376 ■ Notices of Me^noirs — Museums Association.' 



and in Dover during their brief sojourn in Kent. The newly-' 

 elected President thanked the members for the high compliment ' 

 they had paid him in installing him in that office, and pro- ' 

 ceeded to refer to his forty-two years' association with the British 

 Museum, and to the many changes and developments which had 

 taken place there during that period under the management of. 

 its numerous present and past officers and assistants. Referring^ 

 to various means by which additional interest may be introduced 

 into public museums, the speaker said that among the objects 

 commenced to be carried out by the new Director, Professor E. Eay 

 Lankester, was the formation of a museum to illustrate animals 

 under domestication. The Director hoped to be able to obtain 

 examples of the various breeds of animals which were the result 

 of the invention of man — giving rise to what in Nature would 

 almost amount to the " origin of species." But it did not appear: 

 that those varieties could ever remain permanent without artificial' 

 environments. All the immense varieties of the dog, for example, ' 

 would speedily disappear or degenerate into mongrels if not strictly' 

 preserved by man. The same was true of the various breeds of - 

 fancy pigeons; if neglected, the offspring would again revert to the' 

 common blue rock pigeon from which they had sprung. Breeds,' 

 of horses and cattle, when removed from care and the influence of 

 domestication, were also found to lose their distinctive points of 

 diffei-ence, and to revert to the common wild form best adapted to; 

 its surroundings. Professor Lankester hoped to secure examples' 

 of some of those, and photographs of others to serve as records,^ 

 a« a basis for future investigations. Dr. Woodward pointed out* 

 that in order that they might benefit permanently by the great" 

 advances made of late in natural knowledge, they must be prepared' 

 to^ make great changes, and sacrifice many cherished ideas, and' 

 might find themselves travelling along new lines, guided by new' 

 lights, or, perchance, might have to make their own lines, and' 

 even to advance under hostile opposition to carry out their new' 

 ideas. This led the President to enter into various details of museum 

 arrangement, in which he suggested several improvements and 

 gave results of other scientists' and naturalists' observations in this ' 

 direction. Dr. Woodward particularly referred to the most valuable 

 set of publications of Monographs, Catalogues, and Guides, issued* 

 by the authority of the Trustees of the British Museum, of which 

 he^ exhibited some examples on the table. Also to the use of 

 printed descriptive labels for all the more important groups of 

 animals, and for all objects of special interest and novelty exhibited' 

 to the public in the Museum Galleries. ' 



The President dealt with the subject of arranging specimens in 

 museums^ and the difficulty of displaying recent and fossil forms' 

 together in one series. He referred to an earlier discussion of this 

 subject which took place at the British Association Meeting in 

 Manchester in 1887. In adopting such a radical alteration in the 

 arrangement of objects, first, there was 'public opinion' to be 

 considered; secondly, in a great public museum like that of the 



