^REPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. 27 



played; (fi) tlie objects being shown singly against a suitable back- 

 ground, and at the same time brought as close as possible to the glass 

 front of the case, the sense of confusion, so often experienced in mu- 

 seums, is entirely avoided; (7) the labels are printed in large, heavy- 

 tace type and upon paper of soft tints, which are much less wearisome 

 to the eye than the ordinary labels in black and white. 



Important additions of storage cases and furniture have been made to 

 tlie laboratories of several of the curators, and all the laboratories are 

 now better supplied than ever before. The storage cases in some of 

 these departments are built in four sections in height, occu]»ying only 

 the same floor space as the one-section cases and accommodating four 

 times the quantity of specimens. Each curator is supplied with a light 

 bidder, affording easy access to the upper sections. 



The laboratories in which the greatest improvements have been made 

 during the year are those of birds, fishes, mollusks, insects, invertebrate 

 fossils, fossil plants, lithology and physical geology, minerals, and met- 

 allurgy and economic geology. The following statement shows the 

 number and kind of storage cases and other furniture at present in use 

 in the various laboratories 



Ethnology : 



Unit tables 14 



Sectional library cases 1 



Standard pigeon-hole stack 1 1 



Quarter tables 12 



Card catalogue cases 2 



Mammals: 



Sectional library cases 1 



Standard shelf-stacks 3 



Standard i)igeou-hole stacks 4 



Quarter tables 6 



Birds : 



Salvin bird cases 16 



Sectional library cases 4 



Standard pigeon-hole stacks 1 



Quarter tables 29 



Fishes : 



Sectional library cases S 



Card catalogue cases I 



Mollusks : 



Basement-drawer storages (1 contaiuiii'^ 'J tiers; '1 conf.iiiiing ;{ tiers) 5 



Insects : 



Sectional library cases 11 



Quarter tables 2 



Marine invertebrates : 



• Sectional library cases 3 



Standard pigeon-hole stacks 2 



Quarter tables 4 



Curd catalogne cases 1 



Fossil invertebrates (Paleozoic section) : 



Basement drawer storages (1 containing '.i tiers ; I containing 4 tiers) 2 



Sectional library cases 2 



Quarter tables 13 



