274< ON THE CLASSIFICATION OP BIRDS. 
mounting of specimens^ or setting them up in the atti- 
tudes of life, is a branch of Taxidermy not absolutely 
essential to our present purpose ; since, if the student 
is acquainted with the art of preserving the skin of a 
bird, that will he sufficient to answer every scientific 
purpose. Our limits, indeed, for treating ffiis part of 
our subject are so confined, that we deemed it preferable 
to treat one branch of the art of preserving thoroughly, 
than to say a little upon both. 
(227.) We shall now pass on to the different modes 
of preserving birds in cabinets, or otherwise, after they 
have been prepared. It was formerly the custom among 
our collectors to have each species in a wooden case by 
itself, with a glass in front ; the whole rendered air- 
tight : in this manner all the birds in the Leverian 
Museum were arranged, the cases being piled up so as 
to cover the sides of the apartments. The inconve- 
niences of this mode are obvious, for the specimens 
could only be examined through the glass ; and by 
having only one species in each case, a great deal of 
space was sacrificed. To tliis succeeded the fashion of 
grouping the birds upon branches, fastened into large 
cases, on the back and sides of which were painted 
landscapes, &c. ; this was introduced, we beheve, by 
Bullock, whose whole collection was displayed in this 
manner. This plan is certainly better adapted than the 
first for producing effect, by the contrast of colours and 
the variation of attitude ; so that, for those persons who 
merely possess a few splendid specimens for show, this 
is, perhaps, the best way of displaying them to advan- 
tage. For all useful or scientific purposes, however it 
is much worse than the last : the feet cannot be accu- 
rately seen, from the comparative obscurity in which 
very many of the birds must be thrown ; and, as only 
the glass front of the case can be removed, all attempts 
either to accurately examine, or measure, or draw, or 
describe specimens thus disposed, will not only be im- 
perfect, hut in many instances impossible.* This bar- 
* It is only doing justice to the authors of the “ Descriptit'e Catalogue 
of Australinu Birds in the Linn»an Society’s Collection,” to state that 
