IO 



tain a large series of recent and fossil hydrozoa, 

 alcyonaria and polyzoa, together with a large herbarium 

 of algas, mosses, and flowering plants. 



A striking feature of the year's work has been the 

 serious study of the collections by students, especially 

 from the Art Schools, whilst the welcome visits from 

 working-men's organisations have been increased. Much 

 more progress can yet be made in this direction, and 

 there is no reason why the visits of students, and classes, 

 interested in natural science, should not be much more 

 frequent. 



Art Students find that the collections of birds and 

 insects lend themselves especially to schemes of deco- 

 rative art, whilst the frequent use of the osteological 

 series would seem to imply a need in the near future of 

 special preparations adapted to the use of dental 

 students. The collections have been used during the 

 year by every grade of student from the elementary 

 school to University College classes led by their pro- 

 fessors, and it may therefore be claimed that the museum 

 is fulfilling its highest office in no small degree. The 

 public use of the museum has had a marked increase, 

 and there is much less of the " museum walk," and more 

 evidence of keen interest in the collections to be 

 witnessed than formerly. The vitality of the museum 

 is greater than ever before, and its value as an 

 institution of public benefit is well established. The 

 space made available two years ago by the removal of 

 the Antiquities to the Art Gallery, was at once occupied 

 by a very small part of the collections accumulated 

 in previous years, and, at the present time, practically 

 every shelf and press in the rooms formerly occupied by 

 the Reference Library, is filled with museum stores. 

 These, together with the osteological collections still 



