THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



and other marine animals, birds destruc- 

 tive to farm or orchard, or the occurrence 

 and uses of minerals. 



On suitat)le days, gallery demonstrations 

 are given by members of the staff, who 

 conduct small parties round the collec- 

 tions and explain the exhibits. This is a 

 new feature, instituted by Mr. C. Hedley, 

 and is much appreciated by our visitors. 



Every year a course of free lectures is 

 delivered in the Lecture Hall. These 

 popular addresses, the initiation of which 

 we owe chiefly to the enthusiasm and un- 

 tiring efforts of two Trustees, Dr. T. 

 Storie Dixson, now President of the 

 Board, and Mr. John Vernon, formerly 

 Auditor-General, are illustrated by museum 

 specimens and lantern slides. 



Much work has to be done behind the 

 scenes in preparing specimens for display 

 in the public rooms. An animal must be 

 carefully skinned, the skin tanned or other- 

 wise preserved, and then mounted in a 

 natural posture, so that it may be a true 

 representation of the living creature. This 

 is the work of the taxidermist, who re- 

 quires to be just as much an artist as does 

 a painter or a sculptor. If the animal is to 

 be shown with accessories of rock or 

 foliage, these must be faithfully portrayed. 



so that they may look natural and un- 

 obtrusive, which demands a high degree of 

 ingenuity and tasteful skill. Many animals 

 are best represented by plaster models, 

 carefully finished and coloured to resemble 

 the originals ; this, too. is work requiring no 

 small amount of technical ability. If it is 

 desired to display a skeleton, the bones 

 must be thoroughly cleaned, bleached, and 

 then articulated, so as to preserve their 

 true relations to one another. This is the 

 province of the articulator, who must have 

 a knowledge of osteology. Next comes the 

 work of the artificer, who, besides perform- 

 ing ordinary structural and repair work, 

 has to exercise considerable manual dex- 

 terity in fashioning cases and supports for 

 the exhiliits. The last requisite is tlie label. 

 The achievement of a satisfactory label is 

 one of the most difficult tasks, and often 

 the despair of the museum official, and is 

 attained only after much discussion and 

 searching of mind. The labels which 



accompany the gallery exhibits in the Aus- 

 tralian Museum are printed on the pre- 

 mises, and are of two kinds, one, short 

 and pointed, giving merely the name, 

 locality, and a few essential facts concern- 

 ing the specimen ; the other, more lengthy 

 and descriptive, to call attention to fea- 

 tures of special interest and importance. 



^ ^ 



THE MANAGEMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM 



B^ THE EDITOR. 



Until 1853, the affairs of the Museum 

 were adminstered by a committee, but in 

 that year it was incorporated by Act 

 of Parliament under a Board, com- 

 posed of twelve official Trustees and twelve 

 elective Trustees. The twelve official 

 Trustees consist of a Crown Trustee, 

 nominated by the Governor, and the follow- 

 ing public ofiicers, namely, the Chief Jus- 

 tice, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney- 

 General, the Colonial Treasurer, the Auditor- 

 General, the President of the New South 

 Wales Medical Board, and such five other 

 officers as the Governor names for the 

 purpose. Vacancies which occur among the 

 elective Trustees, by death, resignation, or 

 otherwise, are filled up by the appointment 

 of such other fit and proper persons as the 

 remaining members of the Board may elect. 



The Board meets for the transaction of 

 business on the first Friday in each month, 

 except January, when no meeting is held. 



There are three Standing Committees, 

 namely, the House Committee, consisting 

 of five members, the Scientific and Pub- 

 lication Committee, of five, and the Finance 

 and Publicity Committee, of four. These 

 Committees deal with the matters which 

 fall within their province, and submit their 

 recommendations to the Board, which alone 

 has executive power. The President is Dr. 

 T. Storie Dixson. President of the New 

 South Wales Medical Board. 



The Director superintends the staff and 

 the general working of the institution, and 

 is responsible to the Trustees. 



The funds necessary for the upkeep and 

 general expenditure of the Museum con- 

 sist of a permanent endowment of £1,000 per 

 annum, paid out of the general revenues of 

 New South Wales, and an annual appro- 

 priation voted by Parliament. The Museum 

 has, up to the present, received no private 

 monetarv endowment. 



