40 
BRITISH VERTEBRATES. 
of the colouring of the eggs and young birds to their natural 
surroundings for the purpose of concealment. In the second 
passHge leading to the Coral Gallery are Ptarmigans and 
Capercaillies from Scotland, and in the adjacent part of the 
middle line Woodpigeons and Turtle Doves building their 
simple, flat nests of sticks in ivy-clad trees. In the fourth, 
sixth and seventh bays on the left are Sandmartins and King- 
fishers, showing, by means of sections of the banks of sand 
or earth, the form and depth of the hole in which the nests 
are placed ; and the nests of the Swift, Swallow, and House- 
Martin, all in portions of human habitations. 
Pavili'>n, with The " Pavilion " at the west end of the bird gallery is devoted 
and ^Fresh^^ to the exhibition of the land and freshwater Vertebrated Animals 
water of the British Islands. The larger Mammals and Fishes 
Vertebrates. Q^g^jpy ^j^g wall-case on the north side, which is surmounted 
with horns. In the two pairs of centre cases is exhibited the 
series of British Birds, which is supplemented by the groups 
already referred to. The wall-case on the left side of the archway 
contains a fine group of Gannets and other sea-birds from the 
Bass Eock in the Firth of Forth. On the opposite side are two 
important groups with the accessories true to nature, the one 
of the Golden Eagle and the other of the Common Buzzard, 
both from Scotland. Other groups in the Pavilion display the 
Kestrel, the Peregrine Falcon, and the Merlin in their natural 
surroundings. Among the Mammals, especial attention may be 
directed to a case of British Hares, showing their seasonal and 
local colour-phases. In another case may be seen a female 
Badger and her young ; while in a third are grouped the Eats, 
Mice, Voles, Weasels, Stoats, Polecats, Martens, Hedgehogs, 
Shrews and Bats. Squirrels are shown in separate cases. 
The British land and freshwater representatives of each 
group of Invertebrates will eventually be exhibited in separate 
cases placed in the galleries severally devoted to such groups. 
Here it may be mentioned that the animal inhabitants of 
any country or district are collectively termed its ''fauna" 
Our country in this respect belongs to the great zoogeographical 
region called Palaearctic, or Eastern Holarctic, embracing all 
Europe, the north of Africa, and the western and northern 
portions of Asia. As in the case of all islands, the species 
