and Laboratory Methods. 2683 



dermist, group-maker and modellers. The director of a museum is preferably, 

 other things being equal, a man who especially has taste and facility in direct- 

 ing and estimating the value of these most essential features in museum installa- 

 tion. The taxidermist and his department is certainly a distinctive and auto- 

 nomous interest in a museum, and yet, owing to the subserviency of its efforts to 

 a number of departments, it has a divided realm of action, and might come to 

 have a multiplied overseership. In this dilemma its independence is practically 

 secured by bringing it under the supervision, control, and personal headship of 

 the director, allowing, of course, to the taxidermist himself initiative concurrence 

 and freedom of judgment. 



SYSTEM AISD EFFECT. 

 Quoting from a previous paper (The Making of a Museum), " the discussion 

 of the installation of museums splits up at once into three groups, of equivalent 

 importance perhaps, but of entirely divergent character. These three are Tech- 

 nique, System and Effect." Technique relates to or embraces mechanical adjust- 

 ments, conveniences, receptacles, buildings, and the physical constants, or 

 material. System relates to or embraces scientific sequence, illustration and 

 information. Effect contains the whole subject of aesthetic presentation, 



TECHNIQUE. 



In the widest and apposite use of the term technique expresses the artisan 

 phase of installation, reaching from illumination, which hints at the construction 

 of the museum itself, to the best form of pins for suspension or insertion of 

 specimens. It covers the multi-various details of how to exhibit an object, with- 

 out bearing upon beauty of effect, or implications of science. It commends to 

 the curator considerations of stability, of cleanliness, and of efficacy. Therefore 

 it relates to the simple elements of construction, including in that term form and 

 material. 



Under form it discusses size, shape and arrangement of a hall of exhibition, 

 or the domiciliary ; size, shape and relations of cases, or the loadiis ; size, shape 

 and relations of trays, supports, shelves, blocks, standards, pediments and all 

 accessories of the same, or XhQ paraphernalia. 



Under material it discusses or compares the advantages of material entering 

 into the domiciliary, loculus or paraphernalia, as wood, stone, iron, ivory, cellu- 

 loid, paper, silk, plush, cotton, cork, paint, etc. To resume in a tabular form 

 these distinctions we have : 



( Domiciliary, 

 Form < Loculus, 



( Paraphernalia. 



Material — All useful fabrics. 



SYSTEM. 



By system it is not implied that we are entitled to discuss classification of 



organisms or objects, whether minerals shall be arranged by formulae or bases, 



plants by Gray's or Britton's manual, invertebrates by Cuvierian or Huxleyan 



methods, but there is implied by system, the discussion of and means and ways 



