The Organisation of a Zoo-archaeological Reference Collection of Bird Bones

Abstract

This note describes how we have organised part of our reference collection of bird bones in a series of drawers. The layout takes into consideration a) part of the skeleton (all humeri, for example, are housed together), b) size (smallest species are in the first drawer, larger in the second and so on), and c) taxonomic position (within each drawer specimens within orders, whose labels are colour-coded, are grouped together). Empty cells, reserved for species still missing from the collection, serve as reminders of possible alternative identifications for an archaeological specimen and therefore help to prevent the tendency of forcing identification to what is present in the reference collection.