620 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 201. 



the building of groups of birds and mammals 

 represented in their natural environments. 

 The interest of the people in this work may 

 be gauged from the fact that Mr. Fannin 

 was sent to the great museums of England 

 and the eastern United States to investigate 

 the methods of pi'eparing such groups. 



The policy of the Museum is to be mainly 

 provincial and, while specimens from all 

 parts of the world are used for comparison, 

 the endeavor is thoroughly to represent the 

 natural history of the Province, so that 

 visitors from foreign countries may see at a 

 glance the natural treasures of the region. 

 The collection contains good representation 

 of the birds and mammals of the Province. 

 At present efforts are being made to im- 

 prove the mountings and secure better 

 specimens of the species. 



Fish ai'e represented by gelatine casts and 

 alcoholic specimens. The value of the col- 

 lection will soon be in proportion to the 

 importance of the fisheries of their coast. 

 There are some specimens illustrating 

 osteology. A considerable collection of 

 crustaceans and shells is also on exhibition, 

 as well as a beautiful series of butterflies 

 and other insects. 



This rich mining i-egion is naturally pro- 

 ductive of fine mineral specimens, which are 

 represented in the Museum, together with 

 the paleontological collections. Although 

 the Province is excessively rich in anthro- 

 pological material, its representation in the 

 Museum has been somewhat curtailed from 

 lack of funds. However, there is a fair col- 

 lection of casts of faces of men ; stone, bone 

 and antler implements from shell heaps 

 and mounds ; several totem poles, carvings 

 and other ethnological material from the 

 Indian villages of the coast. The implements 

 of hunting and the chase are classed to- 

 gether, as are also the specimens connected 

 with fishing, houses and property, travel, 

 religion, etc. 



The Museum is fairly well arranged, and 



the labeling will put to shame many of the 

 great museums of the East, although, as 

 with all such institutions, constant im- 

 provements are being made. 



The city of Vancouver, with a population 

 of some twenty thousand, seems too young 

 to show much interest in the museum as a 

 natural adjunct to education, although the 

 Art and Scientific Society is endeavoring to 

 form a museum in its rooms. 



New Westminster, with a population of 

 eight thousand, has made a splendid begin- 

 ning towards a museum properly connected 

 with other educational affairs. The upper 

 story of the City Library has been set aside 

 for museum purposes.* Cases have been 

 built from plans furnished by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and space has been al- 

 lotted for the various divisions of natural 

 history. There has already been secured 

 and installed a considerable collection of 

 birds and small mammals. Many of these 

 were donated by the Provincial Museum. 

 Several cases have been filled with miner- 

 als and other geological specimens. A very 

 few ethnological specimens have been se- 

 cured ; there is more material of an archse- 

 ological nature. Some of the stone and 

 bone implements represent rare forms. 



The spirit of museum administration ex- 

 hibited at these institutions is one to be 

 commended. There seems to be no thought 

 in mind to conflict with the plan that the 

 collections are intended for study. Every 

 facility is given to visitors to examine, il- 

 lustrate or publish papers on any of the 

 material within the museums. It is also- 

 understood that full labels are desired. In 

 fact, the spirit shown in these museums is 

 one in close cooperation with research and 

 education. jj^^^^^ j_ g^^^^_ 



Amekican Museum of Natukal History, 



New York. 



* The Library and Natural History Museum of 

 New Westminster were totally destroyed by the fire- 

 which consumed that city on September 11, 1898. 



