Then follow three tables (5-7) of splendid butterflies, with their
brilliant tints. The two tables (8, 9) ranged next in order to those
upon which the butterflies are distributed, are covered with varieties
of the moth. Here are the silkworm moth and its cocoon as kept in
Siberia; the ghost moth of our hop grounds; the hawk moth, the death's
head moth, and the large Brazilian owl moth.
The next table (10) is covered with a great variety of flies and bugs,
including the Chinese lantern flies.
The eleventh table is given up to Spiders in all their varieties,
including the tarantula, a formidable insect with a power of severe
biting; and the curious spider that bores a nest in the ground, lines
it sumptuously with its own silk, and then constructs a lid that
closes inevitably, as the insect leaves its house. Here too are the
scorpions. The last table of the series (12) is covered also with
varieties of the spider, including the land and shepherd spiders; the
African scarlet tick, and the centipedes. The visitor has now
completed his survey of the contents of this room, and should at once
pass forward in an easterly direction, traverse the British zoological
room, which he has already examined throughout, and pass into the
fourth room of the gallery.
The table-cases in this room present nothing that can greatly interest
the unscientific visitor. They are covered with varieties of