March. 1896. NEWS OF UNIVERSITIES, ETC. 209 



and scientific value it is one of the most important that the British Museum has 

 ever received. The fact that many of the specimens are types, and form the 

 material upon which much of Mr. Seebohm's ornithological investigations and work 

 are founded, must greatly enhance the interest and value of the bequest. Besides 

 the types in the collection, and a large series from localities hitherto unrepresented 

 in the museum, there are many specimens with historical associations attached to 

 them, such as Swinhoe's Chinese birds ; Fryer's Japanese birds ; Anderson's Indian 

 birds ; a nearly perfect set of the birds of Mount Kina Balu ; and the invaluable 

 series obtained by Mr. Seebohm himself in the Petchora and Yen-e-sai Valleys." 



The evening lectures at the Whitechapel Museum have been meeting with con- 

 siderable success. Professors Michael Foster and Victor Horsley were the lecturers 

 for January and February. On March 10 Mr. A. Smith Woodward will lecture, at 

 8 p.m., on the Savages of Ancient Britain. Admission is free, by ticket to be 

 obtained in the museum or lending library. 



The Chadwick Museum at Bolton has recently had its collection of butterflies 

 and moths considerably enriched through the generosity of Mr. J. P. Thomasson of 

 that town. The Museum now has a nearly complete set of British birds, and we are 

 glad to say that the specimens are not confined to skins, but that each family is 

 represented by an articulated skeleton. Some progress has also been made in this 

 direction with the higher vertebrates. We are not surprised to learn that, in the 

 words of the curator, W. W. Midgley, "these exhibits are creating a new interest 

 to many visitors, while to the student they are especially helpful." Numerous visits 

 by the children of elementary schools have taken place under the recent alteration 

 in the Education Code, and the results obtained are, in the curator's opinion, very 

 satisfactory. 



We have already published a description, from the pen of Dr. Henry Woodward, 

 of the way in which Norwich Castle has been transformed into a museum. An 

 e.xcellent little guide, compiled by Mr. Thomas Southwell, has just been pubHshed 

 at the low price of 6d. by Messrs. Jarrold & Sons, and gives almost as much for the 

 money as do the well-known guides of the British Museum. The greater part of it 

 is devoted to the collection of birds, in which, especially in foreign raptorial birds, 

 the museum is very rich. Most of these were presented by the late J. H. Gurney. 

 The son of the latter, Mr. J. H. Gurney, of Keswick Hall, Norwich, is desirous of 

 completing this collection, and has sent us a couple of printed fly-leaves containing 

 the names of desiderata. He will no doubt send such lists to any who may have 

 birds to sell. Among the novelties mentioned in the guide we note the collection of 

 local antiquities, presented, just before his death in 1895, by Mr. R. Fitch. These 

 are now exhibited in a small room specially constructed and fitted up for the purpose, 

 and contain many remains from the Stone age, as well as from later periods, some of 

 which are here figured. 



The Curator, Mr. J. Reeve, informs us that the museum has been opened on 

 Sunday afternoons since April last, and that the experiment has proved so successful 

 that the council have decided to continue it. A pleasing feature of the success is 

 that it has been a steadily growing one. Even during this year the number of visitors 

 has gradually increased, from 1,126 on January 5 to 1,491 on February 9. 



On March 10 the Honourable W. B. Massey Mainwaring, seconded by Mr. 

 Thomas Lough, will move in the House of Commons : " That in the opinion of this 

 House it is desirable that the national museums and art galleries in London should 

 be open for a limited number of hours on Sunday after two p.m., upon condition that 

 no officer shall be required to attend upon more than six days per week, and that any 

 who may have conscientious objections shall be exempt from Sunday duty." 



On March 3 a discussion on Zoological Nomenclature will be introduced 

 at the Zoological Society in a paper by Dr. P. L. Sclater, entitled "Remarks on 

 the Divergences between the ' Rules for Naming Animals ' of the German 



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