THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 441 



If, indeed, there was no deficiency of scientific and 

 working naturalists in the society, who would not 

 suffer these objects to remain in the museum, year 

 after year, unexamined and unrecorded, until time 

 or moths consumed them, then, indeed, the case 

 would be different. But the contrary is notoriously 

 the fact: the museum of this society, under the 

 present regulations, is of little or no use to the 

 science of the country ; the members make very 

 little use of it themselves, and prohibit it to 

 others*, who have generally the abilities, and the 

 industry, to turn it to advantage. Short specific cha- 

 racters may do very well for securing the first honours 

 of nomenclature ; but this primary examination, 

 after all, is merely skimming the surface of things ; 

 and even this, if we are rightly informed, has never 

 yet been done to the museum in question, at least 

 so far as ornithology is concerned, the most inviting 

 branch of vertebral zoology. 



(303.) But this negative encouragement of science 

 is not all that would be done by such a society, if 

 it really wished to build itself a solid scientific re- 

 putation, apart from that popularity which it will 

 always derive from its gardens and menageries. 

 Might it not be reasonably expected, that from this 

 society a series of illustrative works should emanate, 

 on all new objects coming into its possession ? If 

 not, it could at least appropriate an annual sum for 

 subscriptions to such publications of this description 

 as are deemed worthy of support. Works with 

 coloured plates, for instance, which hardly ever 



* See Fauna Americana Borealis, vol. ii. pref. p. hu. 



