174 NINTH REPORT. 



sfudent. This series is not for exhibition, but is kept in private rooms or 

 storage galleries of the museum. The primary object of this collection 

 is for research, and it should be used only for consultation and reference by 

 those whose education and knowledge qualify them for its use. 



This series should be of sufficient size to meet the needs of advanced 

 students, and the aim should be to make it as complete a collection of well 

 selected and determined specimens of representative groups as possible. 

 "The specimens kept for research, for advancement of knowledge, for care- 

 ful investigations in structure and development, or for showing the minute 

 distinctions which must be studied in working out the problems connected 

 with variations of species according to age, sex, season, or locality; for fixing 

 the limits of geographical distribution, or determining the range in geological 

 time, must be not only exceedingly numerous (so numerous, indeed, that it is 

 almost impossible-to put a limit on what may be required for such purposes), 

 but they must also be kept under such conditions as to admit of ready and 

 close examination and comparison." ^ 



By having a large "study series" the larger museums are able to offer par- 

 ticular advantages to the research student, and in many cases as much 

 or more research is being carried on in our museums than in many of the 

 universities. This emphasizes the importance of giving the best of care 

 and attention towards making this series as valuable a working collection 

 as possible. 



In the arrangement of specimens designed for the "study series" the 

 principal points to l^e aimed at are: "The preservation of the objects from 

 all influences deleterious to them, especially dust, light, and damp; their ab- 

 solutely correct identification, and record of every circumstance that need 

 be known of their history; their classification and storage in such a manner 

 that each one can be found without difficulty or loss of time; and, both on 

 account of expense as well as convenience of access, they should be made 

 to occupy as small a space as is compatable with these requirements."^ 



The class of specimens which compose the "study series" may, in a 

 small museum, be divided into three general groups, namely, geological, 

 botanical and zoological. It is of the latter group which I wish to deal 

 with in this paper. 



Generally speaking, at the Museum of the University of Michigan, the 

 most convenient divisions of the animal collections have been found to be 

 mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, pinned insects and other inver- 

 tebrates. Because of their nature each of these groups requires different 

 methods of treatment and care. In the University Museum the mammals 

 and birds, after coming from the taxidermist, are catalogued, labeled, and 

 stored away in metal storage cases (which are pest, dust, and light proof), 

 and are arranged therein according to some standard check-list, the birds 

 according to the revised American Ornithologists' Union check-list. The 

 skulls of all mammals are kept in separate storage cases and are arranged in 

 the same order as the skins. The cases are all numbered consecutively, and 

 by referring to the card catalogue which is kept of each of these collections, 

 one may find in a very few moments any specimen desired, or he may assem- 

 ble a series of specimens from any particular locality in a very short time. 

 For instance, if an ornithologist wishes to compare several species of birds, 

 he can, by going to the card catalogue, obtain the case number of each group, 

 and in a few minutes have at his disposal the entire series. 



1 1898, Flower, Sir Wm. H., "Essays on Museums," p. 15. 



2 1898, Flower, Sir Wm. H., "Essays on Museums," p. 16. 



