The British Guiana Museum. 205 
by Mr. SAWKINS, one of the geological surveyors of the 
colony ; and below these a series of photographs, also of 
the interior. Some of the paintings have been con- 
siderably damaged by broken glass during the passage 
to and from foreign exhibitions to which they have been 
sent. On good authority the paintings have been stated 
to be, on the whole, faithful representations of the 
country, though many of them were painted from pencil 
drawings made at the time of the survey. Some of the 
scenes are extremely, even entrancingly, beautiful, and 
the combinations of mountain, forest and river are 
delightfully varied. 
In the small hand-cases beneath, opposite to the inlaid 
table, are seen specimens of eggs, chiefly birds' eggs, and 
specimens of the skulls of birds — interesting objects for 
the student— and casts of the bones of the remarkable 
extin6l bird, the Dodo. This bird, of which a picture 
is given on the chart of birds on the landing, was living 
in Mauritius about two centuries ago, but has since been 
exterminated. It was an ungainly objeft with a very 
thick and heavy body, bulky and ridiculous-looking head, 
short and stout legs, and small and useless remnants of 
wings — a bird, in fa6l, possessing no power of coping 
with, or escaping from its enemies. It is usually referred 
to the group of the Pigeons, its nearest of kin being 
apparently the Tooth-billed Pigeon or Little Dodo, a 
native of some of the Pacific Islands. 
In the corner, mounted on a stand, are shewn 
some large and admirable w r ood carvings executed 
by Mr. JOHN INGLIS of Berbice. The carvings 
are made of Euroballi wood from the Berbice River, 
and two of them represent a crucifix and the design on a 
DD 
