1913-14.] Obituary Notices. 273 
acquired a special skill in illustrating the memoirs of Dr Giinther, whose 
appreciation of a fine drawing was ever forthcoming. 
Entering the British Museum in 1857, he by and by was appointed on 
the staff, and he rose step by step till in 1875 he became Keeper of the 
Zoological Department in succession to his friend Dr J. E. Gray, and he 
held this post for twenty years. His record in this institution is remark- 
able — as beneficial to the Museum as creditable to himself. His catalogues 
have already been alluded to, and the vast array of original contributions 
to the Royal, Zoological, and Linnean Societies formed an unbroken 
succession from first to last. The latter alone would have made a great 
reputation, yet they were but fragments of his daily work in perfecting 
the numerous collections committed to his care, in carrying out the 
endless duties of administration, and in devising improvements. More- 
over, the construction of the New Natural History Museum at South 
Kensington, the scheme of Sir Richard Owen, likewise gave him increased 
responsibilities in connection with the arrangement of the galleries and 
cases, and still more with the transfer of the vast and valuable collections 
to their new premises. This task, perhaps, brought out the administrative 
talents and practical skill of the Keeper of the Department more promi- 
nently than anything else, and well merited the special minute of the 
Trustees on its successful completion. Amidst the array of vans, lorries, 
cabs, and conveyance by hand, no specimen of value was lost or broken. 
Nor was the rearrangement in the new Museum less successfully carried 
out, though not a few serious obstacles were encountered. Thus when the 
cases for the mammals on the ground floor were being arranged, it was 
found that the architect’s ornamental projections on the walls were inimical 
to satisfactory adjustment, and thus this Class had to be placed on the 
first floor. He also insisted on the advantages of a separate building for 
specimens preserved in spirit, both for the greater safety of the extensive 
collections in jars, and for the security of the other portions of the 
magnificent building. 
Some idea of the extent of the National Collection may be gained when 
it is mentioned that in 1880 there were 1,300,000 zoological specimens, 
and that when Dr Gunther retired in 1895 there were 2,245,000. Known 
all over the world for his labours in zoology, and having an extensive 
acquaintance with naturalists and travellers, much of this progress was 
due to his tact and personal influence — and, it may be added, to his personal 
example, for from his earliest days he was a field-naturalist as well as 
a scientific author, and he never missed an opportunity of adding to the 
collections in the British Museum, whether as the result of his own 
VOL. xxxiv. 18 
