1897] SOME NEW BOOKS 13 
plates include about 600 almost tolerable figures. But the matter 
contained in the pages is somewhat disappointing. It consists of 
brief descriptions, and of an introduction, too short and vague to be. 
of much use, dealing with more general points. D. 8. 
THE Museums ASSOCIATION 
Museums AssocraTion : Report of Proceedings with the Papers read at the seventh 
Annual General Meeting held in Glasgow, July 21 to 25, 1896. 8vo, pp. 167. 
London: Dulau & Co., 1896. Price 5s. 
IF anything were needed to show the growth of interest in the ques- 
tions connected with the administration and development of museums 
it may be found in the institution and continued prosperity of the 
“Museums Association,” and the issue of the compact volumes of 
papers read at their annual meetings. Last year’s meeting took place 
at Glasgow, and for the first time since its foundation seven years ago 
the association had an “ Art-man” as its president in the person of 
Mr James Paton, curator of the Kelvingrove Museum and Corporation 
Art Galleries in that city. In his presidential address Mr Paton 
gives an extremely interesting account of the institutions under his 
direction, but considering that the majority of his audience must have 
been men of science, I think that he might safely have omitted telling 
them that the aim of the picture gallery is “ higher and holier,” pre- 
sumably from the context, than the scientific museum. Few scientific 
men are wholly blind to Art, many are in the highest degree sus- 
ceptible to its influence, but all the same—comparisons are invidious ! 
Mr F. A. Bather’s paper entitled “ How may museums best retard 
the advance of science,” being of a satirical vein throughout, is very 
entertaining reading ; and, on the whole, I think we may give ready 
assent to most of the ideas which he has chosen this method of 
conveying. 
Other papers in the volume are:—Mr H. Coates on the Arrange- 
ment of the Perthshire Natural History Museum; Mr E. M. Holmes 
on Type Specimens in Botanical Museums; Descriptive Geological 
Labels, by Mr H. Bolton; Mr F. A. Bather on Electrotypes in 
Natural History Museums; Mr G. W. Ord on Chemistry in 
Museums; Suggestions for a Proposed Natural History Museum 
in Manchester, by the late Prof. Huxley; Clara Nordlinger on 
a Visit to the Directress of the Schleswig-Holstein Museum ; 
Illustrated Lectures in Art Galleries and Museums, by T. Rennie ; 
and the Lighting of Museums, by Thomas White. 
The perusal of these papers brings under our notice two important 
questions connected with museum economy. ‘The first of these 
relates to Type Specimens. It is extremely desirable that all 
museums should publish catalogues of the types contained in their 
collections, and by many museums this has already been done. But 
the idea of bringing together all the type specimens in the kingdom, 
perhaps in the world, as some people possibly desire, is not only utterly 
impracticable, but from some points of view not even desirable. A 
little travel is not at all a bad thing for a zoological worker, and no 
doubt when he visits other towns and other countries for the purpose 
of consulting type specimens he will have the opportunity of enlarg- 
