386 DESCRIPTION OF THE MUSEUM. 



very precious down. 2d. The musk-duck {anas 

 moschata), native of America, and which is now 

 common in our farm-vards, where it is known 

 under the name of Barbary duck. 3d. The Ca- 

 rolina duck {anas sponsa), much esteemed for 

 its elegance and the colour of its plumage. 

 4th. The fan- water-fowl from China {anas ga- 

 lericulatd), the male of which has some of its 

 wing feathers standing up over the back, and 

 widened in the form of a fan. 



The mergansers {mergus), which we see at 

 the bottom of the case, live on the lakes of 

 northern countries, and winter on the coasts of 

 France, etc. ; they vary much in their colour, 

 and have a crest on the head. 



Here terminates the collection of birds, which 

 for elegance, richness, variety of forms and bril- 

 liancy of colours, equals all that the imagination 

 can conceive as beautiful. 



The centre of the gallery is occupied by a set 

 of cases in which the animals without vertebrae 

 are arranged. We will examine them after we 

 have seen the collections of reptiles and fishes 

 which are on the first floor. On the walls of the 

 staircase, which leads to the two rooms below, 

 are expanded the skins of large serpents of the 

 boa genus, the colours and scales of which are 

 very well preserved. 



