52 The Scottish Naturalist. 



situated in a large town, and with ample space and means at its 

 disposal, may endeavour with some hope of success to bring 

 together the products of every clime, and to arrange them in such 

 a manner that they may best convey instruction. But a provincial 

 museum, with necessarily limited space and funds, will probably, 

 if its vaulting ambition leaps too high, achieve no better end than 

 that of showing " how not to do it." What the aim of a local 

 museum should be is to get together as complete a collection 

 as possible of the natural productions of the district, and to 

 arrange them in the manner best calculated to instruct any visitor, 

 however ignorant he may be of natural science. But such a col- 

 lection has other uses than this, since it will eventually supply a 

 mine from which the educated naturalist may derive much valuable 

 information. Moreover, such a museum may attain in its o>\\ n 

 line the perfection which is beyond the reach of the more 

 ambitious, but less judiciously planned one. At the same time, 

 to more effectually carry out the educational objects of the local 

 museum, it is well to supplement the local collection (which will 

 form its principal contents) by a smaller collection constructed to 

 show the chief features of the classification and structure of the 

 animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. Such a collection is 

 called an " index collection," and should be kept apart (or as far 

 apart as circumstances permit) from the local collection. 



On this plan the arrangement of the Perthshire Natural History 

 Museum has been carried out. Most of the space has been 

 allotted to the zoology, botany, and geology of Perthshire, and 

 the Basin of the Tay, but four table-cases have been set apart for 

 the index collection, and we will begin with the description of the 

 latter. 



Each table-case is 13 feet long by 4 feet wide, and consists of 

 two longitudinal compartments, each of which contains twelve 

 wooden trays for holding specimens. The cases are made of 

 polished mahogany, and glazed with plate-glass. Inside they are 

 lined with white paper, and have a gentle slope backwards from 

 the front to the middle longitudinal line. 



Owing to the limited space (rather more than 200 square feet) 

 afforded by the table-cases, it is evident that if the collection was 

 to fulfil its purpose, the specimens must be very judiciously 

 selected, and space allotted. One case and a half has been 

 devoted to geology, the same amount to zoology, and one case to 

 botany. 



The geological index collection contains three departments. 



