2 NATURAL SCIENCE. July. 



tions and duties of a Curator. If the Museums Association could 

 make its voice heard on this subject in the Town Councils of the land^ 

 it would be doing good service. Very frequently a Librarian is 

 supposed to supervise the Museum ; he may have an assistant for the 

 actual work, but even if that assistant be an expert, he is allowed no 

 independent judgment. Only within the last year, the Committee of 

 one great public Museum in Britain refused to take the advice of an 

 expert and appoint a trained Curator, preferring the claims of a res- 

 pectable tradesman, who happened to have local influence, and who 

 may or may not prove a success in his new duties. The climax was 

 reached in our experience, however, a few months ago, when the 

 following advertisement appeared in a contemporary — not in an 

 ordinary newspaper, but in a journal that comes regularly under the 

 notice of scientific men : — 



WANTED. — A resident Curator, Meteorological Observer, and 

 Caretaker for the Museum and Library Buildings of the 

 Royal Institution of Cornwall, Truro. Salary, £^o per 

 annum, with rooms, coals, and gas. Applications in Candidate's 

 own handwriting, staling Age and Scientific Qualifications, with 

 Testimonials and References, to be forwarded, not later than 

 February 14, to Major Parkyn, Truro. 



We have no information as to the result of this munificent offer 

 to a trained naturalist, but if anyone could be found at the price, it 

 would be of great interest to the Museums Association to learn from 

 Major Parkyn the nature of the " scientific qualifications " he 

 obtained so cheaply. Even if the salary were adequate, it would be 

 difficult to find any one man competent to undertake so many duties ; 

 and if the funds of the Royal Institution of Cornwall are so low that 

 it cannot afford more than its present expenditure, it might at least be 

 satisfied with a caretaker to keep things free from dust and mildew 

 until better days. 



Curators who know anything of their work cannot be had for 

 less pay than a gardener or coachman, whatever the people of Truro 

 and similar towns may think ; and when the Museums Association 

 has duly established that fact, it might profitably direct attention 

 next to the question of *' honorary curators." In theory it is, no 

 doubt, an excellent idea to have a committee of specialists to assist 

 the curator in the scientific details of the various departments over 

 which his work ranges ; and in many instances it is not possible 

 otherwise to ensure accuracy in the labelling of the specimens. In 

 practice, however, so far as our experience goes, the honorary curator 

 is usually an ornamental personage who never looks at the cases from 

 any other point of view than that of a draper arranging his shop 

 window. We know a certain " honorary curator of the department 

 of conchology " in one of our largest provincial museums, who had 

 not even heard of Woodward's ** Manual" until long after he had 

 entered upon office. When such nonentities are appointed, they 



