50 EX riser iurds 



of II skin cloak is illustrated by one of the (igiues in the group to the left 

 of the entrance; hark cloths from Uganda are shown in the northeastern 

 section of the Hall; while looms and the completed garments are shown in 

 the large central rectangle devoted to Congo ethnology. Tlie most beauti- 

 ful of the last-mentioned ])roducts ;ire the "pile cloths" of the Bakuba, 

 woNcn by the men and supplied w ith decorative patterns by the women. \'ery 

 fine wooden gol)lets and other carvings bear witness to the high artistic 

 sense of the African natives, who also excel other primitive races in their 

 love of music, which is shown by the variety of their musical instruments. 



A imiciue art is illustrated in the Benin case in the northwestern section 

 of the Hall, where the visitor will see bronze and brass castings made by a 

 process similar to that u.sed in Europe in the Renais.sance period. It is 

 doubtful to what extent the art may be considered native. 



The religious l)eliefs of the natives are illustrated by numerous fetiches 

 and charms, believed to give security in battle or to avert evils. Cere- 

 monial masks are shown, which were worn by the nati\'e medicinemen. 



\J{<luni fo ('cnlrdl Pdvdioii.] 



SOUTH CENTRAL WING 



Birds of the World 



Going north we enter the hall containing the general collection of birds. 

 In the first four main cases on the right the 13,000 known 

 th W Id species are represented by typical examples of the principal 



groups arranged according to what is believed to be their 

 natural relationships. The series begins with the Ostriches, the "lowest" 

 birds (that is, those which seem to luue changed least from their reptilian 

 ancestors) and goes up to those which show the highest tj'pe of develop- 

 ment, the Singing Perching Birds such as our Thrushes and Finches. The 

 remaining cases on the right wall and all of those on the left show the 

 geographical distribution of the bird faima of the world The specimens 

 are grouped according to their great faunal regions, the South American 

 Temperate, American Tropical, North American Temperate, Arctic Eura- 

 sian, Indo-Malay, African and Australian realms. These cases in coimec- 

 tion with the acc()mj)anying maps give opportunity for a comparative 

 study of tlie birds of tlie diff(M-ent parts of the world. In each region, as 

 in the Synoptic Collection, tlu^ birds are arrang(Ml in their natural groups 

 to the best of om* ])resent knowledge. 



Down th(^ middle of the hall near the entrance are several cases con- 

 taining birds which liaxe become extinct or nearlv so. The 

 Extinct Birds , , ", t^ i • • t* t i i 



Labrador Duck, once a common visitor to our Eong Island 



shores, became extinct for no known n^ason. The Great Auk and the 



