History of the Herpetological Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum

anniversary of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM) in 1902, the herpetological material consisted of 5,066 identified specimens of 973 species. Remarkable parts of the collection were those collected and donated by SAMUEL FENICHEL and LAJOS BIRO from New Guinea, JANOS XANTUS from the United States, Mexico and Borneo, GYULA MADARASZ from Ceylon, and DANIEL ANISITS from Paraguay. These were all processed by MEHELY, and most of the type material have also been deposited in the HNHM. The Hungarian part of the collection included extensive material from the whole Carpathian Basin, 1,433 locality samples of 50 species and subspecies altogether, as summarised by FEJERVARY-LANGH in 1943. In 1953, the famous Africa Exhibition of the HNHM was opened, with deligthful dioramas prepared by taxidermist SANDOR ORY, who also mounted a number of reptile specimens. Unfortunately, this exhibition was burnt to ash in 1956, and it could never be reconstructed. The destruction caused by Russian bombs during the Hungarian revolution almost totally annihilated the scientific collection in the Department of Zoology in Baross street as well; approximately 40,000 specimens with 20–25 valid type specimens, and the complete herpetological library were lost. The extremely hard work of reconstruction of the collection was the merit of two committed