president's address. 713 



The Mollusca, though not nearly so numerous as the Insects, 

 are yet a very numerous collection, which Mr. Masters estimates 

 at not less than 50,000. 



Of the numbers of the other Invertebrata, no estimate has been 

 formed ; but there are many thousands of specimens of Worms, 

 Echinoderms, Coelenterates, and Sponges. 



Besides these zoological specimens, there is also a considerable, 

 though much less important, collection of geological specimens 

 from various sources. 



The building in which these Macleay collections are now housed 

 at the University, contains a single spacious hall, 200ft. long by 

 76ft. wide. Around this runs a gallery, 13ft. wide at the sides 

 and 26ft. at the ends. The space below the gallery is divided by 

 partitions into a series of bays, eleven on each side, each bay 

 having a large window. The presence of the gallery, divided, like 

 the space below it, by a number of partitions, and capable of 

 being completely closed off from the body of the hall, will enable 

 us very conveniently to effect that division of the Museum into 

 general or public collections and special or scientific collections 

 which is now so generally aimed at. In this gallery will be placed 

 such portions of the collections as are not required in the series on 

 exhibition below for the benefit of students and other visitors : 

 these will comprise the unmounted skins of Birds and Mammals 

 and all the duplicate specimens of all kinds, together with the 

 cabinets of Insects. These special collections will be open for 

 study, with permission of the Committee, to any student of zoology 

 wishing to investigate any particular group. 



One of the special features of the Macleay Museum ought, 

 in my opinion, to be a good, well-displayed series illustrative 

 of the Australian fauna in all its branches. For this there is 

 ample material in the Macleay collection, which would require 

 but little supplementing to render the series as complete as need 

 be. This will occupy a considerable part of the available space. 

 While this faunistic collection will form an important feature 

 of the Museum and will always be the most interesting to the 



