30 
CENTEAL HALL. 
specimens, although the vividness of their natural colours is 
very difficult to preserve when long exposed to the light. 
The far more numerous birds and fishes occupy the two sides 
of the series of upright cases, which fill the west and east ends 
of the room, and project on each side so as to make a partial 
division across it. Among the birds will be seen a specimen of 
the extinct Great Auk (Alca impennis), of which the Museum 
possesses a second example in the Bird Gallery (p. 32). The 
largest specimens of fishes are placed on stands out of the cases, 
near the middle of the room being a Greenland Shark (Lcemargus 
horecdis), fifteen feet long, which was captured near Anstruther, 
on the east coast of Scotland, May 18th, 1878. Next to this 
in size are the Porbeagle {Lamna cormibica) and the Fox 
Shark or Thresher {Alopecias vulpes). 
The cases occupying the northern section of the room (near 
the windows) are devoted to the Invertebrata. The w^all-case 
on the west (left) side contains the larger specimens of Mollusca, 
Tunicata, Annelida, Echinodermata, and Coelentrata in spirit, 
including some remarkably fine specimens of an Alcyonarian 
called Funiculina quadrangularis, one of which has a long- armed 
star-fish {Astronyx loveni) twined around it. These were dredged 
up in the Firth of Lorn, west coast of Scotland. The wall-case 
on the east (right) side contains a series of nests of hornets, 
wasps, bees, ants, &c. In the intermediate table-cases are 
arranged the collection of dried specimens of British Mollusca, 
Insects, Crustaceans, Polyzoa, Sponges, &c. 
Staircase. 
statue of On the first landing of the great staircase, facing the centre of 
Darwin. ^^iq hall, is placed the seated marble statue of Charles Darwin 
(b. 1809, d. 1882), to whose labours the study of natural history 
owes so vast an impulse. The statue was executed by Mr. J. E. 
Boehm, E.A., as part of the " Darwin Memorial " raised by public 
subscription. It was unveiled and placed under the care of the 
Trustees of the Museum on the 9th of June, 1885, when an 
address was delivered on behalf of the Memorial Committee, by 
tlie Chairman, Professor Huxley, P.E.S., to which His Eoyal 
