I. MAMMALS. 

 By OLDFIELD THOMAS, P.R.S. 



Officers specially connected with the Collection of 

 Mammals during its Foundation and Growth. 



Of the various officers of the Museum, it does not appear thai 

 any before George Shaw (Assistant, 1791 ; Keeper, 1807— 1->) 

 took any particular interest in Mammals, but he was the author 

 of several works on the subject, of which the best known is his 

 "General Zoology — Mammalia, 1800-1801" (four volumes). 

 Some of his types are still extant. 



Dr. W. E. Leach (Assistant, 1813) wrote a few articles on 

 Mammalia, but worked primarily at Insects. 



The real maker of the collection was Dr. J. E. Gray (Assis- 

 tant, 1824; Keeper, 1840-75). To his indomitable energy and 

 enthusiasm, in the face of much opposition and discouragement 

 from officials more interested in the Library and Antiquities than 

 in Natural History, the early growth and position of the .M animal 

 collection is mainly due. (See below, p. 35.) 



From 1873 onwards, Dr. A. Giinther (Assistant, 18<)i> ; Keeper. 

 1875-95), who had always taken a general interest in Mammals, 

 described a certain number of the more striking novelties 

 among the accessions, and made a MS. list of the collection of 

 Monkeys. 



Sir William Flower (Director, 1884-98) took a personal 

 interest in the general arrangement of the Mamm als, and 

 especially of the Cetacea, of which he wrote a list in L885. 



Oldfield Thomas, the present Assistant, was appointed in 1 S 

 and transferred to the Zoological Department in L878. 



R. Lydekker, though not on the permanent staff, should be 

 mentioned as having had general charge, since 1896, of the exhi- 

 bited series, and, more recently, of the collections of domesticated 

 Mammals. 



