HOME MUSEUMS. 
47 
possessor of that tiny frame could wing its way mile after mile 
across the sea seeking by unerring instinct some warmer land in 
which to pass the winter. 
The facial line in birds is most interesting. I am not learned 
on the subject, but following Camper’s ideas, I find that it is 
usually those birds with an upright skull that possess the most 
intelligence. A line drawn from the tip of the bill of a blue-tit 
to the apex of the skull will show a far higher angle than the 
same test applied to the head of the willow wren or tree 
creeper, and charming as the two latter birds are they have not 
a quarter of the “ nous ” of the clever little tit. The possession 
of a collection of skulls opens the way to many an interesting 
line of study in connection with the living birds and their ways 
and habits as seen in our gardens and fields. 
I have also a few mammal skulls, and they have characteristic 
features well worthy of notice. That of the mole is very difficult 
to prepare, from the fragility of the cranial bones; the jaws 
reveal a truly formidable array of teeth, and so does the head of 
the stoat, which looks like that of a miniature tiger. On the 
same card are placed the upper and lower jaws of a shrew and 
house mouse ; one can thus see how they differ, the former being 
insectivorous and flesh-eating, and the latter belonging to the 
rodentia — able with its powerful incisors to gnaw through 
planks, and find its way into store-closets, as the housekeeper 
often finds to her cost. It is worth while to prepare a rat’s 
head, if only to observe how the large front teeth curve a long 
way into the head, which must give the animal immense gnawing 
power. The cat’s skull is remarkable for the great size of the 
ear-drums^ which would at once suggest its well-developed 
powers of hearing. 
Whilst speaking of birds’ beaks may I run the risk of re- 
ceiving a peck myself, from someone who may hint that I must 
have had many innocent creatures destroyed in order to obtain 
such an array of skulls. I must again emphatically repeat what 
I said when writing on “ Feather-books,” that I have never had 
a bird or animal killed for any scientific purpose. These heads 
were those of the dead birds I have found, in various ways, 
during the past twenty years, whose plumage has been used for 
the feather books. Game-birds furnish a source of supply for 
anyone who desires to experiment in making skeletons. The 
heads are easily prepared b}^ boiling and cleaning, and then, 
being placed in the sun, they become white and fit for the 
museum shelves. 
Eliza Brightwen. 
