Tring Museum

Abstract

THE bequest of the zoological collections at Tring by the late Lord Rothschild is the largest single benefaction both in quantity of specimens and in scientific importance that the British Museum has ever received. The collection may be considered as in two parts, one open to the public and the other reserved for study. In the first section, a general zoological series, are many notable specimens such as the long series of giant tortoises or the superb set of Struthious birds, probably the finest in existence and containing many types. The gorillas and other primates are of equal importance and, in addition, there are specimens of rare or recently extinct animals such as the quagga and fine series of rare marsupials and monotremes. The condition of all these specimens and their taxidermy is of the best. The most important section of the study collections is undoubtedly the enormous series, some two millions, of Lepidoptera. The long series of individual species has yielded, and will continue to yield, much information of scientific value. These Lepidoptera include about six thousand type specimens, a fact which by itself would make this bequest one of outstanding importance to the British Museum. There is likewise an extensive library of zoological, entomological and botanical books comprising about thirty thousand volumes in all. Many of these books are of great rarity. This addition of the Tring Museum will lead, no doubt, to important extensions in the scope of systematic research. Hitherto systematists have too often been hampered by having to work with too short series of specimens. The late Lord Rothschild was alive to this weakness in the foundations of this, his favourite, field of research, and did his best to build up really adequate series upon which future systematists could work. It will require to exhaust the possibilities of the material now available. It is to be hoped that the Tring Museum will be carried on as a living institution and that enough neighbouring land can be acquired to admit of future extension.