70 LIFE OF FLOWER 



were more or less visible was marred and obscured by 

 the adjacent specimens. To add to this unsatisfactory 

 state of affairs was the bad condition due either to age, 

 to bad taxidermy, or both combined of the bulk of 

 the specimens. Moreover, by some inconceivable 

 Vandalism, dating apparently from a very remote epoch 

 in the museum's history, every specimen was mounted 

 on a stand of polished sycamore, the effect of which 

 was to mar even a first-class specimen of taxidermy. 

 When to the above is added the fact that, beyond the 

 scientific and in most cases also the popular name of the 

 species, nothing in the way of indicating the serial 

 position of the various groups was attempted, while all 

 that was done in the way of descriptive labels was the 

 suspension here and there of frames containing extracts 

 from the " Guide" to the gallery, it may be imagined 

 that the state of the collection was very far indeed 

 behind the Director's idea of what it should be. More- 

 over, although in the case of the smaller animals a 

 systematic arrangement was followed, the cases con- 

 taining the larger species were disposed without any 

 reference to the systematic position of the latter. 



In regard to such matters the Director had, in the 

 address quoted, already expressed his own views in no 

 uncertain tone, as is evident from the following passage 

 relating to the arrangement of specimens in the public 

 galleries : 



" In the first place," he writes, " their numbers must 

 be strictly limited, according to the nature of the subject 

 illustrated and the space available. None must be 

 placed too high or too low for ready examination. 

 There must be no crowding of specimens one behind 



