i5 
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY. 
The collections in Zoology occupy Halls 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 
25, 26, 27, the greater part of the West Court and the alcoves on 
the south side of this court. Of these halls and alcoves the 
Department of Ornithology occupies Halls 26 and 27 and Alcove 
100, and the collections found therein will be described on page 
13 7 - 
A word may be said regarding the names on the labels of the 
objects. The inquiry is often made why “ common names,” 
“ English names,” are not employed instead of the Latin syste- 
matic names. This brief answer may be given: The experience of 
naturalists for a century and a half has demonstrated the neces- 
sity of using the system of naming now in use. All described 
objects must have a name. Relatively few of them have a “ com- 
mon name.” No system that would meet acceptance could proba- 
bly be devised to give all described animals a vernacular name. 
English names invented by naturalists would not be common 
names, and when given are not usually accepted by people in 
general. On the labels the common English names are usually 
given, when such exist. They are to be taken simply as navies ; 
just as we do our own and our neighbors’ names. 
WEST COURT. 
Under the supposition that the visitor will enter the De- 
partment of Zoology through the West Court, this will be first de- 
scribed. 
The contents of the West Court and its adjoining alcoves 
consist, to a great extent, of objects which are too large to be ar- 
ranged in any of the halls, and of the overflow of material from 
those halls. The collections are therefore of a somewhat mixed 
character. 
