ed beavers in our own collections. The mere specimens them- 

 selves, with a common and scientific name attached do not 

 convey sufficient interesting or useful information to the ordi- 

 nary visitor to warrant the investment of public or private 

 money in their accumulation for exhibtition purposes. If 

 these animals were mounted amid accessories reproducing 

 their natural surroundings, if they were accompanied by pict- 

 ures and models illustrating their home life and habits, by 

 maps showing their distribution and notes of local occurrence, 

 and, most important of all, by labels, setting forth in clear, 

 simple language, information such as might be conveyed by 

 a curator at one's elbow, then this group would have a definite 

 educational value which casual visitors would appreciate and 

 student or teacher could ill afford to be without. 



Such an arrangement of the exhibition collections as I have 

 indicated involves an immense amount of thought, care and 

 attention to detail into the consideration of which I will not 

 attempt to lead you. No museum in the country will ever dare 

 to announce that its exhibition collections realize their educa- 

 tional ideal. Therefore, when our new building is opened to 

 the public, let it not be understood that the collections are at 

 once in a condition to meet the needs of the public and the 

 schools. It is hoped, however, that a start will have been 

 made in that direction to be prosecuted as far and as fast as 

 the funds of the Museum and the size of the staff will allow. 



A suggestion of the working plans of the Museum for the 

 exhibition collections in their relation to the work of the 

 schools may be given at this time. In the department of zoolo- 

 gy, there should be, first of all, a representation of all the 

 animals, from invertebrates to mammals, found, either wild 

 or domesticated, in this section of the country. This repre- 

 sentation should include specimens, models, pictures, diagrams 

 and maps, illustrating the homes, habits, and distribution of 

 these animals, and would be accompanied by labels giving 



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