go HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM. 



Soon after the definitive organisation of the 

 Museum, the plan of a vast menagerie had been 

 formed, in which animals of all descriptions 

 might be placed in a manner suited to their 

 habits. This project, conceived at a time when 

 the means of execution were not calculated, 

 was soon abandoned. In 1802, several pieces of 

 land were obtained for the herbivorous animals, 

 and the architect M. Molinos presented the plan 

 of the great rotundo in the centre of the mena- 

 gerie, as a lodging for ferocious beasts: the first 

 stone was laid in 1804, but when raised a few 

 feet it was found to be ill adapted to its ob- 

 ject, and the work was suspended : we shall 

 presently see to what use it was afterwards 

 appropriated. 



In 1804 a case of drawers was placed in the 

 gallery of the second floor of the cabinet, oc- 

 cupying its whole extent, above which were 

 displayed in glazed cases the insects, shells, crus- 

 taceous animals, madrepores, etc. : in the drawers 

 beneath were deposited the duplicates of the col- 

 lection of entomology, and some rare insects, 

 whose colours it was feared might be injured 

 by the light. 



About the same time, the Museum was enrich- 

 ed with very precious geological collections. The 

 emperor Napoleon presented that of fossil fishes 



