Feb. 19, 1885] 



NA TURE 



individual which, in 1S49, was taken at the Canary 

 Islands. 



Dr. Bolau had drawn some very interesting maps 

 showing the habitat of the Greenland whale, the Antarctic 

 whale, the blue, and the spermaceti whales, which were 

 greatly admired. 



One of the most valuable exhibits was, however, the 

 cranium of a narwhale (Monodon monoceros, L.) with two 

 tusks. It was brought to Hamburg from Greenland in 

 1684. There are, I believe, at present in Europe only a 

 dozen such craniae, among which the one exhibited here is 

 certainly the oldest. The most remarkable feature about 

 this cranium is, however, if the inscription attached can 

 be relied on, that it is that of a female. The tusk 

 is, as is generally known, never developed in the females. 

 The description is accompanied by a drawing of the 

 whale and a young one, stited to be the offspring of the 

 former. It is, nevertheless, hardly possible to accept this 

 statement, at variance with all experience. 



In addition to tusks of narwhals, skeletons and stuffed 

 specimens of other kinds of tooth-whales were exhibited, 

 as, for instance, of Orca gladiator, Delphinus delphis, 

 Phocana communis, IK tursio, and a cranium of bottle- 

 nose Hyperoodon la/if ions. Gray, which, according to 

 the latest researches, is only the male of H. diodon. 



Of the fcetus exhibited I may mention those of Bala- 

 noptera rostrata, Fabr., Rhinodelphis levcoplevryis, Rasch., 

 and one oiMegaptera boops, Fabr., only 12 inches long, 

 exhibited by the writer. 



Besides the exhibits belonging to the order of Cetaceae, 

 there were some fine specimens of Sirenia, as Manatus 

 and Halicore, skeletons as well as stuffed animals, exhi- 

 bited by the University of Kiel. There were, further, a 

 fine collection of seals, of which I shall, however, only 

 mention Otaria Godeffioy, from the coast of Peru. As 

 some of the greatest curiosities, should be added, a perfect 

 stuffed specimen of the sea-elephant, 1 1 feet long, and 

 two sea-leopards from South Georgia. 



The exhibition was visited by a considerable number of 

 zoologists, and may, in every respect, be said to have 

 been a success. G. A. Guldeerg 



The Zootomical Museum, Christiania 



CHESTER NEW MUSEUM 



Till', foundation-stone of this museum was laid on 

 February 5 by the Duke of Westminster, K.G. 

 We have previously referred to the work done by the 

 Chester Natural Science Society, and the Archaeological 



. whose joint museum is now to be placed in a 

 permanent building, uniting under one roof accommoda- 

 tion for it, an art gallery, and every provision for Science 

 and Art Department classes. The remains of ancient 

 Chester, which came to light from time, found their way 

 to the British Museum up to the year 1849, when the 

 Rev. W. H. Massie, the Rector of St. Mary's-on-the-Hill, 

 called a meeting to consider the formation of a museum, 

 and a society was formed for "the illustration and pre- 

 servation of the remains of antiquity and other objects of 

 interest in the city and in the county." The Society's " col- 

 lection " was first housed in a cupboard at the Commercial 

 Buildings ; thence it was removed, first, to the Episcopal 

 Palace in Abbey Square, afterwards to a house in Lower 

 'load, to join the Museum of the Natural Science 

 Society, whose collections are of considerable extent and 



illy local in character, thanks to the marked love 

 of nature and zeal for scientific research infused into 

 many of the Chester citizens by the founder of the Society, 

 the late Canon Kingsley, and the admirable rules for 

 directing local investigation by which the Society is 

 governed. Under the presidency of Prof. McKenny 

 Hughes, the Society remains as vigorous as ever, as is the 

 Archaeological Society under that of Dean Howson, who, 

 since the falling health of Mr. Thomas Hughes, F.S.A.. 



to whom great credit is due, has taken an active interest 

 in the Society, and in 1882 became the chairman of a 

 joint committee to secure a building to answer all the 

 requirements of science and art in Chester. This Com- 

 mittee selected a site in the Grosvenor Road, the greater 

 part of which was at once placed at their disposal by the 

 Duke of Westminster, who, moreover, headed the sub- 

 scription list with the munificent sum of 4000/., to which 

 the Committee have since received promises of sums 

 amounting to a further 3500/. 



The architect is Mr. Thos. M. Lockwood, of Chester ; 

 the tender for the erection of the work accepted by the 

 Committee is for 8150/. The elevation of the building, 

 with its octagonal turret, with lantern surmounted by 

 a quaint ogee roof, surmounting a steep-pitched roof, 

 suggests the municipal architecture of Holland. The 

 joint library and reading room is 21 feet by 19 ; the natura 

 history museum is 36 feet by 25 ; the lecture theatre 44J 

 feet by 30 ; the art and archaeological gallery is 60 feet 

 by 23 ; on the first floor are science class rooms ; on the 

 second those for art. Space is reserved for future 

 extensions in all departments. 



Prof. McKenny Hughes stated the object of the Museum 

 to be three-fold, being "intended for teaching, for study, 

 and for exhibition. We have long carried on teaching in 

 this old city in connection with the societies which have 

 for their object the study of natural science, but that is to 

 be extended. We have already extended it by putting 

 ourselves in connection with the teaching powers of 

 South Kensington, and now we will bring this into shape 

 and have class-rooms and teachers definitely appointed to 

 carry on the work which has been so nobly taken up by 

 your citizens. The Duke has mentioned already that he 

 felt that a great deal of the work had been done by the 

 enterprise of the citizens. Well, that is the work which 

 we intend to carry on in the teaching departments of this 

 institution ; but it is also intended for study. The world 

 is going on fast in the direction of knowledge. Every one 

 is trying to acquire knowledge which shall be turned to 

 money, or which shall be pursued for its own sake, or 

 which will add to the comfort of the community. In all 

 these directions we hope to assist. Men may come in 

 here and study in the library, or in the laboratories, or in 

 the museum." 



At the subsequent dinner the chairman, the Dean of 

 Chester, stated that Canon Kingsley gave impulse to the 

 study of natural history in this place, which has by no 

 means lost its momentum. What the Duke of West- 

 minster has said concerning the deep interest taken to- 

 day in scientific subjects is most strictly in harmony with 

 the facts of the case. There is here, deeply-rooted in the 

 minds of many, a determined love for science of this 

 kind, which is the best possible augury for benefits to 

 result from our museum. 



Sir Philip Cunlifie Owen, K.C.M.G., C.B., responding 

 for art, said, " this is a museum after my own heart, for I 

 think it corresponds entirely with what was in the mind 

 of the Prince Consort when he established the Science 

 and Art Department and the South Kensington Museum. 

 It was a part and parcel of his scheme that the teaching 

 and the examples should be under one roof, and it has 

 been found that the example of the Science and Art 

 Department, combined as it is with one of the finest art 

 museums in the World, and combined as it will be, I hope, 

 in the near future with one of the finest science museums 

 that may be created, has done more good, not only in this 

 country, but throughout the world, than anything else 

 which had been thought of before. When we think of 

 the museums of the past, we know that they could not 

 speak for themselves ; they were examples, but however 

 interesting and however ancient they might have been, 

 they had no speaking powers, because they were not in 

 combination with a teaching organisation." 



Chas. E. De Rance 



