30 
WEST WING. 
Systematic 
Series in 
Wall-cases. 
Groups of 
Sritish Birda 
and NestB. 
long gallery extending the entire length of the front of the 
wing is assigned to the exhibited collection of birds, the study- 
series of the same group being kept in cabinets in a room 
behind. 
The wall-cases contain mounted specimens of all the principal 
species arranged in systematic order, beginning with the Vultures, 
on the left hand on entering, and ending with the Penguins on 
the right. The arrangement adopted is that of the Catalogue, 
now in course of publication, in a series of octavo volumes. 
From the multitude of specimens which are exhibited in this 
gallery, and which form but a small proportion of the different 
kinds of birds known to inhabit the globe, only a few of the most 
striking can be mentioned here. The various types of the birds 
of prey are very fully represented : from the Condor or Great 
Vulture of the Andes, the large Sea-eagle of Behring Straits, and 
the Great Eagle Owl of Europe, all of which are placed in separate 
cases, to the Dwarf Ealcon in case 13, which is not much larger 
than a sparrow, and preys upon insects. Of the large group of 
perching birds, attention is drawn to the case of birds of Paradise 
opposite to wall-cases 17 and 20. At the end of the same side 
of the gallery are placed skeletons of the Dodo and Solitaire, 
gigantic pigeons with wings too small for flight, once inhabitants 
of the islands of Mauritius and Eodriguez, but now extinct. 
The cases on the right-hand side of the gallery are occupied by 
birds allied to the common Fowl, and by the wading and swim- 
ming birds; among them a fine series of Pheasants and other 
game birds; the Great Bustard, once an inhabitant of our 
island; a pair of Flamingoes with their nest; the Great 
Auk from the Arctic Seas, now extinct; and finally the large 
Emperor Penguin from the Antarctic Ocean, the only known 
specimens of which were obtained on the British antarctic expe- 
dition of 1839-43. 
In the middle of the room and in the spaces between the wall- 
cases are placed various isolated groups of particular interest, 
among which the visitor will doubtless be attracted by those: 
showing the nesting habits of our best-known British birds. The ; 
great value of these groups consists in their absolute truthfulness, i 
The surroundings are not selected by chance or imagination,- 
but in every case are carefully-executed reproductions of those 
