D. C. Danielssen. 



37 



1600 foreign ones, amongst them many rare ones. The mainmals 

 comprise a rich representation of the whole Norwegian fauna, and 

 also include about 200 foreign species, amongst which there are 

 several very rare ones, which would be an ornament to any museum; 

 many of them are gifts, chiefly trom consul Børs, who through a 

 long course of years has evinced an unwavering interest in the 

 museum. The seals deserve to be specially mentioned, the arctic 

 ones being very well represented, and the collection of stuffed 

 whales is probably without a parallel in any other museum, though 

 of course only the smaller ones can be thus preserved. 



Finally there is the osteological collection, containing amongst 

 others a number of splendid skeletons of whales. Although 

 some kinds are wanting which are found in foreign museums that 

 have easier access to Southern Seas, our collection is, on the other 

 hand, so rich in northern species, that it is doubtful if any other 

 museum has much more to offer in this branch than the Bergen 

 Museum, in spite of the circumstance that it has provided numerous 

 foreign collections with splendid specimens of this very kind. The 

 collection of embryonic whales (about 200), of extraordinary scien- 

 tific interest, is no w being made the subject of special study and 

 is sure to give an extremely valuable addition to the knowledge of 

 one of the most remarkable groups among mammals. 1 ) 



Although the zoological collection was, as a matter of course, 

 the one nearest to the heart of the zoologist, still dr. Danielssen 

 was well aware that every branch of natural history deserved 

 to be represented in a museum of such importance as that of 

 Bergen, and according as the funds made it possible, new branches 

 were added to the programme, so that the museum now possesses 

 a good collection of Norwegian plants, and also a rich collec- 

 tion illustrating the pathology of plants. Also a mineral and 

 geological collection, for which quite a rich material had been laid 

 aside in boxes and chests, has lately been tåken up to be arranged, 

 after the necessary room had been provided in the basement. 



Of course the collection could not have been increased in 

 such a manner but that increased means, more space and more 

 help became necessary, and along with Danielssen's direct work 

 as chairman of the natural history department, in extending the 



x ) The first part of a work on the development of the whale. by professor 

 Guldberg and dr. F. Nansen, is in the press and will appear as the fifth volume 

 of the Publications in 4to of the Museum. 



