^ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUMS. 499 



tion. A second reason is, that under the Imperial government the 

 institution has been always notoriously under the " cold shade," and 

 has been stinted for means. Messieurs les Professeurs had certain 

 ideas of independence about them which did not suit the established 

 regime, and they were consequently left to get on pretty much as 

 they could. Within the last year or two we rejoice to learn that 

 matters have mended considerably, and that there is now every 

 prospect of this celebrated establishment resuming its former vigour. 

 Besides other reforms lately introduced by a decree of the 29th Dec. 

 1863 it was ordered that a report on the state of the Museum 

 should be made every year to the Minister of Public Instruction, 

 the report to be drawn up by five nominees of the Minister, and two 

 of the Professors, assisted by the Director and the Accountant. It is 

 the first of these Eeports of which the title is given above, which 

 furnishes us with some account of the present state of the establish- 

 ment. As regards the zoological collections, one great defect spoken 

 of is the want of space to arrange theai in a natural series. On 

 the ground-floor of the Museum, it is remarked, the larger mammals 

 are placed side by side with the zoophytes ; on the first floor the 

 crustaceans are arranged between the collections of reptiles and 

 monkeys, and the shells and insects are located in the middle of the 

 bird- galleries. Other parts of the collection are altogether excluded 

 from public view from want of space to exhibit them. Even in the 

 public galleries, the objects are much too crowded together, and can 

 often neither be properly seen by the public nor examined by the 

 student. The remedies for this evil state of things recommended by 

 the Commission are an immediate construction of new buildiDgs for 

 the zoological collections on an extended scale, and the more liberal 

 endowment of the establishment. There is no doubt, we believe, 

 that their reasonable requests will meet with immediate attention. 

 Already we hear of designs for a very large addition to the Galerie 

 de Zoologie, which will more than double the space at present availa- 

 ble. When this has been accomplished, perhaps our own rulers 

 will cease their miserable squabbles about the locality of our own 

 Museum, and condescend in this, as in so many former cases, to 

 follow the good example set to them by our Imperial ally. 



Next to the Jardin des Plantes, one of the most important zoolo- 

 gical museums in Europe is that of Leyden, now under the direc- 

 tion of the distinguished naturalist Professor Herman Schlegel. 

 On the death of the late M. Temminck, some years since, Professor 



