December 12, 1902.J 



SCIENCE. 



943- 



large a number that the visitor is simply be- 

 wildered and but little interested or in- 

 structed. And this point is well made, for 

 there is not the slightest doubt that a limited 

 number of specimens, well installed and prop- 

 erly labeled, is in every way better than the 

 large series so often shown. The arrangement 

 of natural history collections on a geograph- 

 ical basis is also dwelt on in various places, 

 and this has always seemed to the present 

 writer the best method by far. The predic- 

 tion is here ventured that the successful mu- 

 seum of the future will, so far as the exhibi- 

 tion of biological material is concerned, con- 

 sist of a central synoptic or index collection, 

 supplemented by series displaying the geo- 

 graphical and geological distribution of plants 

 and animals, and various features in their 

 life histories. This by no means precludes 

 the display of systematic series wherever this 

 may be thought desirable, but this feature of 

 museums is commonly made far too much of. 

 The exhibition series of a museum is for the 

 public, and the average visitor does not go to 

 the museum for study, and the advanced stu- 

 dent does not, as a rule, seek for information 

 in the material on exhibition, although there 

 are notable exceptions to this rule in anthro- 

 pological collections. 



In the department of anthropology, by the 

 way. Dr. Meyer does not favor a geographical 

 arrangement, but advocates bringing together 

 all objects of a kind in order that their devel- 

 opment and variation may be seen. Where 

 space and material admit, however, he con- 

 siders that there should also be geographical 

 series to illustrate the customs of different 

 races. In respect to installation, the Pitt- 

 Eivers Museum at Oxford is awarded the first 

 place among English ethnological museums 

 and the scheme of its arrangement is given 

 in full. 



A detail of installation, shown in many of 

 the illustrations, is the large number of skele- 

 tons on exhibition with no protection what- 

 ever from dust or visitors, and one can but 

 think that either the attendants are more 

 vigilant abroad than here or the visitors more 

 conscientious. Specimens so recklessly dis- 

 played in this country would run great chance 



of being ruined by dust, or of being brokeit 

 by relic-seeking visitors; no specimen that 

 can possibly be put in a case should be ex- 

 posed. 



Some of the shortcomings of museums are,. 

 however, unavoidable, while others, as Dr. 

 Meyer is careful to say in his introductory 

 remarks are ' to a greater extent the fault of 

 the establishment than of the persons itt 

 charge, for one individual has little control 

 of the many circumstances on which the his- 

 torical development of museums and other- 

 institutions depends.' It is to be hoped that 

 Dr. Meyer may soon be able to embody his- 

 views regarding museums in the construction 

 of a new museum in Dresden, but we trust 

 he will not wait until that time to give us a 

 summary of these views, and possibly he may 

 present them in his next paper. 



r. A. L. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 



In The American Naturalist for November- 

 Bashf ord Dean presents the ' Biometric Evi- 

 dence in the Problem of the Paired Limbs- 

 of the Vertebrates,' concluding that it is in 

 favor of the fold theory and against the- 

 hypothesis that the limbs are modified giU 

 arches. C. E. Eastman gives a ' Notice of 

 Interesting Forms of Carboniferous Fish Re- 

 mains,' and Lfetitia M. Snow considers ' The- 

 Microcosm of the Drift Line,' being a discus- 

 sion of the life relations of the insects found 

 along the shores of Lake Michigan. Joseph 

 A. Cushman gives ' Studies of Localized' 

 Stages of Growth in Some Common New- 

 England Plants ' and H. S. Pratt under ' Syn- 

 opses of North American Invertebrates,' con- 

 tinues the treatment of the Trematodes, the- 

 first part of which appeared in the Naturalist' 

 for August, 1900. The number contains the- 

 ' Quarterly Eecord of Gifts, Appointments 

 and Deaths.' 



The Popular Science Monthly for Decem- 

 ber opens with an article by David Starr Jor- 

 dan on ' The Higher Education of Women,'" 

 which concludes with the statement that co- 

 education is never a question where it has 

 been tried. W. P. Pycraft tells of 'The 

 Significance of the Condition of Young Birds^ 



