68 NATURAL SCIENCE. Jan.. 



The Trustees of the British Museum have just published a " Guide to the British 

 Mycetozoa exhibited in the Department of Botany. . . . by Arthur Lister"; the 

 appearance of the real author's name on the title-page is a commendable innovation. 

 The Guide consists of forty-two 8vo pages, with numerous text-figures, and is sold 

 for 3d. Mr, Lister is responsible, not only for the Guide, but for the collection, 

 which, together with the beautiful coloured drawings by Miss Lister, was presented 

 by him, and now forms one of the most intelligible and attractive exhibits in the 

 Natural History Museum. 



We understand that the Council of the Geological Society of London has 

 decided to recommend the Fellows to offer their large collection of minerals, rocks, 

 and fossils to the Trustees of the British Museum. The Royal Society and 

 Zoological Society of London disposed of their museums in this manner many 

 years ago. Negotiations are now pending, and it is hoped that some definite 

 proposition may be submitted to the consideration of the Fellows before the 

 annual meeting in February next. 



In connection with the Education Department's decision, to which we have 

 often alluded, to allow time spent in museums under certain conditions to count 

 as school attendance, the authorities of the Manchester Museum have organised a 

 series of demonstrations, to be given by Mr. Hoyle, to school teachers. It is in- 

 tended not so much to impart systematic instruction in natural science as to afford 

 teachers an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the resources of the museum, 

 and to suggest methods of effective museum teaching. We hope other museums 

 will follow the lead of Whitechapel and Manchester. 



HuDDERSFiELD is siugularly behind the times in the fact that it possesses 

 neither free library, art gallery, nor rate-supported museum. Some time ago Sir 

 Joseph Crosland offered ;/^6,ooo as a start for a free library, but the offer was 

 declined by the Town Council. More recently, Mf. S. L. Mosley offered the whole 

 of the contents of the Beaumont Park Museum— about 100,000 specimens — to start 

 a town museum, but this offer also was declined after six months' consideration by 

 the Town Council. We also understand that the School Board of Huddersfield 

 continues to ignore the study of natural history. Under these circumstances, we are 

 glad to refer to the valuable work being done by Mr. S. L. Mosley, who has now put 

 up a new museum building, in which he is continuing and increasing the educational 

 work that he has been carrying on for the past fifteen years. His museum is largely 

 used by beginners from all parts, who in him find a willing helper. It is pleasing to 

 record that this museum is open on Sundays, on which day many working-people 

 avail themselves of the opportunity to bring specimens for comparison and naming. 

 A meeting of local naturalists takes place at the museum on the first Monday of each 

 month. Mr. Mosley has sent us his Report and Monthly Circular for 1895 ; in future 

 this will be merged in the Naturalists' Journal, which has been acquired as the organ 

 of the museum. 



We are glad to learn, from one of our special correspondents, of good work 

 being done at the Saffron Walden Museum. This is a private museum, founded 

 by the Gibson family of that town, and is governed by trustees. It is supported 

 out of the trust funds, supplemented by the annual subscriptions of interested 

 residents. It is, however, open to the public other than subscribers, at the dis- 

 cretion of the curator. The Museum contains a valuable African collection brought 

 home in the early part of this century, also a set of the Crag fossils of the county, 

 and some interesting local antiquities, all arranged as well as the limited space 

 permits. G. M. Maynard, who has sole charge of the Museum, has found time to 

 elaborate some instructive exhibits with good labels, such as the small case 

 explaining the structure of a sea-urchin. Some cases showing the life-histories of 

 certain insects have very lengthy labels ; these have been cut up and pasted on a 

 strip of canvas wound on two cylinders like a perpetual almanack. The pleasure 



