surviving brother and sister, Mr. Thomas Shelmerdine 

 Wilson, and Miss Mary Wilson, have generously presented 

 his various collections, which will be found described in the 

 list of donations appended to this Report, to serve, as 

 Miss Wilson wrote when making the offer, " as a memorial 

 of her brother's long connection with the Museum, and 

 of the great interest which he took in its welfare." These 

 collections, which include many thousands of specimens, 

 the fruit of much labour, and which were so gracefully 

 presented, will raise to a still higher level of scientific value 

 and usefulness the Geological treasures of the Museum. 



The vacancy in the Curatorship was filled on July 12th, 

 1898, by the appointment of Mr. Herbert Bolton, F.R.S.E., 

 of the Manchester Museum, Owens College, whose scientific 

 training and experience in museum management will, the 

 Committee feel confident, prove of great value both in the 

 special work of rearrangement that has been undertaken, 

 and in the general duties of organisation and development. 



Shortly before Mr. Wilson's death, Mr. F. W. Knocker, 

 of the Public Museum, Leicester, was engaged by the 

 Committee to assist in remounting and grouping the 

 Zoological specimens. This particular work was greatly 

 interfered with by the subsequent death of Mr. Wilson, but 

 Mr. Knocker was able to give a general superintendence 

 to the Museum until the time that Mr. Bolton took over 

 the duties of Curator. 



During the two years covered by this Report, various 

 structural improvements and additions have been made. 

 The Committee found that owing to there being no ceiling 

 to the top floor, the space there was of little use on account 

 of the free access of dust and other impurities from the 

 exterior. They therefore decided to have the whole top 

 floor finished with a plastered ceiling, thereby rendering 

 the floor space useful for the storage of duplicate, and 

 other specimens requiring care. 



