Clifton College Scientific Society. 3 



that the average number present on each occasion for the past 

 year was at Clifton much the largest. Of members, too, they 

 had seventy, while Marlborougli had twenty-four, Eugby twenty- 

 two, Harrow thirty, and Cheltenham thirty-three. He knew 

 that ' comparisons were odious,' and he did not in any way 

 intend to laud his own Society, and decry others with which 

 they were on most friendly terms ; but he merely wished to 

 show that they were coming to the front in this respect, and he 

 only hoped that they would try to emulate some of these Societies 

 in other points too, wherein there was still mi;ch to be done. 



The speaker next alluded to the forthcoming ' Transactions,' * 

 and showed how busily the Sub-Committee had been employed 

 with preparing the book. He then went on to describe the 

 present condition of the Museum and Botanic Garden. In the 

 Museum they had caused handsome cases to be erected, and a 

 large fund had been subscribed to pay for them. The Herbarium 

 was being revised, the shells had been all arranged, Mr Greene 

 was working at the Lepidopterous collection, and a considerable 

 series of British birds had been already obtained. They did not 

 mean to turn their Museum into a lumber-room or a mere dusty 

 receptacle for the useless trash termed ' curiosities,' which non- 

 scientific people so often gathered around them. Every one 

 who had been connected with a Museum knew how ready people 

 were to give that which cost them nothing, and how frequently 

 the ' donation of specimens' meant merely the convenient dis- 

 posal of what had become as devoid of ornament as it was of 

 Tise. They intended to be somewhat eclectic with regard to 

 offers from intending contributors, for much as they valued the 

 kindness of those who might make those offers, they valued 

 the real usefulness of their Museum still more. The space Avas 

 small, and it was of great importance, he thought, that the col- 

 lection should be educational and complete. Hence the settled 

 limits laid down were, — First, a mriseum of British Natural His- 

 tory and Antiquities, with an especial local series ; and secondly, 

 a typical set of zoological and botanical specimens for the use of 

 scientific students and the illustration of lectures. He earnestly 

 solicited assistance in carrying out this plan, and he was grati- 

 fied in being able to say that almost every day brought some 

 new accession to their collections. He would gladly furnish lists 

 of desiderata to those who applied to him for them. He hoped, 

 also, that there would be some boys found to volunteer their 

 help in arranging, labelling, and cataloguing. His own engage- 

 ments did not admit of him undertaking it all himself. 



* Transactions of the Clifton College Scientific Society, Part I., published in 

 March 1871. 



