July 13, 1893] 



NATURE 



257 



This plan, of course, contemplates a one-storied, top-lighted 

 building as far as the main rooms are concerned, although the 

 workrooms and studies will be in two or more stories. The main 

 rooms should all have a good substantial gallery running round 

 them, by means of which their wall space is doubled. There is 

 no question whatever that an evenly ditifused top light is far the 

 best for exhibition rooms. Windows not only occupy the 

 valuable wall-space, but give all kinds of uncomfortable cross 

 lights, interspersed with dark intervals. On the other hand, 

 for doing any kind of delicate work, a good north light from a 

 window, as provided in the plan, is the most suitable. The 

 convenience of having all the studies in relation with each other, 

 and with the central administrative olTices, while each one is also 

 in close contiguity with the section of the collection to which it 

 belongs, will, I am sure, be appreciated by all who are ac- 

 quainted with the capriciously scattered position of such rooms 

 '1 most large museums, notably in our own. Among other 

 vantages would be the very great one thit when the dady hour 

 . closing the main building arrives, the ofTicers need no 

 longer, as at present, be interrupted in whatever piece of 

 work they may have at hand, and turned out of the building, but 

 arrangements could easily be made for a separate exit, they 

 lid continue their labours as long and as late as they find it 

 avenient to doso, without any fear for the safety of the general 

 '.lections. 



It will be observed that provision is made for a central hall, 

 which is always a good architectural feature at the entrance of 

 a building, and which in a museum is certainly useful in pro- 

 viding for the exhibition of objects of general interest not strictly 

 coming under any of the divisions of the subject in the galleries, 

 ■r possibly for specimens too large to be conveniently ex- 

 hibited elsewhere. There is also provision in the central 

 part of the building for the refreshment-rooms, and also for 

 the library and a lecture room ; the first being an essential, 

 and the latter a very useful adjunct to any collection intended 

 for popular instruction, even if no stictly systematic teaching 

 should be part of i;s programme. 



I may point out, lastly, as a great advantage of this plan, that 

 it can be, if space is reserved or obtainable, indefinitely ex- 

 tended on both sides on exactly the same system without in any 

 way interfering with the existing arrangements, a new section, 

 containing exhibition and reserve galleries and studies can be 

 added as required at either end, either for the reception of new 

 departments, or for the expansionof the old ones. With a view 

 to the latter it is most important that the fittings should be as 

 little as possible of the nature of fixtures, but should all be so 

 constructed as to bi readily removable and interchangeable. 

 This is a point I would strongly impress upon all who are con- 

 : rrned in fitting up museums either large or small. 



rhe modifications of this plan to adapt it to the requirements 

 a municipal, school, or even village museum will consist 

 aiainly in altering the relative proportion of the two sections of 

 the collection. The majority of museums in country localities 

 require little, if anythini;, beyond the exhibition series. In this 

 he primary arrangement to be aimed at is first, absolutely to 

 i liarate the archa.'ological, historic, and art portions of the 

 lection from the natural history, if, as will generally be the 

 I-, both are to be represented in the museum. If possible 

 liey should be in distinct rooms. The second point is to divide 

 ■ich branch into two sections : I, a strictly limited general or 

 ')pe collection, arranged upon a purely educational plan ; 2, a 

 Ljcal collection, consisting only of objects found within a cer- 

 tain well-defined radius around the museum, which should be 

 as exhaustive as possible. Nothing else should be attempted, 

 and therefore reserve collections are unnecessary. Even the 

 I insects and dried plants can be exhibited on some such plans as 

 those adopted for the Walsingham collection of Lepidoptera in 

 the Zoological Department, or the collection of British 

 i plants in the Botanical Department in our Natural History 

 Museum. 



I have elsewhere indicated my views as to the objects most 



utable for, and the best arrangement of them in, school 



^eums,' so I need say nothing further on the subject now. 



leed I fear I have exhausted your patience, so I will conclude 



, by expressing an earnest hope that this meetin» miy prove a 



I stimulus to all of us to continue heartily and thoroughly at our 



j work, which I need not say is the only way to ensure that 



I general recognition of it which we all so much desire. 



' Nature, vol. xli. p. 177, December 26, i38q. 



At the close of the address a vote of thanks was moved by 

 Sir James Paget and seconded by Sir Henry H. Howorth. The 

 meeting was largely attended by delegates from various pro- 

 vincial museums, as well as by representatives of a number of 

 museums and scientific societies in the metropolis. Among 

 those present were Sir Joseph Fayrer, Dr. Jonathan Hutchin- 

 son, General Fesling, Lady Flower, Dr. Giinther, Dr. 

 Sclater, Dr. Henry Woodward, Mr. L. Fletcher, Mr. and Mrs. 

 Cuthbert Peek, Mr. W. Topley, Mr. E, F. Newton, Prof. 

 Jeffrey Bell, Mt. Osbert Salvin, Mr. F. W. Rudler, and others. 

 The following museums « ere represented ; — 



Bootle, Bolton, Brighton, Cardiff, Chester, Dublin, Glasgow, 

 Maidstone, Manchester, Nottingham, Parkes Museum, Saffron 

 Walden, Sheffield, Southampton, Stockport, Sunderland, 

 W'arrington, and York. 



At the conclusion of the proceedings Sir William and Lady 

 Flower held a reception in the library of the Zoological Society. 



July 4, 5, and 7 were occupied by the business of the Associa- 

 tion. Ason previous occasions, papers were read and discussed 

 and general business transacted during the mornings ; while the 

 afternoons were devoted to the inspection of museums. The 

 Association owes a debt of gratitude to several societies and 

 individuals for courtesy and hospitality. The convenient rooms 

 of the Zoological .Society, at 3 Hanover Square, were kindly 

 placed at the disposal of the Association by the Council of the 

 Society, and the Anthropological Society kindly gave the use of 

 its library. The Council of the Royal College of Surgeons 

 invited the members of the Association to the conversazione 

 held at the Museum on July 5. The Royal Society and the 

 Geological Society allowed members of the Association the 

 privilege of inspecting their collections, and the officers of the 

 British Museum (both at Bloomsbury and at Cromwell Road), 

 and of the Museum of Practical Geology, conducted the members 

 over the departments under their charge. Dr. and Mrs. Wooil- 

 ward held a reception at 129, Beaufort Street on July 6, and 

 Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson entertained a party at Haslemere on 

 July 8, and exhibited his educational museum to his guests. 



THE DISTRIBUTION OF MARINE FLORAS. 



]N Phycological Memoirs, Part II., May 1893, Mf- George 

 -*• Murray gives a comparative table, showing the marine 

 floras of the warm Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and the Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



Preceding the comparison, he says: — "In delimiting the 

 above regions I have been guided by what may fairly be 

 taken to be their natural boundaries. The warm Atlantic is 

 the tropical Atlantic, with a slight northward extension, to in- 

 clude Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda in the track of the 

 Gulf Stream, and also Madeira and the Canary Islands, washed 

 by that branch of the same stream which trends off backward 

 to the south, the north equatorial current. I have not included 

 the Azores, since they are not sufficiently under this influence, 

 and their marine flora, so far as we know it, appears to be more 

 akin to that of the north temperate Atlantic. On its southern 

 boundary on the African coast the Cape region is permitted to 

 come slightly within the tropics, so far as Wallfisch Bay, on 

 account of this coast being swept by a cold current from the south , 

 bringing with it up to this point at all events such temperate 

 forms as Laminaria, recently recorded from that place. The 

 Indian Ocean similarly is the tropical Indian Ocean, but includ- 

 ing the whole of the Red Sea, and extending to the south 

 slightly outside the tropics down the coast of Africa, and including 

 the whole of Madagascar. I am justified in this by the course 

 of the warm Mozambique current. I do not include on the 

 east Sumatra, which appears to belong to another region, though 

 I have included a few forms from the Andaman Islands and 

 Mergui. The Cape of Good Hope region has already been in- 

 directly described, and, as has been said, extends for the reasons 

 given, slightly into the tropics on the west coast, and recedes 

 slightly from that boundary on the east coast." 



The table shows that the warm Atlantic has the largest recorded 

 flora, viz. 859 species in 162 genera. I may explain that, out 

 of this total, no less than 7S8 species in 150 genera occur in the 

 West India region, and that the rest of the warm Atlantic 

 furnishes only 71 species in 12 genera not occurring in the West 

 Indies out of a much smaller total flora. Allowing for the un- 

 doubted fact that a large number of West Indian species are 



NO. 1237, VOL. 48] 



