Fig. 25.—The Coconut Crab (Birgus latro).
The northern half of this gallery is devoted to the exhibited series of Insects. Next to the door on the east side are the nests of White Ants or Termites, while on the opposite side are some remarkable cocoons of social Caterpillars of various Moths, and also a series of preparations showing the metamorphoses or changes undergone by Insects as they grow to maturity. At the sides of the gallery are models of various galls, with drawings of the insects which cause them; and others showing the life-histories of certain Beetles, Bees, and Moths. Beneath a shelf, on the west side, are four cabinets containing a collection of British Butterflies and Moths with their caterpillars, prepared and presented by Lord Walsingham; and near by stands a cabinet containing a collection of the Butterflies and Moths of the British islands formed by the late Mr. William Buckler, most of the specimens in which were bred by him during the preparation of his “Larvæ of British Butterflies and Moths.” Above these are maps illustrating the geographical distribution of certain Beetles (Calosoma, Carabus, Julodis and Stigmodera); actual specimens of the insects being placed in position on the maps. The wall-cases at the end of the gallery are devoted exclusively to the nests of Ants, Wasps, and Bees. On the east wall is a large case containing specimens and drawings explaining the structure of Insects. On the west side, next the Walsingham collection, are cabinets containing a selection of British Insects. Lower down are other cabinets in the series of foreign Butterflies; while foreign Moths and other Insects are arranged in adjacent cabinets. In another part of the gallery are exhibited coloured drawings of a few of the smallest Insects known, namely the Mymaridæ, a group of minute parasitic Hymenoptera; and above is a drawing of a House-Fly, enlarged in the same proportion—thirty diameters—to show the contrast. A few specimens of the insects themselves are placed in the microscope below.
In the table-cases in the middle of the gallery are specimens and illustrations of some of the principal families of Insects, with explanations of the characters by which these may be recognised. The first case (next to the west door) contains an introductory series, and then follow the various orders in sequence commencing with the most primitive forms or Aptera, among which Campodea, a small British insect, may be specially noticed.
The classification of Butterflies, Bees and Ants, and Beetles is shown in the last three cases; and attention may be specially directed to a series of drawings illustrating the transformations of Fleas, Gnats, Midges, etc.
The main collection of insects is kept in cabinets in the “Insect Room” in the basement, but is open to students under the regulations mentioned at the end of this guide.
Reptile Gallery.[13]
III. The long Reptile-gallery contains mounted specimens and skeletons of Reptiles, including Crocodiles, Lizards, Snakes, and Tortoises, as well as restorations or casts of the remains of many groups now entirely extinct. The most noticeable specimen in this gallery is the model of the skeleton of the gigantic extinct North American land Reptile known as Diplodocus carnegii, which measures over eighty feet in length, and was presented by Mr. Andrew Carnegie in 1905. Restored models of the skeletons of the Iguanodon, a British Dinosaur, and of the North American Horned Dinosaur (Triceratops) are also noteworthy.
Fig. 26.—Saddle-backed Tortoise (Testudo abingdoni), of Abingdon Island, Galapagos Group.
The Crocodiles and their extinct relatives occupy the cases on the left of the entrance from the Bird-gallery and also a stand in the middle of the gallery; and among these may be specially noticed the Indian Gharial, of which both the skeleton and skin are exhibited. The two small cases on each side of the west doorway are occupied by extinct forms and the peculiar Tuatera Lizard of New Zealand. At the south end of the east side are arranged the Turtles and Tortoises, including examples of the Giant Tortoises of the Galapagos (fig. 26) and Mascarene Islands, as well as a large species (Testudo calcarata) from North Africa. Opposite the Turtles and Tortoises are the Snakes, among which two large Pythons, coloured to nature, form attractive exhibits. Extinct groups occupy a small case on each side of the east door. Beyond these come the Lizards, which occupy the cases opposite the Crocodiles. The series of Old World Monitor Lizards and American Iguanas is specially noteworthy; and attention may be likewise directed to the curious worm-like Amphisbænas, of which the majority inhabit Tropical America. Casts of remains of the extinct marine Ichthyosaurs and Plesiosaurs are shown in the small cases on the sides of the doorway in the east wall.