30 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. II. 



refused five years before a post vacant by the 

 death of Charles Konig, the salary of which was 

 reduced, but on this occasion a special office was 

 created, and Owen became ' Superintendent of 

 the Departments of Natural History.' This office 

 gave place, on his retirement in 1884, to that of 

 ' Director of the British Museum ' (Natural His- 

 tory), under which name he was succeeded by 

 Professor Flower. 



On taking up the work of the departments 

 placed under his charge, Professor Owen became 

 better acquainted with the melancholy condition of 

 affairs, and determined to submit to the Trustees 

 a statement embodying estimates of space required 

 for exhibition of all the collections, adding to it 

 considerations on the ratio of increase during the 

 previous ten years, and the probable future in- 

 crease by annual additions. 



In dealing with the British Museum, however, 

 Owen had a vastly different task from that which 

 he had previously undertaken. When at the 

 College of Surgeons, he was dealing with a Board 

 of Governors, who, whatever their personal idiosyn- 

 crasies, were all impressed with the importance 

 of improving the collections placed under their 

 charge. With the British Museum and its 

 Trustees the matter was entirely different. Here 

 there were several ' departments,' each under the 

 charge of an energetic if not ambitious head, and 

 each anxious for a large share of the spoils ; while 



