 

 of specimens begin with the natural order Ranun- 

 culaceœ, and the principal orders are represented in 

 this and the following cases by dried specimens of the 

 plants themselves, coloured drawings, fruits and 

 prepared sections of the woods. Diagrams are em- 

 ployed to indicate the characters in the flowers on 

 which the grouping is based. Descriptive labels give 

 particular information respecting each specimen. 



Dicotyledonous plants occupy three cases on the 

 left side of the gallery, and are followed by the 

 Monocotyledonous orders, which fill a portion of the 

 last case on the same side, the two half-cases at the 

 end of the gallery, and the first case returning towards 

 the door. The Gymnosperms are placed in the next 

 case. Then follow the Cryptogams, a case being 

 devoted to the higher vascular orders, and another 

 to the lower division of cellular plants. 



The series closes with an interesting collection of 

 models of the larger British Fungi or Mushrooms, 

 prepared by Sowerby when he was engaged on his 

 work on this group of plants, which have been re- 

 coloured and mounted in accordance with their 

 natural habitats by Mr. Worthington G. Smith. 



The larger specimens are placed in tall cases in the 

 centre of the gallery. The right side of the first 

 centre-case is filled with specimens of Dycotyledonous 

 plants, such as sections of White Oak and Walnut 

 from Canada, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Laportea and other 

 trees from Australia, trunks of Ficus and Carallia 

 with aerial roots sent from Ceylon by Dr. Trimens, 

 stems of Bombax, Xanthoxylon, Flacourtia, and 

 Gleditschia, and anomalous stems of Baulimia Entada 

 and Dypsis. The next two centre-cases are filled 

 with Monocotyledonous plants, among which in the 

 first case are stems and sections of the Date palm, 

 several species of Areca, sections and fruit of the 

 Palmyra palm, stem and fruit of the Sago palm and a 

 large spike of the allied Raphia from Madagascar. 

 In the next case are stems of the Wax palm, sections 

 and fruit of the Cocoa-nut palm and the Seychelles 

 palm. The remainder of this case is occupied with 

 specimens of the Dragon tree, of Madeira, of the 

 Grass trees of Australia, of Vellozia from Brazil, of 

 Papyrus from Egypt, of Bamboo and Sugar-cane. On 

 the other side of this case specimens of Gymnosperms 

 will be found, comprising a large plant of Welwitschîa 

 from Africa, sections of Araucaria from Norfolk 

 Island, of Cedar grown in Chelsea Gardens, and stems 



