Game Animals of the British Empire

Abstract

THE new gallery at the Natural History Museum, which is intended for the exhibition of whales, in replacement of the temporary building erected thirty-four years ago, was finished last autumn, but the economic crisis has interfered with the original plans, and, owing to lack of money, the Trustees have been unable to arrange for the renovation and removal of the large whale models. They decided that, in the circumstances, the gallery might usefully be employed for a comprehensive exhibit of the game animals of the British Empire. The open floor of the gallery has been divided into three parts, devoted to specimens from Africa, Indo-Malay, and Canada and Newfoundland respectively, the first of them being about as large as the other two combined, they themselves being equal. On the walls are suspended more than five hundred horns and skulls, some of the former being the ‘record’, that is, the largest known for the particular animal. Among the horns shown is the magnificent pair of the Indian buffalo which were included in the Sir Hans Sloane collection received in 1753 and are prominent among the limited number of zoological specimens which have lasted to our day. With the exception of a white giraffe which has been lent by Rowland Ward, Ltd., all the specimens are drawn from the Museum collections. They show to much greater advantage in their present setting than crowded together in glazed cases in the Mammal Galleries. The exhibit, which has been arranged by Capt. J. G. Dollman, was opened to the public on May 31.