HOLMES HALL 



This hall contains on the main floor the North 

 American Mammals, with a few special series illus- 

 trating animal life. The south gallery contains the 

 Biltmore Herbarium. The north and west gallery 

 contain mammalian skeletons, showing general hom- 

 ology of the bones. The hall is named from Prof. 

 Francis S. Holmes, the first curator of the Museum. 



At the right, as one enters this room, is a small box 

 containing the pieces of a human fossil skull. The 

 rest of the skeleton is in the British Museum. This 

 is one of the few instances of an actual human petri- 

 faction. The bones are those of a Carib killed in 

 battle over two hundred years ago and preserved in 

 modern limestone forming on the coast of Guadaloupe 

 at that time. 



Metamorphosis. — To the right, beyond the stairs to 

 the gallery, is a case containing the beginning of a 

 series illustrating the metamorphosism of animals. It 

 is hoped in time to build up a most interesting series 

 along this line. At the top is the beginning of a 

 series illustrating the various types of eggs of animals, 

 varying from the large ostrich egg to the minute eggs 

 of insects. 



