GALLERY OF CETACEA. 
43 
published for the use of visitors, and guides to the remaining 
galleries are in preparation. 
Gallery of Cetacea. 
I Approached by a staircase, leading from the last (or western- Cetacea ox 
most) of the passages which connect the bird gallery with the e^ue^y. 
coral gallery, is a room in the basement, in which the specimens 
of whale-like animals, for which, on account of their large size, 
no other place could be found in the portion of the Museum 
galleries already completed, are placed. The room has, un- 
fortunately, the disadvantage of being not well lighted, and 
of being intersected by massive columns, which interfere with 
the complete view of any of the larger skeletons ; nevertheless 
the specimens will be safely preserved in it, until the erection 
of the west front shall afford them better accommodation, and 
visitors can, in the meantime with very little difficulty study 
most of the important peculiarities of these gigantic and very - 
interesting members of the Animal Kingdom. 
As it is almost impracticable to preserve the skins of the larger 
species of whales, owing to the quantity of oil with which they 
are saturated, the exhibition of the characters of these animals is 
chiefly Kmited to their skeletons, assisted by drawings of their 
external forms. The general appearance of many of the smaller 
kinds is, however, shown by stuffed specimens and coloured 
casts. A general account of the structure and classification of 
the Cetacea, with special reference to those exhibited in this 
gallery, will be found at the end of the Guide to the Galleries 
of Mammalia.* 
On the left side of the door, on entering, near the window, is a Fresh-water 
case containing a stuffed specimen, skeleton, and several skulls ^olpJ^uis. 
of the very curious fresh- water Dolphin of the rivers of India 
(Platanista gangetica), and in the next case the peculiar Dolphin 
of the river Amazon (Inia geoffrensis). Among the specimens 
i on the same side of the room, one of the most interesting, on 
I account of its remarkable dentition, is the ISTarwhal or Sea- Narwhal, 
i Unicorn. It has only two teeth, which lie horizontally in the 
* ' Guide to the Galleries of Mammalia (Mammalian, Osteological and 
' Cetacean) in the Department of Zoology.' Price fourpence. 
