represented. There was a rather impressive
display of snakes. Most were poisonous with specimen (stuffed)
being some of the largest of the species. Of particular beauty
was a giant King Cobra measuring over 500 cm. We learned that
poisonous snakes are called elapid snakes indicating that they
kill their prey with a fast acting nerve poison. Another cute
little feller was a mounted Frilled Lizard. (Chlamydosaurus
Kingii). I couldn't find any further information on this guy
except he was a dead ringer for a model used in an old black and
white si-fi, something about a lost world.On the third floor we found two main exhibit subjects. One covering Europe and the other covering the Mediterranean worlds. The European
exhibit was filled with all kinds of nifty armor
and swords, not to mention a sizable collection of very ancient
firearms. Laura picked up on an interesting observation, all of
the armor was designed for men of very short stature. Maybe
5'6" but not more. The time frame was from around the 12th
to the 17th century. The firearms were from the same period, many
of which were ornately carved and inlaid with gold and stones.
There were also samples of late models carrying up to around WW
I. Of particular interest to me was a weird little French hand
gun called a Jarre pistol built around 1862, the Jarre pistol is
a form of magazine 
repeater with an 11 shot bar-shaped magazine
that advances as the trigger is pulled, bringing each chamber in
line with the breech of the barrel. Because of the shape of the
magazine, Jarre pistols were often referred to as
"harmonica" pistols. The Mediterranean World displayed
the splendor of ancient Persia and Egypt. There were beautiful
examples of earthen and stone works. 
Although the exhibit was small by comparison to
some of the other displays, it was not lacking in quality. Every
piece held special importance in a world that existed thousands
of years ago. There was even a simulated excavation into an
Egyptian tomb which gave one a feel for what it would be like to
work on an archaeological dig in a far away place. We were just
around the corner of the last wall of display cases when the
speaker announced that the museum was closing. We had been at it
for around 3 hours, and were tired but satisfied. If you're into
static displays in a sterile atmosphere this museum has much
appeal. There is definitely something to interest everybody, it's
just a matter of finding it. To find out more about the museum or
their hours check out their website at: http://www.rom.on.ca.
