20 
NATURAL HISTORY. [UPPER FLOOR. 
ursina , Linn.), an adult specimen of Weddell’s Sea- 
Leopard, and the Long-bodied Seal of Parsons ( Hali - 
chcerus gryphus, Gray). The Gnu ( Antilope Gnu , Zimm.), 
the Dauw (. Equus Burchellii , Gray), and between them 
tlie Caama ( Antilope bubalis , Licht.), and, in front of 
the latter, the Giant Armadillo (Dasypus gigas, Cuv.), of 
which a second specimen is over the adjoining Cases. 
The Zebra ( Equus Zebra , Linn.), another specimen of 
the Dauw. All the above, except the Armadillo, which 
is from America, are from the Cape of Good Hope, and 
were brought to England, and presented to the British 
Museum, by William Burchell , Esq. Over the mantel¬ 
piece, are the Long and the Short-tailed Manis. 
NINTH ROOM. 
The Mammalia in the upper Cases in this apartment 
are supplementary to those in the Saloon, and are only 
placed here until the new Saloon is ready for their recep¬ 
tion. Amongst them are the Nepaul and Egyptian Goats, 
(Capra hircus , Linn., var. nepalensis , and C. nubiana, F. 
Cuv.), a specimen of the Musk Deer ( Moschus moschi - 
ferus , Linn.), the Egyptian Antelope (A.dorcas, Linn.) and 
its fawn, the Persian Bull and Cow, ( Bos Taurus , Linn. var. 
indicus ,) and the Broad-hoofed Antelope, ( A . nasomacu - 
lata , Blainv.). Above these Cases, and fixed against the 
wall, is the tanned skin of a large species of Boa, killed at 
Minas Geraes, in South America. The skins of these 
enormous serpents, when prepared in this manner, are 
used by the natives for making boots, &c. Over the Case 
No. 1, is the nest of a species of Wasp, from India. 
The Upright Wall Cases contain Mammalia, Am¬ 
phibia, and Invertebrated animals, in spirits. 
In Cases No. 1, 2, and 3, are the collection of Am¬ 
phibia in spirits, as various species of Frogs ( Rana ), 
some of a large size. Amongst them is the Jack}^ ( Rana 
paradoxa ,) the tadpole, or larva of which, is larger than the 
perfect animal, losing, at its metamorphosis, its enormous 
tail and external skin, whence the older naturalists ima¬ 
gined the order of nature to be reversed in this animal, 
and that the frog became a tadpole, or as they called it, a 
fish,—an error long since exploded. The Tree Frogs 
