BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). 83 



X. — British Museum (Natural History). 



STATEMENT of Progress made in the Arrangement and 

 Description of the Collections, and Account of 

 Objects added to them, in the Year 1896. 



General. 



Visitoi's. 



The number of visitors to the Natural History AFuseum 

 during 1896 was 417,033 on week-days and 36,923 on Sundays, 

 making a total of 453,956, as compared with 446,737 (on 

 week-days only) in the year 1895. The average attendance 

 for all open days, including Sundays, during the year was 

 1,316; that for week days only, 1,336, as compared with 

 1,436 in 1895. 



The Trustees were glad to meet the wishes of Paidiament 

 as to opening the Museum on Sunday afternoons, in 

 accordance with the resolution agreed to in the House of 

 Commons on March 10th, and arrangements were made to 

 this effect for the first time on Sundaj^, May l7th, when 

 2,398 visitors attended. Since this date the Museum has 

 been open regularly on Sundays from 2 or 2.30 to 4, 5, 6, 

 or 7 p.m., according to the season of the year, and the 

 average attendance up to the end of the past year was 

 1,119. In order to relieve the Commissionaires, the Trustees 

 decided to make use of the services of Police Constables for 

 warding the galleries on Sundays ; and it should be noted 

 that the attendance of all persons employed in the Museum 

 on Sunday afternoons is entirely voluntary, and quite distinct 

 from the duties of the staff employed on week-days. 



Siuiney Lectures. 



As in the preceding three years, the annual Lectures on 

 Geology on the Swiney Foundation have been delivered, by 

 consent of the Lords of the Committee of Council on Educa- 

 tion, in the Lecture Theatre at the South Kensington Museum. 

 The lecturer. Dr. R. H. Traquair, chose as the subject of this, 

 the first, of the three courses to be delivered by him, " The 

 Geological History of Vertebrate Animals." The lectures, 

 12 in number, were delivered during the month of October, 

 and were attended by 1,952 persons, or an average of 163 

 persons per lecture. 



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