RESEAKCH COMMITTEES. 539* 



Professor W. A. Haswell, D.Sc, Professor W. Baldwin 

 Spencer, M.A. 



For the present they confine themselves to affirming the 

 following as important principles in the management of popular 

 museums : — 



1. The collections should be arranged with a view to the 

 requirements of the general public, in whom no special know- 

 ledge of the subjects illustrated should be assumed. 



2. Index-collections are of great importance, and should be 

 widely used : special as well as general index-collections should 

 be arranged wherever practicable. 



3. Collections illustrating the general phenomena of nature 

 are of great value — e.g., models, diagrams, and specimens illus- 

 trating denudation, ice-action, the formation of gravels, varia- 

 tion, mimicry, protective colouring, &c. 



4. In the zoological collections special cases illustrating 

 zoo-geography are highly recommended. 



5. Descriptive labels in non-technical language should be 

 freely employed. 



6. As far as possible specimens should be shown only with 

 a definite object, and the overcrowding of cases should on no 

 account be permitted. 



lieiiort of the Committee, consisting of Mr. F. M. Bailey, 

 Mr. C. French {Secretary), Baron von Mueller, Mr. 

 A. S. Oliff, and Professor Thomas, apjjointed to investi- 

 gate the Fertilisation of the Fig in the AiistraJasian Colo- 

 nies. 



The Committee report that the subject remitted to them 

 had proved to be much wider and more difficult than was- 

 originally anticipated. The Connnittee therefore request to be 

 reappointed. They report the following communication re- 

 ceived from H.M. Vice-Consul at Smyrna, A. C. Wratislaw, 

 Esq., dated 4th July, 1890 :— 



The process of caprification, generally followed out in the fig- 

 growing districts of Asia Minor, is one of the simplest. About 

 the 21st June, when the first two figs on each branch are ready 

 for fertilisation, about five wild figs, strung together, are placed 

 on one out of every two fig-trees. This process is repeated 

 once or twice more, according to the further development of 

 fruit on the trees. The owners of groves are very careful in 

 observing the fruit itself and the size of the crop of the trees, 

 as it has been remarked that the distribution of too many 

 Caprifici in the groves has at times the effect of causing the 

 crop to sicken, and to fall before it is quite mature. In fact. 



