44 
GUIDE TO THE 
varieties are shown, and the rest of the large family of 
Cliaradriidae or Plovers, so well known to all in- 
habitants of the coast-districts, where they are found 
in enormous numbers, and often test the ingenuity of 
the sportsmen, on account of their shyness, but 
naturally less known inland, although occurring every- 
where where there is water. 
A remarkably beautiful and fine albino is the com- 
pletely white Curlew, Numenius arquatus. 
The next case, the corner case on this side, contains 
the subclass 
Batitae, 
or the Ostriches and Ostrich-like birds. This case is 
remarkable for the preparation of the Cassowaries. 
These are modelled and coloured from sketches and 
photographs taken from living specimens, and most 
of the specimens have been kept alive before they 
were mounted. This is probably the first museum in 
which this course is followed. Some of the Cassowaries 
are also very rare species. A striking object also 
is the towering cast of a skeleton of the extinct 
gigantic Moa of New Zealand, together with several 
real skeletons of smaller species of Moa, among them 
the most complete Moa-skeleton known, and the 
skeleton of an Aepyornis from Madagascar, two eggs 
of which are also exhibited. The Emus {Bromaeus) 
belong to the same group as the Cassowaries, agreeing 
with them in many characteristics, suph ^s the absence 
