168 THE KNTOMOI.OfilS'r's RKCORD. 



present zoological buildings. If no objection be raised to the erection 

 of the Spirit Building along the edge of the Museum Grounds 

 bordering on Queen's Gate, bj^ the owners of the property on the 

 other side of the road, it is conceivable that a cramped, ill-lighted 

 extension might still be just possible, but if, as seems not improbable, 

 the new Spirit Building should have to be pushed further back 

 towards the present zoological department, no adequate space would 

 remain for any extension whatever. Such details as the housing of the 

 specimens contained in the present Spirit Building whilst the fittings 

 are being transferred to a new one do not, of course, enter into the 

 calculations of the Science Museum; it is a mere case of " Vae rictis." 

 We should not have thought of appearing to pit the Zoological and 

 other kindred Sciences against the Chemical Sciences, but that this 

 appears to be the line actually taken up officially by the other side, 

 or at least by one in high authority there, a fact which seems 

 to us to add greatly to the enormity of their offence ; for wp. are 

 given to understand that a petition was more or less privately circulated 

 hy the said authorities, or some of them, and afterAvards presented to 

 the Government in support of this act of spoliation, on the ground 

 that Zoology is all very well in its Wiiy, but must not be allowed to 

 interfere with the expansion of the Chemical Sciences. We have not 

 seen this petition, and sincerely hope, for the credit of those concerned, 

 that we have been misinformed, but the source from which our 

 information was derived appears to us to be only too good. The 

 suggestion made in the Times of May 8th, by Sir H. Roscoe, that the 

 Spirit Building should be separated altogether from the rest of the 

 Museum, merely shows that he has no idea of the uses to which this 

 building is put ; not only the Zoological, but even the Geological 

 workers are unanimous in declaring that it would make much of their 

 work impossible. It is much as though the Science Museum were 

 compelled to remove all the German works in their library to some 

 other distant building. 



It behoves all who are interested in Zoology, and especially in the 

 Entomological department of that science, to agitate in every possible 

 way, especially through the press, against this act of spoliation, to 

 which in private life we should apply another name ; and let not those 

 who are interested in Botany or Geology think that the affair is of no 

 interest to them; for at least one possible solution of the difficulty 

 would be their removal from South Kensington altogether, and, at 

 best, the more the Zoological Department is crowded, the less room 

 will there Ije for them. 



A strong resolution in support of the claims of the Natural History 

 Museum has been passed by the Council of the Linnean Society, and 

 a sympathetic one by that of the Zoological Society, as well as that of 

 the Entomological Society, which we have given above; and we greatly 

 hope that a joint deputation of these (and perhaps other) societies may 

 be appointed, to urge the matter at headquarters, either before the 

 Minister of Education, or preferably before the Prime Minister 

 himself.— G.W. Mai/ 8t/i 



The Annual Congress of the South-Eastern Union of Scientific 

 Societies takes place this year at St. Albans, on June 7th, 8th, 9th 

 and 10th. From a proof copy of the programme just to hand, we 

 anticipate a very interesting and instructive meeting. There is a 

 large local committee, with Mr. A. E. Gibbs, F.L.S., F.E.S., as Hon. 



