Auckland Institute. 597 



Let me render this more clear by an illustration taken at random from 

 the domain of Natural History. Imagine to yourselves a case devoted to the 

 exhibition of the varieties iu the feet and legs of birds. You would find in 

 it the long-legged, flat-footed heron or crane, the web-footed and short- 

 legged water-fowl, the bird of prey with its powerful talons, the burrowing 

 bird, the climbing bird, the running bird, and all others possessing typical 

 forms of feet ; you would find accompanying each a drawing of the condi- 

 tions under which it is accustomed to live and seek its food, or, if the means 

 of the institution permitted, you would find these conditions actually imi- 

 tated ; you would observe that many of the birds had near them drawings of 

 the fossil birds their ancestors, or, at any rate, of their feet and legs ; 

 perhaps even you might see the fossils themselves. Further, to each bird 

 would be attached a label, not of the ordinary bald and meaningless descrip- 

 tion, but one in which attention would be drawn to the points to be noted, 

 and comparison suggested with other inmates of the case. From such an 

 exhibit, a visitor who had never seen or heard of any other bird than a 

 sparrow would learn, and would be almost foi'ced to learn, whole chapters of 

 ornithology. His interest in the subject would be aroused, he would cease 

 to confine himself to feeble or flippant remarks, and would finally return to 

 his home with the firm intention of finding out more about birds. Scores 

 of similar groups of objects will suggest themselves immediately to anyone. 

 The wings of birds, the teeth of mammals, the fertilisation of flowers, the 

 protective imitation of insects, the means taken by insects to protect their 

 eggs, might all form subjects of instruction and enUghtenment. Nor need 

 we confine the system to Natural History ; we can arrange artistic produc- 

 tions so as to show how one idea has begotten another ; how at a certain 

 time the work of a whole people was influenced by one man's thought ; how 

 at another the condition of a nation, its prosperity or adversity, was reflected 

 in its art. It will be clearly seen that such groups as are here suggested 

 would differ from the ordinary museum collection in that they would be 

 arranged solely with a view to the elucidation of one idea ; whereas the 

 usual arrangement endeavours to convey all possible knowledge at the 

 same time. Those who are experienced in matters of education will not, I 

 feel certain, long hesitate to decide as to which is the best system. 



Our future museum, then, in each of its departments, should, as far as 

 is possible, endeavour to fulfil two distinct purposes : it should by special 

 grouping, and by plentiful description on labels and iUustration by drawing, 

 lay itself out to interest and instruct the inhabitants in general ; and it 

 should maintain, for the benefit of the learned, as complete and well ordered 

 a collection as is possible. The collections required for the first purpose 

 should be attractively and fully displayed ; those for the second should be to 

 a great extent kept in drawers or cujiboards, only those specimens which are 

 in some way specially remarkable being displayed in cases. By this means 

 an enormous economy of space would be obtained, while the interests of the 

 real student would be equally well if not better served. Nothing whatever 

 is gained by an attemjit to exhibit in glass cases the whole or even any con- 

 siderable portion of the collections of a museum ; and no specimen should be 

 placed in a case, unless it is possible to give perfectly definite reasons for 

 showing it to the public. 



And now let us turn to questions which, because they are less funda- 

 mental, will not improbably be termed more practical. I have said that the 

 first great improvement in museums consists in the separation of the 

 collection into great classes. This subdivision is not only valuable from 

 the administrative point of view, but is necessary in order to avoid 

 incongruous ideas being simultaneously thrust on the visitor. Take 

 our own museum — which is not subdivided, for the simple reason that 

 there is but one room, and that an insufficient one, in which to place 

 all the collections. Here we find that, while we are endeavouring to 

 obtain definite ideas with regard to the skeleton of the moa, our attention 

 is suddenly diverted by the brilliant colours of a vase of wax floweiB ; we 



