68 
NATURE NOTES 
contained crayfish, water spiders, caddis-worms (each with its 
tiny house resembling a Swiss cottage), with scorpions, river 
lampreys, and many other interesting exhibits. The fish included 
carp, roach, perch, pike and sticklebacks, all looking very happy 
and satisfied with their surroundings. In summer, bees may be 
watched in an observatory hive, and specimens of honey, made 
last year, were on view. 
Teachers in the Borough are invited to take their classes 
for demonstration lessons, and the museum is closed to the 
public whenever the collection is required for this purpose. 
It is almost impossible to realise what intense pleasure this 
fascinating collection must give to the children of Whitechapel. 
Several typical little East-Enders were going the round of the 
Museum, gazing lovingly and reverently at the various exhibits. 
The only dead specimen here was a stuffed mole, found just out- 
side in the Recreation Ground. It was kept alive for some time, 
but eventually met with an accident and died. Nature Study 
exhibits, not alive, are in the Borough Museum, 77, Whitechapel 
High Street. The donor of the collection, which formed the 
basis of the Museum, was the Rev. Daniel Greatorex, formerly 
Vicar of St. Paul’s, Dock Street. The wall-cases, going 
entirely round the room, contained animals beginning with 
Protozoa and ending with a human skeleton. One of the most 
striking bird exhibits was a case of darters from New South 
Wales, flying, standing, and one diving under water, with a 
fish in his beak. Among the rodents was one with an incisor 
which had grown to an abnormal length and curled round, 
owing to the corresponding lower tooth having been injured or 
lost. Some of the centre cases contained specimens of trees — 
winter and summer branches, flowers, fruit, specimens of wood, 
and photographs of the trees in winter and summer. 
There was a large collection of growing twigs in water, 
poplar, willow, oak, lilac, and many others. Among insect 
life-histories were noticed the grasshopper, ladybird, lace-wing, 
dragon-fly, tortoise-shell, red admiral, ermine, and many others. 
Another interesting case showed the structure of feathers. A 
clever model of two barbs of a wing feather showed how the 
barbs interlock and so possess the power of resistance necessary 
for the wing feathers. There was one small tank containing 
minnows, which was aerated in a very simple but effectual way. 
The tank was connected with an ordinary two-pound jam jar, 
by means of two lengths of glass tubing placed immediately 
over each other with an air space between. The water trickled 
through the tubes from the jar into the tank, becoming aerated 
as it passed through the open space. 
Much more might be written did space permit, but this brief 
outline of a very enjoyable visit may interest Nature-lovers who 
do not already know the Stepney Museum. 
