THE NORTHERN ZOOLOGICAL GALLERY.

FIRST ROOM.

At the entrance into this gallery is placed a specimen of a Gigantic Land Tortoise (Testudo elephantina). This kind is found in Aldabra only, a small uninhabited island in the Indian Ocean, north-west of Madagascar. Formerly found in great abundance, it is now nearly extinct, the majority of the specimens having been captured by the crews of passing vessels, so that a few only remain. The specimen exhibited is a male, which weighed 870 pounds, and although known to have been more than 80 years old, was still growing at the time of its death.

The skeleton, with carapace, of the Leathery Turtle (Sphargis), the largest of all living Chelonians. Its shell is devoid of bone, and flexible like leather. It seems to inhabit all seas of the temperate and tropical zones, and has rarely occurred on the British coast. flesh is not eaten.

Its

The WALL CASES 1-8 contain a collection of Nests of Wasps and Bees; some are constructed of clay, or of sand, while others are of a paper-like substance, made of an admixture of the scrapings of wood and vegetable fibre with the saliva of the insects. Specimens of the various insect fabricators of these structures are in many instances attached to the nests. Case 6 contains the remains of the square lintel of a door of one of the government offices in St. Helena, showing the destruction caused by a species of White Ant. In Case 8, a series of the different stages of development, and of the products of the Japanese Silk-moths, prepared and set up in Japan, is exhibited. Cases 9-16 contain a collection of the Nests of Birds; among the more noticeable are the playing avenues of the Australian Bower Birds, the pendulous nests of the American Orioles, and the nests of the Esculent Swallow that of the San Geronimo Swallow is a long pendulous tube formed entirely of the seed of a plant, secured together by the saliva of the bird; the hollow for the eggs is at the top, inside the tube; the bird has placed a false entrance on the side to deceive its enemies. Various nests of Humming Birds, Honeyeaters, Tailor Bird and Lyre-tailed Menura, are also shown. The TABLE CASES 1-8 contain specimens illustrative of the various changes of Insects, their nests and structures; the cocoon of the gigantic Goliath Beetle of Western Africa, the clay nests of various species of White Ants, the various Vegetable Galls, and a series of the nests of Spiders; among these the nests of the Trap-door Spider, and a remarkable flat web, constructed by an Australian species, are shown here.

On the walls are suspended some specimens of the large gigantic Land-Tortoises which once inhabited in large numbers the Galapagoes and the islands of Mauritius, Rodriguez, and Aldabra. They formed a very important article of food to navigators in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries during the protracted and tedious voyages across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but are now almost extinct.

SECOND ROOM.

The WALL CASES contain the stuffed exotic REPTILES and BATRACHIA; in the Table Cases are contained the hard parts of the RADIATED ANIMALS, including the SEA-EGGS, SEA-STARS, and ENCRINITES.

The Wall Cases 1-8 contain the order of LIZARDS; exemplified by the Monitors or Varanus of Africa, India, and Australia; the Heloderms of Mexico, which have grooves in the back of the teeth like the poison-fangs of serpents; the Safeguards, large lizards of the tropical parts of America. The Tuatera (Hatteria), the largest reptile of New Zealand. The Scines (Case 5), generally small, and polished: some have distinct and strong legs, and others only traces of them; in the Blind Worms the bones of the legs are hid under the skin. Case 6, 7. The Guanas, many of which are highly esteemed as food, are natives of America, and, like the Chameleons, have the power of rapidly changing their colour; the large marine Iguanas from the Galapogos Islands, one of which feeds on sea-weeds; the diminutive Dragons of India, with the skin of their sides expanded upon long slender ribs, in the form of wings, which spread out and support the creatures as they leap from branch to branch. In Case 8 is the Moloch of Australia, covered with large spines. The Chlamydosaurus, or frilled Lizard of North Australia, with a large folded frill round its neck, like a Queen Elizabeth's ruff, which it can elevate when excited. The Chameleons of Africa and India, celebrated for the rapidity with which they change their colours; they live exclusively on trees and bushes and feed on insects, which they catch by protruding their long tongue; only a small part of the eye is visible, the rest being covered with skin; the eyes move independently of each other.

Cases 9-13. SNAKES or SERPENTS. Case 9. The Poisonous Serpents, such as the Rattle-snakes of the New World, which have a rattle at the end of the tail; this rattle is formed of a series of hard horny joints, fitting loosely one into another, which the animal can shake at pleasure; the Vipers, such as the Adder, the only venomous reptile of the British Islands; the Puff-adders of Africa, so named from their power of inflating their bodies when irritated. Cases 10, 11. The Boas, with rudiments of legs; they are not venomous, and kill their prey by constriction, twisting the end of their prehensile tail round a tree, and thus increasing their power over the animal when encircled by the folds of their body; their gape is enormous. A large specimen of the Anaconda (Boa murina) commonly, but not quite correctly, called Boa constrictor, is exhibited in a separate case in the middle of the room. It is a native of the hottest parts of South America, where it lives on the banks of rivers and lakes watching for its prey, which consists chiefly in animals coming to the water to drink. The specimen exhibited is 29 feet long; but this kind grows to a still larger size, and is undoubtedly the largest kind of snakes in existence. It has been mounted in the act of seizing a Pekkary, but

it would have been able to overpower and swallow an animal of twice or thrice that size. Case 13. The Colubrine Snakes, many of which have poison-fangs, such as the Sea-snakes found in the seas of Asia and Australia; the Coral Snakes, banded with black and red rings; the Cobra Snakes, which can dilate the skin of the neck so as to form a kind of hood behind the head; they are the snakes used by the Indian jugglers, who carefully extract the poison-fangs before using them in the performances. The Tree Snakes called, from the great length of their bodies, the Coach whip Snakes; one kind has the nose much produced.

Cases 14-22. The TORTOISES and TURTLES. Cases 14, 15. The Land Tortoises living on vegetable substances. Some of the largest kinds of this tribe have been mentioned above (p. 18). Specimens of the singular Abingdon Tortoise (Testudo abingdonii) are exhibited in this rooni; they come from Abingdon Island (Galapagoes Archipelago), where they were quite recently discovered by Commodore Cookson, of H.M.S. Petrel. Their shell is so thin as to be easily pierced by a knife. Cases 16-19. The Fresh-water Tortoises living on animal food; some of these cannot withdraw their heads into the cavity of the shell like the other Tortoises. Cases 20-22. The Three-clawed Terrapins living in the rivers of Africa, Asia, and America; they are carnivorous, and eat their food in the water. The Marine Turtles live in the ocean, feeding chiefly on sea-weeds and shell-fish; these include the Green Turtle, the fat of which is so much relished by the gourmand; the imbricated Turtle, which furnishes the "tortoise shell."

Cases 22-25. The CROCODILES and AMPHISBÆNAS. The Crocodiles and Alligators drown their prey before devouring it; the Alligators are only found in America; the Crocodiles in Australia, India, Africa, and America; the Gavial, or long-beaked Crocodile, is peculiar to India, and feeds chiefly on fishes, for taking which its long and slender snout and sharp teeth are well adapted. The Amphisbænas are so called from both ends being nearly equally blunt, which has led to the idea that they could move backwards or forwards with equal ease.

Case 26. The BATRACHIA, such as the Toads, Frogs, and Newts; the Tree-frogs can walk on polished surfaces, and over the smoothest leaves; the Bull-frogs of America, so called from their loud bellowing noise; the horned Frogs of Brazil; the Pipa of Brazil, which transfers the eggs into cells on the back of the female, where they are hatched, passing through the form of the tadpole, and escaping as a perfect animal after a certain period; the great Salamander from Japan; the Siren of Carolina, which looks like an eel, with front legs-it is a truly amphibious animal, with lungs and gills; as is the Proteus inhabiting caves in Carniola; a wax model is added, to show its appearance when alive; the coral-coloured appendages to the head are the gills.

The Table Cases (1 to 10) contain the ECHINI, or Sea-eggs, such as the Club-spined Echinus and the Tessellated Echinus; the spines readily fall off when the animal is dead. Tables 7, 8. Sea-Pancakes,

so depressed that there scarcely appears to be any room for their internal organs. Tables 11-18. The Star-fish, some with five and others with many rays; the rays are easily reproduced when broken or injured. Tables 19-23. The Lizard-tailed Star-fish throw off the ends of their rays when they are handled or put into fresh water. Table 23. The Gorgon's Head, with its many branches, somewhat resembling the Medusa's Head of Mythology. Table 24. The Comatula, or Sea-Wigs, the living representatives of the Encrinites found abundantly in some rocks. There is a recent Encrinite from the West Indies in a small case at the side of the doorway, and another under a glass-shade on one of the Table-cases.

THE THIRD ROOM CONTAINS THE

BRITISH ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION.

The WALL CASES hold the Vertebrate Animals; the larger species, such as the Whales, Sharks, Tunny, Sturgeon and Skeleton of Sword fish, &c., are suspended on the Walls, or placed on the top of the Wall Cases.

The TABLE CASES contain Eggs of Birds; a series of British Annulose Animals, to illustrate the arrangement of the British Insects, Spiders and Crabs; the Collections of Shells and Radiated Animals.

Several large skeletons of fishes are exhibited on the top of the table cases, viz.: the skull of the Sea-Devil or Angler (Lophius); a perfect skeleton of the Hake, remarkable by the extraordinary dilatation of the lateral processes of the vertebræ; and skeletons of the Cod, Carp, and Maigre (Sciana aquila). Particularly deserving of notice is a young specimen of the Basking Shark (See p. 3), captured near Lowestoft; and a full-grown Fox Shark or Thresher (Alopecias vulpes). This Shark is common round the British Coasts, in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, as well as on the coasts of California and New Zealand; it attains a length of thirteen feet, and feeds chiefly on Herrings, Pilchards, and Sprats; it uses its extremely long tail in splashing the surface of the water, whilst it swims in gradually decreasing circles round a shoal of fish which are thus kept together and caught by the shark in great numbers. Also stuffed examples of a gigantic SeaPerch from the African coast, which is known to attack bathers, and of a very large Cat-fish from the Upper Amazons, are temporarily exhibited here.

Some table cases are fitted up for the reception of instructive examples of Salmonoids; for instance, a large male Salmon in the highest condition from the Tay; its weight was forty-six pounds. Another male Salmon after spawning, from Ireland; this fish was found in an exhausted condition. A male Salmon from Denmark; on dissection it proved to be a sterile fish; in its stomach was found a full-grown Herring. Male and female of the Sea-Trout (S. trutta) from the Tweed. Other specimens of British Salmonoids are exhibited in the wall cases: large examples of the common Trout from the Thames (S. fario), weight twelve and fourteen pounds; of the Gillaroo

from Ireland, and of the Great Lake Trout (S. ferox); of the Sewin of Wales, and of the Sea- or Bull-Trout (S. trutta).

In the Wall Cases 1-9 are the British MAMMALIA. Cases 10-30 contain the BIRDS. Among these is a specimen of the Great Auk, a species which has now become extinct; in the bottom of the Case is a Collection of Nests of some of the smaller British Birds. Case 31. The British REPTILES. Cases 31-43. The British FISHES; the rare Ausonia cuvieri, found once only on the English coast; the Opah or King-fish (Lampris), one of the most delicious fishes, is represented by a full-grown example and by a skeleton, showing the enormous development of the shoulder-bones.

FOURTH ROOM.

The WALL CASES round the Room contain the stuffed collection of Bony Fishes. The TABLE CASES contain a selected series of Annulose Animals, to exhibit their systematic arrangement.

Wall Cases 1-12 contain the SPINY-RAYED Fishes, that is, those which have numerous spines in the fin on the back, like the Perch. They are found in the sea as well as in fresh water, and form many very distinct groups. Cases 1-3. The common Fresh-water Perch of Europe and North America (Perca); the Bass of Europe, North America, Africa, India, and Australia (Labrax, Lates); the Pike-Perch (Lucioperca), celebrated for its delicious flesh; the numerous SeaPerches (Serranus, Mesoprion, Pristipoma). Case 4 the various kinds of Sea-Breams, some of which attain a weight of fifty pounds, all being esteemed as food; the Red Mullets (Mullus). Case 5 contains the Chaetodons, beautifully coloured during life, and swarming between the corals of the tropical seas; several kinds of Chilodactylus, one of the most important fishes on the Cape of Good Hope and in 'other parts of the South Pacific, where large quantities are dried for exportation. Case 6: the Gurnards (Trigla), the Flying Gurnards (Dactylopterus). Case 7: the Maigre Tribe (Scianida), most of which are of very large size and edible; the air-bladder of some of the Indian kinds yields isinglass, and one (Pogonias chromis) is the Drum-fish of the Americans, producing musical sounds under water; the Tribe of the Polynemidæ, easily recognized by the long filaments behind the head; one of the best sorts of isinglass is obtained from their airbladder; the Barracudas (Sphyranida), armed with formidable teeth; the flesh of some of the West Indian species is poisonous. Also several of the more important Food-fishes of Tasmania. Cases 8-10: the tribe of Trichiuride, all rapacious fish, with a long body like the Barracudas; one kind (Thyrsites) is celebrated for the excellent flavour of its flesh, and much esteemed at Madeira and in the West Indies; the species found at the Cape forms an article of export; and another kind is one of the principal food-fishes of Tasmania. The Mackarel and Horse-mackarel Tribes, found all over the globe; to these belong the Mackarel, Tunny, Bonite, the Sucker (Echeneis), which attaches itself by means of a sucker on the head to ships, sharks, turtles, etc., the John Dorees (Zeus), the Dolphins (Coryphana), the

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