II. 



Natural Science at the Chicago Exhibition. 



SCIENCE of any kind is lamentably absent at the World's Fair. 

 In this century, which we delight to patronise as " The Age of 

 Science," and in a country where the educational method of exhibition 

 has been brought to such perfection as it has in the larger American 

 Museums, one would have expected something more than a hetero- 

 geneous assemblage of exhibits, some good, many bad, and most 

 indifferent, which, in the expressive language of the day, are planked 

 down anywhere. Organisation and arrangement must have expended 

 all their strength on the outward appearance of the Fair, which is 

 indeed admirable, and have had none left to tackle the far more impor- 

 tant problem of displaying the exhibits in the most instructive manner. 

 In this respect the only satisfactory building is that belonging to the 

 Government of the United States ; and had the same intelligence 

 which directed that, been, as was originally intended, brought to bear 

 on the rest of the Exposition, the result would have been as gratifying 

 to the earnest student and the scientific visitor as it now is to the 

 pleasure-loving and wonder-seeking public of the World. 



Our concern, however, is more particularly with those branches 

 of Science known as Natural, and it may prove instructive to consider 

 how such are represented at Chicago. The exhibits of this kind may 

 be divided into the Natural Science exhibits and the Natural History 

 or semi-scientific exhibits : the latter largely preponderate. As no 

 one visitor can hope to discover everything of interest to him that 

 may be hidden in the nooks and corners of the White City, we have 

 not scrupled to draw when necessary on an excellent article that 

 appeared above the well-known initials of W. H. D., in The Nation for 

 September 14, 1893 ; quotations therefrom are distinguished by 

 inverted commas. 



"In Zoology the Fair offers a rather meagre display, which is 

 made still more obscure by being broken up into small exhibits, many 

 of which are found in most unexpected places." Most of them, how- 

 ever, are, or are supposed to be, contained in the Anthropological 

 Building, and among these the most representative general exhibit is 

 that of Professor Ward of Rochester. " Here a very excellent series 

 of specimens suitable for a teaching museum are brought together, 

 well and clearly labelled, and attractively arranged. The model of the 



