REPORT ON MUSEUM WORK Ivii 



and particulars ot all the show-cases were included, while for 

 museum purposes my father has added an alphabetical index 

 to the contents of the store cupboards, and another section 

 which is particularly valuable, an alphabetical list of all the 

 genera represented in the zoology room, with references to 

 their position and nature. 



Work of the progressive sort has also been going on during 

 the. year. Miss Scott has been getting together from various 

 sources material for the remaining show-cases of insects 

 which we hope shortly to complete, especially those illustrating 

 the Orthoptera and Neuroptera. A large proportion of the 

 specimens have had to be relaxed and re-set. The two chief 

 kinds of work now in hand are labelling, and work on the 

 geology room. Labels of several kinds are being drawn up and 

 printed ; large-type heading labels for the cases, smaller labels 

 for individual specimens, and descriptive or explanatory 

 labels for certain groups. These explanatory labels are 

 designed to make the exhibits intelligible to ordinary visitors 

 and to bring out points of special interest. The present work 

 in the geology room has a similar object. I am trying to 

 finish up the series of introductory cases that I began, a long 

 time ago in that room, and with Dr. Woolacott's help I have 

 also made a beginning upon the large geological sections 

 which I intend to put up above the wall cases. The geological 

 collections are now very much the most backward section of 

 the Museum. They comprise a wealth of good material, but 

 it is still in the roughed-out state of thirty years ago — far too 

 much stuff on view and none of it so treated as to mean much 

 to the public. Undoubtedly a gradual transformation of the 

 geology room ought to be a main element in our work for 

 some years to come. 



A few other portions of the year's work should be briefly 

 referred to. In the library Miss Hepburn has done a good 

 deal of sorting and re-arrangement, chiefly of unbound 

 periodical literature. The tank in which the giant squid is 

 shown has been cleaned out and the glass top refitted on a 



