44 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



six feet of the room is above the grade of the building, and there is 

 generous window space so that the lighting is better than is found in 

 many museum halls. In general the building is a modern French 

 adaptation of Greek and Eoman styles and is constructed of Pompeiian 

 brick with trimmings of Indiana limestone and terra-cotta. The chief 

 ornamental feature is the portico with massive limestone foundations 

 and its four great columns of polished granite. The building is some- 

 what removed from the street so that the noise of traffic is escaped. It 

 is situated near the center of the city and in close proximity to 

 Library, Art Museum and High School. The opportunity thus afforded 

 of cooperation between these institutions has been utilized with excellent 

 results. 



An important element in the success of the museum is the excel- 

 lence of the cases. They have been designed so as to secure the largest 

 possible glass surface and adequate protection against dust. The frames 

 are of quartered oak and are fitted with the highest grade of plate-glass. 

 In adjusting the shelves, the display of specimens to the best advantage 

 has been constantly kept in mind, and the cases have been modified ac- 

 cording to the kind of material exhibited. A buff color has proved most 

 satisfactory for a background. On the main floor there are now ten 

 standing cases, each ten feet long, four feet wide and seven feet high. 

 This height seems most convenient for the utilization of all shelf space. 

 There are thirteen wall cases of somewhat smaller dimensions than the 

 standing floor cases. Four table cases are used for material in botany 

 and two desk cases for shells and birds ' eggs. For animal groups there 

 are in all seventeen cases, making a total of forty cases in the main 

 museum, to which must be added eight wall eases and two desk cases 

 for the material in archeology, and historical relics. In the desk cases, 

 only the upper part is used for display of specimens, and the space below 

 is fitted with drawers for the preservation of duplicate and study col- 

 lections. 



The arrangement of the museum has been based on the principle of 

 a simple and systematic grouping that should give an attractive ap- 

 pearance; where such a course seemed desirable, liberty has been taken 

 to depart from a strictly formal classification. On the left side of the 

 main hall are collections in mineralogy, lithology and geology. One 

 alcove contains the Samuel Cotton Booth collection of local minerals, 

 and a wall case is devoted to specimens of unusual rarity or beauty. 

 This material is supplemented by relief maps, as, the Colorado caiion, 

 the Volcanic District of the Auvergne in central France, the United 

 States with a representation of the glacial ice-sheet, and southern New 

 England. Photographs, wall maps and models complete the geological 

 exhibit. In the basement there is a large amount of material for labora- 

 tory work and for illustration of local formations. In time, the latter 



