ON THE PROVINCIAL MUSEUMS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 125 



food. At Beaumont Park Museum, Huddersfield, there is a collection of 

 injurious insects. The Ancoats Hall Museum at Manchester, which is 

 especially devoted to the culture of the sense of beauty in nature and art, 

 has some interesting collections of furniture and of art processes. 



22. Classes. — Except at the museums connected with the universities 

 and large schools there appears to be very little class work carried on in 

 these institutions. At two or three places regular courses of lectures 

 by certificated science teachers are held either in the museum or in rooms 

 adjoining. Several museums provide a series of popular scientific lectures 

 during the winter evenings, and at several others short explanatory 

 addresses are delivered at stated times in the museum rooms by the curator 

 or the honorary curators, A few of the local societies hold classes in 

 their own museums. Beyond these there are no actual teaching arrange- 

 ments, though these institutions seem to off'er so many advantages for that 

 purpose. 



23. Local Students. — About fifty museums report that they are used 

 for frequent reference and study by local naturalists, archaeologists, and 

 medical and art students. Nearly an equal number state that there is 

 unfortunately very little use made of them by such persons. 



24. Facilities for Study. — Many museums report that they would wel- 

 come students and give them every assistance, but that none apply. About 

 twenty museums have private rooms which they would gladly place at the 

 disposal of students, and about thirty can provide tables though not rooms. 

 In a few instances local students avail themselves of these facilities to a 

 considerable extent. Microscopes for students are provided in about 

 twenty-five museums. In about fifty museums the handling of specimens 

 is distinctly allowed, generally under supervision, while in twenty it is as 

 distinctly forbidden. 



25. Other Uses of Museum Booms. — Museums belonging to local socie- 

 ties are frequently kept in rooms which are used for the society's meetings. 

 In a few public museums evening lectures and concerts are given, but in 

 the great majority of cases the rooms are not used for any other than their 

 legitimate purpose. 



26. Aquaria and Vivaria. — These interesting and instructive con- 

 trivances appear to be generally neglected. Not more than about a dozen 

 museums have anything of the kind. The Liverpool Free Museum seems 

 to be the only one which makes an important department of them. Here, 

 however, in the basement, between forty and fifty tanks and cases ot 

 various sizes have been kept up for a long period. ' One large salt-water 

 tank has been in continuous use for over twenty-five years. Fish have 

 been kept for ten years in the medium- sized tanks, and in a smaller glass 

 vessel a blind crayfish from Kentucky has lately died, after fourteen years' 

 confinement therein.' The value of such arrangements for studying the 

 life-histories of many organisms must be very great. It is possible to 

 keep even marine aquaria in inland towns. Some years ago a salt-water 

 tank with a fine collection of sea-anemones, &c., was maintained for 

 several years at Leicester. 



27. Handhoohs. — It is perhaps undesirable to publish ' catalogues ' of 

 growing museums, as they are so soon out of date ; but catalogues of all 

 completed and of all special collections should undoubtedly be published. 

 This is generally done by the best museums, and sometimes in a very 

 sumptuous and elaborate style. The handsome illustrated quarto volumes 

 forming the ' Descriptive Catalogues ' of the Woodwardian Museum at 



