4 NATURAL HISTORY. 



but very few can as yet exhibit a well ordered or extensive cabinet of 

 general Natural History. Several have very large, magnilicent and val- 

 uable collections of minerals, but we do not know one which expends 

 money or feels deeply concerned in establishing zoological museums. 

 No wonder that natural history is not considered as a necessary or even 

 useful branch of education, and that in very few institutions provision 

 is made for full courses of lectures on the subject. This I regard as 

 a defect, and think it should be remedied as soon as possible. We 

 however, in this country should not complain, for even as late as 1841, 

 there was no professor of Zoology in the ancient and munificently 

 endowed University of Oxford. Botany and Geology have been long 

 taught in our colleges, and I see no reason why Zoology should be so 

 almost universally neglected. The public mind needs to be awakened 

 to the advantages and pleasures of the study of natural history in gene- 

 ral, but this cannot be done, until our youth are properly taught the 

 science in our schools and colleges. On the continent of Europe where 

 the science of education is better understood than in any other section 

 of the world, natural history is taught in most of the schools, and a 

 cabinet scientifically arranged is very properly regarded as an essential 

 part of the materiel of the institution. Dr. Bache who inspected 278 

 Schools in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Swit- 

 zerland, and the principal Slates of Germany, says "that in the great 

 majority of the continental schools, Natural History forms a regular part 

 of the course of instruction and usually occupies from two to four hours 

 in the week." No wonder that youth trained in such schools acquire a 

 fondness for this most delightful pursuit, and become capable of writing 

 valuable works on the subject, and developing the mysteries of nature — 

 no wonder that such a people purchase books on natural history and 

 thus encourage the laborious student, and the fearless explorer of nature 

 in unpropilious climates. 



I am well aware that most of our institutions are too poor to support 

 a Zoological professor or to spend money in the purchase of a collection. 

 But perhaps it would not be over-burdening one of the professors of 

 otlier branches to direct him to qualify himself for giving instruction in 

 this department at least twice a week, and as to the collection, has not 

 every institution friends enough who would clieerfully contribute various 

 objects so that at least, a nucleus of a cabinet might be formed.' Not a 

 few of the students and some of the professors or trustees have sea- 

 faring friends whose interest miglit be enlisted to bring home from foreign 

 countries many articles of value and beauty. I know one college which 

 has a very rcspcclablc cabinet which has been altogether contributed by 



