Most of the Invertebrate Zoology (animals without a backbone) collection was lost during the May Blitz. But one collection of shells seems to have survived because it was it considered to be a bit out of the ordinary. In 1888 Mr Gaskoin sold his collection of shells to Liverpool (now World Museum). He was interested in shells that were naturally misshapen, or shells that had been repaired by the animals that lived inside them. 

These shells did not really fit in with the museum’s classification style displays that relied upon a good or typical example of one of each type of shell. It is thought that these shells were not on display, but had been tucked away in a cupboard out of sight in the back of the museum and so they had survived the bombs and the fire.

Bulimus Reevil | National Museums Liverpool

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Most of the Invertebrate Zoology (animals without a backbone) collection was lost during the May Blitz. But one collection of shells seems to have survived because it was it considered to be a bit out of the ordinary. In 1888 Mr Gaskoin sold his collection of shells to Liverpool (now World Museum). He was interested in shells that were naturally misshapen, or shells that had been repaired by the animals that lived inside them. These shells did not really fit in with the museum’s classification style displays that relied upon a good or typical example of one of each type of shell. It is thought that these shells were not on display, but had been tucked away in a cupboard out of sight in the back of the museum and so they had survived the bombs and the fire.

Bulimus Reevil

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