EDITORIAL. 619 



the Society's Journal is the only thing of value obtained from membership and 

 if that value is cut down and at the same time the member is asked 

 to pay more, he might in these days of high prices, be inclined to resign mem- 

 bership. What the Committee want, and what the editors hope to do, is to 

 bring out Journals regularly and to give members every quarter a number 

 containing from 200 to 250 pages of valuable scientific, and interesting general 

 notes on Natiu-al History. As regards issues, 1920 was a very bad year. No. 

 4, Vol. XXVI, and Nos. 1 and 2 of Vol. XXVII being the only numbers issued 

 and No. 2 in many cases not being in members' hands tUl 1921. 1921 opens 

 better however, as we bring out in January No. 5, Vol. XXVI, and in Februaiy 

 No. 3, Vol XXVII and have sufficient material to bring out No. 4 in April. The 

 Index for Vol. XXVII should follow within three months of that and so a 

 complete Volume wUl have been issued within a year. IVIr. Stuart Baker 

 and our friends at the British Museum will do their best to see that two 

 parts of Vol. XXVIII are produced in 1921, but how is this to be 

 done in the existing state of our finances? Will members be willing to 

 give value for value and pay an increased subscription to the Society, 

 or will they think that it is the last straw in these days of continual 

 increases ? Well one claim the Society may make. If the subscription is 

 raised it will be the first time it has been raised since 1886. Is it not patent 

 that our expenses in the year of grace 1921 are very different to the expenses of 

 o5 years ago ? The Committee will no doubt place matters before members in 

 such a convincing manner that an increase in subscription will be welcomed 

 with enthusiasm ! These notes are merely to prepare members and make them 

 think of the financial resources of the Society they belong to and of what that 

 Society has done for the science they are interested in. 



In the report of the Zoological Survey (1919-1920) Dr. Annandale, the Dir- 

 ector of the Zoological Survey, complains bitterly of the conditions in the pubKc 

 galleries in the Indian Museum due to " Lack of Funds and Staff." He writes 

 ''Lack of Specialists' knowledge of Birds and Mammals, scarcity of dust-proof 

 cases, bad lighting of the galleries and general squalor due to the paucity of the 

 menial staff, prevent the galleries from becoming either attractive or of first 

 class educational value. " The funds of the Institution are devoted primarily 

 to scientific research and unless more money is available the improvement of 

 the Public Galleries cannot be considered. Dr. Annandale concludes," I would 

 give a great deal to see the Mammal Galleries and Bird Galleries developed 

 on what I consider proper lines but at present it can't be done." 



While the primary function of a Museum is scientific research it is to be 

 understood that the Educational purpose of the institution must not be lost 

 sight of, and the handicap the Indian Museum suffers in this direction through 

 lack of adequate ficnancial support is much to be deplored. 



The purpose of a Museum would appear to be the development of the study 

 of Natural Science with a view to placing the knowledge thereby acquired 

 at the service of the General PubUc, The Researches of Darwin, Huxley and 

 Pasteur are to-day part of the teaching of the School Room. Education, as 

 expressed by President H, F. Osborn, in the Fifty-first Annual Report of the 

 American Museum of Natural History, is a great deal more than the Three 

 Rs. "It is inspiration and information, it is instruction in local history, 

 geography, geology, in travel, in climatic laws, in simple economics, in all that 

 concerns the health of mind and body, in all branches of Natural History and 

 aU that Uving nature has to tell our youth." 



In the changing condition of to-day it is of primary importance that Indians, 

 in whose hands will mainly be the power of affording educational facilities to their 

 fellow countrymen, should awake to the knowledge that Museums and kindred 

 institutions are ideal channels thi-ough which a large mass of the pubUc may be 



