No, I (1920) ADMINISTRATION REPORT, 1918-19 19 



heavy expense from Europe. As was noticed in last year's report, 

 the bulk of the orders come from the north of India, where zoolo- 

 gical teaching appears to be far more vigorous than in the south. 

 The Benares University sent particularly heavy indents. 



35. During the year I drew up a scheme for the reorganization 

 of school museums in respect of that part of their collections 

 representative of the fauna of our seas. At present there is no 

 order or system in these collections ; their educational value is low 

 and it is rare indeed to find any of the specimens identified and 

 labelled. To effect a remedy and to place adequate means to teach 

 4 nature study ' and marine zoology at the disposal of teachers in 

 secondary schools, I have proposed to the Director of Public 

 Instruction to provide series of standard zoological collections 

 arranged systematically. The contents would comprise sets of 

 typical Indian sponges, corals, and other ccelenterates, sea-urchins, 

 starfishes, sea-worms, shell-fish, crustaceans and fishes, together 

 with the minor groups, with special exhibits illustrative of various 

 outstanding habits and phenomena among marine animals, such as 

 parasiticism, commensalism, protective colouration, degeneration, 

 etc., etc. This was welcomed by the Director who proposes to 

 arrange for the sets to be taken by a large number of schools, 

 provided handbooks to the collections be written. This condition 

 I have accepted and as Government have approved of the scheme, 

 I hope to write these handbooks at an early date. 



35. The Madras Aquarium. — Government having been kind 

 enough to sanction the proposals which I had made to this end 

 [G.O. No. 387, Home (Education), dated the 27th March 1919], the 

 Aquarium at Madras was transferred from the charge of the 

 Superintendent of the Museum to that of the Director of Fisheries 

 on 1st April 1919. With the help of the Zoological Assistant (Mr. 

 S. T. Moses), I have been able to effect many improvements which 

 add greatly to the attractiveness of the exhibits. Sanction has also 

 been obtained from Government (G.O. No. 790 W., dated the 14th 

 June 1 919) to instal electric lighting in the building, so that it will 

 be possible to admit the public in the evenings. The tanks will 

 be lit from above, an arrangement which will convert each tank 

 into a fairy-like sea-grotto far prettier than its daylight appearance. 

 Electric fans are also to be installed in the central hall to moderate 

 the heat of the day in hot weather. Advantage will be taken of 

 the installation to fit an electric motor to the air compressor used 



