§th March, igi2. 

 Professor J. A. Lindsay, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P., President, 



THE AIMS AND SCOPP: OF A PROVINCIAL 

 MUSEUM." 



By R. F. Scharff, B.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S., M.R.I.A. 

 {Abstract) 



Professor J. A. Lindsay, the President said thanks to the 

 labours of Dr. Scharff the natural history section of the National 

 Museum, Dublin, A\as one of the most up to date and perfectly 

 arranged in the world. All the Irish fauna had been collected in 

 one large room, the fossil remains had been put in their proper 

 place in the zoological world, and many typical habitats and life 

 histories had been illustrated by means of photographs. No other 

 country, had a zoological museum department so thoroughly 

 representative of its entire fauna and the same might be said of 

 the flf)ra, which was now being rapidly re-arranged. It was also 

 largely due to Dr. Scharff that Ireland took a leading place 

 amongst the nations of the world in its organization for scientific 

 research in the field. Dr. Scharff had visited all the more 

 important museums of Europe and America, and his views on 

 every subject relating to museums were entitled to, and would 

 receive, the utmost respect and consideration. He visited Belfast 

 at an opportune moment. The city was showing at the present 

 hour that its energies and spirit of progress were not confined to 

 the field of commerce and industries. It was advancing by rapid 

 strides in all that related to intellectual development. Their 

 university, their Municipal Technical Institute, their secondary 



