Mattkhs Conckrninc; Museums in South Africa. 279 



indicns : an 1 when tliese ilifferences of opinion exist in the higher 

 vertebrates, T need not point out that the confusion gets worse in the 

 lower vertebrates and invertebrates This is ahnost bewildering fur 

 the stucients of zoology, who, with an earnest intention to study and 

 compare, visit our various institutions in South Africa. I believe 

 that we have to a great extent outgrown tlie childliood phase in our 

 museums, and it is high time that we should put our heads and our 

 experiences together and make amendments to this unsatisfactory state 

 of affairs. 



In our museums there is little time for any otlier than purely 

 systematic work, but even in the carr3'ing out of this systematic work 1 

 fear we are very little systematic ; eacli museum works in its own way ; 

 names, classifies, catalogues accoi'ding to its own system, or want of 

 system, and for this ^■ery want of system our results are disappointing. 

 I venture to lay great stress on this point — the want of system in naming 

 and cataloguing, especially in the smaller museums, but, alas ! often also 

 too apparent in the large ones. The want of a uniform system of 

 cataloguing is the outcome of the want of clerical assistance, and the 

 great ditHculty of getting properly trained cataloguers. What is the 

 use of the accumulation of material in our store-rooms if no proper and 

 easily C(^»mprehensible catalogues are issued, and what would be the 

 value of these catalogues to scientific workers in South Africa or out- 

 side it if the}' are not based on the same system, and cannot be vouched 

 'for as correct? When I commenced to give the study of the avifauna 

 and of the smaller mammals of this subcontinent some closer attention 

 I commenced b}' compiling the literature on the subject, and added the 

 data to be found in the various appendices of additions to the various 

 yearly reports of our institutions ; but I was at once confronted with 

 the bewildering variety in nomenclature in tliese branches in use in the 

 different museums. 



Our lists or catalogues are almost only and exclusi\ely reliable 

 and valuable for faunistic work or for the knowledge of the geo- 

 graphical distribution of species, in the branches in which such museum 

 is fortunate enough to ha%e a specialist. The work done by our 

 esteemed and eminent specialist Dr. Peringuey of Capetown, on the 

 Coleoptera of South Africa makes a noticeable example. His catalogue 

 of the Coleoptera of South Africa will always remain a standard work 

 which can be used as a basis for further research, and new discoveries, 

 as are bound to occur, can easily be added to his work ; the botanical 

 work of the Grahamstown director is as exhaustive for the groups to 

 which he has given his valuable attention. In ornithological work an 

 important commencement has been made by our esteemed friend Mr. 

 Sclatei', but in the other V)ranches of zoology of South Africa we have 

 chieHy to rely on the many hundreds of papeis spread in numberless 

 European and American periodicals. I intended publishing a syste- 

 matic catalogue of the mammals and birds of tlie Pretoria museum. 

 At the very commencement I was confronted with hopeless ditficulties. 

 I will only allude to a few striking examples. Everybody knows the 

 common blue monkey of South Africa. We have several mounted 



