166 
ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS. 
[upper 
so depressed that there scarcely appears to be any room for their in- 
ternal organs. Tables 11-18. The Star-fish, some with five and 
others with many rays ; the rays are easily reproduced when broken 
or injured. Tables 19-23. The Lizard-tailed Star-fish throw off 
the ends of their rays when they are handled or put into fresh water. 
Table 23. The Gorgon's Head, with its many branches, somewhat 
resembling the Medusa's Head of Mythology. Table 24. The Comatula, 
or Sea- Wigs, the living representatives of the Encrinites found abun- 
dantly in some rocks. There is a recent Encrinite from the West 
Indies in a small case at the side of the doorway, and another under a 
glass-shade on one of the Table-cases. 
THE THIRD ROOM CONTAINS THE 
BRITISH ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION. 
The Wall Cases hold the Vertebrate Animals ; the larger species, 
such as the Whales, Sharks, Tunny, Sturgeon and Skeleton of Sword 
fish, &c, are suspended on the Walls, or placed on the top of the Wall 
Cases. 
The Table Cases contain Eggs of Birds; a series of British 
Annulose Animals, to illustrate the arrangement of the British Insects, 
Spiders and Crabs ; the Collections of Shells and Radiated Animals. 
■ Several large skeletons of fishes are exhibited on the top of the 
table cases, viz. : the skull of the Sea-Devil or Angler (Lophius) ; a 
perfect skeleton of the Hake, remarkable by the extraordinary dilata- 
tion of the lateral processes of the vertebrse ; and skeletons of the Cod, 
Carp, and Maigre (Sciasna aquila). Particularly deserving of notice is 
a young specimen of the Basking Shark {See p. 148), captured near 
Lowestoft ; and a full-grown Fox Shark or Thresher [Alopecias vulpesf. 
This Shark is common round the British Coasts, in the Atlantic and 
Mediterranean, as well as on the coasts of California and New Zealand; 
it attains a length of thirteen feet, and feeds chiefly on Herrings, 
Pilchards, and Sprats ; it uses its extremely long tail in splashing the 
surface of the water, whilst it swims in gradually decreasing circles 
round a shoal of fish which are thus kept together and caught by the 
shark in great numbers. Also stuffed examples of a gigantic Sea- 
Perch from the African coast, which is known to attack bathers, 
and of a very large Cat-fish from the Upper Amazons, are tempo- 
rarily exhibited here. 
Some table cases are fitted up for the reception of instructive 
examples of Salmonoids ; for instance, a large male Salmon in the 
highest condition from the Tay ; its weight was forty-six pounds. 
Another male Salmon after spawning, from Ireland ; this fish was 
found in an exhausted condition. A male Salmon from Denmark ; on 
dissection it proved to be a sterile fish ; in its stomach was found a 
full-grown Herring. Male and female of the Sea-Trout (S. trutta) 
from, the Tweed. Other specimens of British Salmonoids are exhibited 
in the wall cases: large examples of the common Trout from the 
Tluiines (S. fario), weight twelve and fourteen pounds ; of the Gillaroo 
