ON THE PROVINCIAL MUSEUMS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 99 



newal ? 16. Are all the specimens illustrating each group — whether skeletons, 

 stuffed, or bottled — arranged together, or are the skeletons and the bottles kept 

 apart from the stuffed specimens ? 17. Are the fossils arranged zoologically with 

 the recent specimens, or stratigraphically ? 18. If there are any purely local 

 collections, give some further account of these than in the answer to Question 5, 

 Schedule A, and say whether they are kept apart from the other specimens, or only 

 distinguished by special labels. 19. State the principal specialities in your district 

 which ought to be represented by special collections but are not so at present. 

 20. Are there any collections especially arranged for t'ducaUonal purposes ? If so, state 

 method of arrangement or classification. 21. Have you any technical or industrial 

 department in the museum ? 22. Are there any classes or any arrangements for 

 systematic teaching at the museum ? 23. Is the museum much used for study by 

 local naturalists, or archaeologists, or medical students 1 24. Are any facilities 

 offered to students, such as private rooms, tables, or microscopes ; and are they 

 allowed, under any conditions, to handle the museum specimens ? 25. Are the 

 rooms used for any other purposes when the museum is not open ? 26. Are there 

 any aquaria or vivaria in the museum 1 27. What catalogues or handbooks of the 

 museum have been published ? (Please inclose copies.) 28. How are the duplicates 

 and surplus stores kept and arranged 1 Have you any large stock of duplicates ? 



29. If the museum belongs to the public, and any local society is in any way con- 

 nected with it, say what benefit the museum receives from such connection. 



30. Are there many donations of specimens to the museum annually, and from 

 what class of persons chiefly ? 31. What style of labelling is adopted ? (If you 

 have a special form of label, please attach a specimen.) 32. If the museum has a 

 library of scientific or archfeological works for the use of the curator or students, 

 state about the number of volumes and the average annual increase. 33. Can you 

 give any estimate of the average weelihj number of visitors 1 Hov^r is the estimate 

 anived at ? 3ft. Is the museum centrally situated, or otherwise, in reference to the 

 population 1 35. At what time' of the day is the museum most visited, and how is 

 it affected by public holidays 1 36. Make here any remarks upon matters not 

 included in the foregoing inquiries, or any suggestions of your own as to improve- 

 ments in the general management of provincial museums. 



Name of Museum. Signature of Curator, 



Date. 



The returns came in slowly. Some of them were very full and satis- 

 factory ; others were extremely meagre. A large book was prepared in 

 which to enter up in tabular form the replies to the various questions as 

 they arrived. 



Two months after the schedules had been distributed a printed post- 

 card was sent to each curator who had made no return, and a month later 

 another card, marked ' Urgent,' was posted to those still in arrear. Many 

 had to be specially written to for important details omitted in their replies, 

 and there are still eight museums from which we have been unable to 

 get any information. 



Some asked for duplicate schedules in order to keep copies of their 

 i-eplies. In many cases the schedules had miscarried, owing probably to 

 there being no recognised ' curator ' to a number of the smaller museums. 

 On information of this fact being received, fresh copies were forwarded to 

 the secretary or other officer. 



The statistics finally obtained afford sufficient data for comparing the 

 size and special characteristics of the various museums, and have enabled 

 us to arrange them into four classes, taking into consideration the super- 

 ficial area of the rooms, the size and character of the collections, the 

 annual cost, the staff, and the number of visitors. 



A few of the museums have been personally visited by members of 

 the Committee, but it has not been found practicable at present to carry 

 out this method on any extensive or systematic plan. 



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