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Description: | This collection is an extremely important source of local reference and voucher specimens and comprises:
Birds - a good range British species, both study skins and mounted specimens, including some rarities such as the Great Bustard and the White-tailed Sea Eagle. There is also an unusual collection of albino species. Much of the material in the collection is local. Among the foreign species is a mounted Kakapo or flightless owl parrot from New Zealand collected long ago, of which there may be fewer than 50 left alive in the world.
Birds' eggs - these include an egg and nest collection made by Wigglesworth, an important early 20th century ornithologist.
Mammals - there is a small collection of British mammals.
Bone collections (Osteology) - there are a number of skulls of lion and other large mammals.
Reptiles and amphibians - there are a few specimens
Shells - there is a small but good collection of foreign marine and terrestrail shells with some rare examples, such as a collection of Japanese land snails. The collection of British land, freshwater and marine shells is notable for its scope, containing identified specimens of both tiny species and deep water species.
Insects - the insect collections are important and well documented, the Diptera and Coleoptera collections are especially good. The Hawkins collection contains voucher specimens for the Somerset list of coleoptera.
Herbaria - the herbarium is well documented and scientifically important, with items provided by all the major botanists associated with Somerset. | Subjects: | Biology | Source: | Cornucopia - Discovering UK Collections | Address: | Taunton Castle
Castle Green
Taunton,
TA1 4AA | FAX: | 01823 320 229 | Telephone: | 01823 320 201 | Identifier: | oai:www.cornucopia.org.uk:2804 | Go to resource |
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