F LOOR.] 
EASTERN ZOOLOGICAL GALLERY. 
9 
of the corals which forms reefs in the sea, so dangerous to ships. 
Tahles 20-31. The Barbed Corals; the Eed Coral of commerce ; the 
Gorgonia or Sea Fans; the Sea-pens, some of which emit a bright 
phosphorescent light. 
A large square glass-shade* in the middle passage of the room 
contains a series of " Barbed Corals," selected on account of the exqui- 
site delicacy of their structure, most closely resembling the growth of 
various trees and shrubs. 
Some of the most interesting Sponges are exhibited in upright 
cases at the top of the table-cases. What is preserved of these 
creatures, is a kind of skeleton formed by a network of siliceous fila- 
ments or spicules. The soft substance of the Sponge, which is spread 
over this skeleton, is generally lost ; or, if preserved, shrunk into a 
very thin layer or bark. Case M, over Table-Case 25, contains a 
series of the so called " Glass-rope-coral," from Japan and the Coast of 
Portugal (Hyalonema), a Sponge which emits from its bottom part a 
long bundle of siliceous fibres twisted like a rope ; with the aid of this 
rope it retains its hold in the soft mud at the bottom of the ocean, as 
with a root. The Japanese detach this rope from the Sponge, and 
manufacture spurious specimens of natural history, examples of which 
are also exhibited. 
Case D over Table-Case 8, contains specimens of the most beautiful 
Sponges known at present (Enplectella and Meyerina). Their skeleton 
consists of a network delicate like lace, and the name " Venus Flower 
Baskets " has been given to them. They are found in the neighbour- 
hood of Cebu, an island in the Philippine Archipelago. Examples of 
the " Birds'-nest Sponges" (Holt eni a and Crater unorpha), from the 
Atlantic and Indian Oceans, are also exhibited in this Case. 
Opposite to this case, a magnificeut specimen of a fibrous sponge, 
called " Neptune's Trumpet" {Lujf'aria archeri), more than five feet 
in length, is exhibited. It was discovered at Ambergris Island on 
the coast of Yucatan, and presented to the British Museum by 
Surgeon-Major Samuel Archer. 
EASTERN ZOOLOGICAL GALLERY. 
The Wall Cases contain the general collection of Birds ; the 
larger Table Cases contain the collection of Shells of Molluscous 
animals ; on the top of the Wall Cases is a series of horns of different 
kinds of Deer and Rhinoceros. 
The Wall Cases on the west side of the room, or to the left on 
entering from the Mammalia Saloon, contain (1-27) the diurnal Birds 
of Prey; (28-35) the nocturnal Birds of Prey. Cases 36—12 con- 
tain the wide-gaped (fissi rostral ) Perching Birds: Cases 43-47, the 
slender-billed or tenuirostral Birds; Cases 48-01, the tooth-billed 
(dentirostralj Passerine Birds; Cases 02-73, the strong-billed Coniros- 
* It is plaotd behind the marble l»u>t of Dr. John Edfrard Gray, for manj 
\Q-dT6 Keeper of the Zoological Department. 
