How to See the British Museum in Four Visits · Chapter 15The British Zoological Room
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In this room, as in the previous rooms, the vertebrated animals are grouped in the wall cases or on the top of the cases. It is hardly necessary to guide the visitor systematically through the intricacies of a collection, every beast, bird, fish, and shell of which is native to his own land. In the wall cases devoted to British vertebrate animals he will notice, first the Carnivorous Beasts, which include the foxes; stoats; cats; &c.:—the Glirine Beasts, including rabbits; squirrels; hares; rats; and mice:—the Hoofed Beasts, as the fallow deer; the stag; and the roebuck:—and the Insectivorous Beasts, including moles; hedgehogs; &c.
The collection of British birds includes the Birds of Prey, as the hawks; the eagles; and the owls:—the Perching Birds, as the swallows; kingfishers; thrushes; butcher birds; rollers; and wagtails:—the Scraping Birds, as pheasants; pigeons; quails; partridges; and guinea-fowls:—the Wading Birds, including the woodcock; snipes; herons; sandpipers; storks; &c.:—and the Web-footed Birds, including swans; ducks, and sea ducks; grebes; divers; auks; petrels; gulls; gannets; cormorants; &c. The eggs of the birds are in a table case (1) and arranged like the birds.
The British reptiles are all collected in the upper part of one case, including toads; frogs; and lizards.
The British fish occupy the remainder of the wall cases. These include perch; bream; the john-dory; carp; barbel; salmon; pike; trout; sturgeon; the shark; thornback; lamprey; turbot; plaice; sole; flounder; cod; haddock; &c.