The British Guiana Museum. 247 
it is still plentiful. In the under part of the case are 
placed some large and very fine specimens of the pheas- 
ants. Among them are the common English pheasant, 
the golden pheasant with its beautiful ruff and crest and 
its handsome elongated tail feathers, the beautiful horned 
tragopan, with its curious pendent flap of skin which 
hangs from the lower jaw and can be inflated at will, 
and the monal pheasant, in which the various colours of 
the rainbow vie to rival each other in richness. 
In the following cases are to be seen specimens of 
grains and meal of different sorts, starches, beans, and 
various seeds of commercial importance, together with 
spices, dyes, wax, and other economic produfts. 
Overhead hangs a very fine specimen of the vampire 
of South America (Vampyrus spedlrumj already re- 
ferred to, erroneously thought to be the blood-sucking bat. 
Under this is seen the skull of a crocodile. In the upper 
jaw are plainly seen the two grooves, one on each side, 
close to the front, into which the two external canine teeth 
fit when the mouth is closed. 
An old Dutch cannon, of a very ancient breech-loading 
make, next attrafts attention. This cannon, from the 
initials which are found upon it, has been pronounced to 
be at least two hundred years old, and to belong to the 
time of WlLLOUGHBY. The cannon was found buried, 
while the Boerasirie canal was being made. 
In the next case, is arranged a miscellaneous set of 
specimens — among them, on one side, are collections of 
fibres and fibrous produ6ls, specimens of various rubbers, 
gutta-percha, balata, hiawa resin, gum animi, isinglass 
and other fish glue ; vanilla, crab-oil soap, a few medi- 
cinal barks and seeds, a sample of beeberine from the 
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