EEPOET OF THE COMMITTEE. 143 



a wider interest in the welfare of the Society and assistance in 

 carrying out the objects the Society have in yiew, namely, the 

 completing the arrangement of the Museum by filling up the 

 gaps in the present collection, and thus making them more use- 

 ful to students and the general public. The Committee sin- 

 cerely hope that their efforts in this direction may meet with 

 the hearty co-operation of all the present members in these 

 counties. 



It may be mentioned here that the Education Department 

 have formally recognized the value of Museums as Educational 

 Institutions, and its regulations now permit scholars in elemen- 

 tary schools to visit Museums during school hours as part of 

 their school work. It is to be hoped that teachers in elementary 

 schools will take advantage of this regulation to bring their 

 pupils more frequently to the Museum, and if the demand arises 

 and the funds and space in the Museum allow, a series of more 

 elementary educational cases might be arranged for the benefit 

 of such visitors. 



In former Eeports the Committee have mentioned that they 

 were engaged, in accordance with a proposal by the Rev. Canon 

 Tristram, in forming a fund for the granting of one or more 

 prizes for essays or other kinds of original research in Natural 

 History, such fund to be styled the Hancock Prize fund, and to 

 be awarded by the Society. — The Committee consider that a 

 minimum capital of £200 would be required for this purpose, 

 and the appeal which has already been made to the members 

 and public has resulted in promised subscriptions to the amount 

 of £168. The regulations for the management of this fund 

 and the method of awarding it, are now under the consideration 

 of a sub-committee, and further donations to complete the sum 

 still required wiU be most gratefully received. 



In the beginning of the present year it was decided to invite 

 the members of the Museums Association to hold their Annual 

 Meeting in Newcastle, in the month of July. This Association 

 was organized a few years ago with the object of promoting 

 friendly intercourse between the Curators and the Managers of 

 Museums in distant parts of the country — to discuss topics and 



