Not to mention old fossils and plenty of pickled specimens.

But there isn't the slightest danger of any of them causing a scandal or bringing the Government down.

On the contrary they are regarded as important links in the chain of Bermuda's natural history, which curator Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer and his staff are carefully documenting and preserving at Bermuda's only Natural History Museum.

In the Aquarium at Flatts, the Museum is slowly being transformed from what Dr. Sterrer described as "a hodge podge of things that the cat dragged in'' to a logical, attractive and educational display of Bermuda's marine and bird life.

"The original museum sort of slid into existence in the 1940s, and started with a curio cabinet of things -- some Bermuda-related, and some from other parts of the world. Even the greatest museums in the world started the same way, usually the result of someone collecting things in their travels and wanting to share them with others.'' In the mid-'80s, due to the limitations of space, Dr. Sterrer said "a conscious decision was made to drop items from around the world and focus on Bermuda's natural history within the framework of its geographical area''.

At the same time, Government decreed that the Natural History Museum should be upgraded into an academic facility "so that it was not just a showcase with a few things behind glass, but would become an scientific repository for data, specimens and so forth relating to Bermuda's natural history,'' Dr. Sterrer explained.

Thus, a second storey was added to the museum area a few years ago, which houses Dr. Sterrer's office, a library, laboratory, and air- and temperature-controlled storage rooms filled with shelves, drawers and jars of shells, molluscs, shellfish, birds, moths, butterflies and fish, among other things.

"The museum which the public sees is only a small part of its holdings and activities. There is a lot going on behind the scenes,'' Dr. Sterrer said.

"The mandate of the new museum is to assemble a representative collection of data and specimens relating to Bermuda's natural history in the broadest sense -- geology, fossils, marine and land environments, plants, animals. Not only do we want to have these specimens preserved for eternity but also to be able to provide photographs for distribution.'' But it is not simply as collectors and displayers of specimens that the Museum will function. These items will also form the basis of scientific studies to learn more about the Island's natural history.

"In other words, what the public sees is what comes to the surface in these studies. As scientists gain more insight into Bermuda's natural history we want to make that available to the public,'' the curator said.

And behind it all a master plan is being drawn up with the ultimate aim of making the new Natural History Museum a fascinating place to be.

"In living up to our mandate, we must translate our presentation of Bermuda's natural history into something which is appealing and holds people's attention,'' Dr. Sterrer said. "It also means we have to address our message to several different types of audience.'' With 130,000 visitors a year passing through the Aquarium and Museum, the curator noted that appealing to all tastes was a tricky business.

"Basically, we have two groups of visitors: tourists and Bermudians. We assume the tourists most want to know about Bermuda's natural history and they want to be entertained in a nice, attractive way. They probably want to know, `What is this rock we're standing on? Where did it come from, what is its history?' and so forth.

"The other group is Bermudians, and while we think they want to know primarily about Bermuda's natural history (this being the only science museum on the Island) we also want to present it within the general framework of science -- to explain the concept of biological evolution. In other words, to use natural history as a stepping stone to the knowledge of science.'' Choosing the type of presentation was only half the battle, the curator said.

How it was presented was the other. Because of widespread travel and competition from other media, the public was now much more demanding about what was presented in museums.

"People don't want to look at dead things in a glass case, so museums and zoos must think of ways to present information in a lively way,'' Dr. Sterrer said. "It isn't easy. You have to think in terms of interactive, multi-media presentations, but if you go too far into mechanical and electrical inter-actives, there is a tendency for the public, particularly children, to abuse them.'' Turning to the Museum's growing collection of specimens, which collections officer Mrs. Lisa Greene is responsible for preparing, preserving and recording in the records, Dr. Sterrer said they came from many sources, including the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Parks, and members of the public.

"In addition, we still get collections from abroad. In years gone by people used to collect things in Bermuda and take them to their hometown institutes, which is normal procedure, but now many of these places are perfectly happy to let us have at least part of the collection back,'' Dr. Sterrer related. "For example, we are currently working on getting back at least part of a Bermuda collection housed at the Smithsonian Institution.'' Particularly encouraging was the fact that the Bermuda public was now much more aware of the Museum's existence, and increasingly brought in for identification specimens which they had found. But here Dr. Sterrer struck a cautionary note.

"In order for them to be viable, we must know when, where and by whom specimens were collected,'' he said.

In addition to its other functions, the Bermuda Natural History Museum also operates a wide-reaching educational programme, including tours and structured visits for students as well as free lecture courses for adults.

PINPOINTING THE PAST -- Bermuda National History Museum curator Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer discusses the skull of a Cuvier's beaked whale with collections officer Mrs. Lisa Greene.

NATURAL HISTORY -- Skulls of zoo and domestic animals are part of a wide-ranging and extensive collection of specimens to be found behind the scenes at the Bermuda National History Museum.