BY JAMES R. m'cLYMONT, M.A. 87 



from. Let this be the Eoyal Society's contribution towards. 

 the project. 



Local museums would educate in many ways, about which 

 I will not expatiate, as I desire to be brief and pointed. 

 Labels would have to be prepared similar to thosd in use in 

 the Tasinanian museum ; but for those who had time and in- 

 clination to pursue natural history studies there would have 

 to be more advanced guides in the shape of band-books to 

 the various branches, compiled with special reference to 

 Tasmania. 



(2) There is but a small demand, at present, for such hand- 

 books, but still there is a demand ; local museums, I believe, 

 would be the means of greatly increasing it. And I have the 

 more confidence in proposing the hand-books, because some- 

 things of the kind has been already adumbrated in respect of 

 Birds by Col. Legge, Molluscs by Mr. Johnston, Ferns by Mr. 

 Morton. These works, if not intended to assume exactly the 

 form of hand-books, would at least be conducive to their pre- 

 paration. In some departments, no doubt, our existing infor- 

 m.ation is not complete enough to justify the dogmatism of a 

 text-book. It would be much more complete if we had local 

 collections open to our scientists for purposes of compirison ; 

 but there are other departments — those I have mentioned for 

 example — in which we are advanced enough to speak with 

 authority. 



(3) Finally, as the cope-stone of the edifice, I would sug- 

 gest a lectureship in biology in connection with the Tasmanian 

 University. When one reflects that a brief three years ago 

 a university was an unsuspected privilege, it may seem some- 

 what bold even to hint at a natural history chair in connection 

 with it. I could, perhaps, point with some forcibleness to 

 the example of other colonies ; I could mention a Tate, a 

 McCoy, a Hutton, and ask whether the advantages, which 

 have accrued to South Australia, Victoria, and New Zealand 

 from the labours of these indefatigable men of scienae, might 

 not reasonably be expected to accrue to Tasmania from the 

 labours of one of their compeers. But I refrain, being con- 

 fronted with the inevitable cjuestion of the means thereto. 

 Moreover, the Council of the University have, no doubt, their 

 own ideas as to the fittest allocation of their funds, and the 

 possibility of adding another lectureship to those already 

 established. This much I may be permitted to hope, that 

 they will duly consider the claims of biology to be repre- 

 sented on their teaching staff, and remember the fact that 

 their energy and success in biological investigations have 

 done as much as anything to establish the thoroughness, the 

 originality, and the entire reasonableness of colonial uni- 

 Tersities in the eyes of the educated world. 



