Natural world
Much of World Museum Liverpool's conchology collections were destroyed during the blitz. The present-day collections result almost entirely from post-war accessions, but these consists predominantly of earlier material.
The collection of molluscs is one of the largest in the UK and is worldwide in coverage. The collections are principally dry shells and are subdivided into British and Foreign.
The British & Irish dry shell collection comprises marine and non-marine shells from Britain and Ireland. The H C Winckworth marine shell collection was severely depleted by the wartime fire but remains our most important holding. The A W Stelfox land shells from Ireland, and the J W Jackson material from N W England, are the most significant elements in the British land molluscs.
Triton's Trumpet (Charonia tritonis)
The Foreign dry shells collection's most significant elements are the F P Marrat Olive shells, incorporating specimens figured in the Thesaurus Conchyliorum, together with his Nassa types.
Among the smaller collections is very early (possibly 18th century) material from the Liverpool Royal Institution, which was acquired from Bootle Museum.
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The most important items are the types of sponges from the Argo expedition to the West Indies, collected by Henry Higgins. A few items from the Challenger expedition are also present, though the spirit collections suffered considerably from lack of curation in the 1920s which led to dried-out specimens being discarded.