BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY). 



IX. — 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 1900. 



General Progress. 



Visitors. 



The number of visitors to the Natural History Museum 

 in 1900 was 485,288, as compared with 422,290 in the previous 

 year. This is the largest total which has been reached since 

 the opening of the Museum, the previous highest being 

 453,956 in 1896. The attendance on Sunday afternoons has 

 been well maintained, 56,302 visits having been recorded as 

 against 55,718 last year. 



The average daily attendance for all open days during the 

 year was 1,337 ; for week-days only, 1,379 ; and for Sunday 

 afternoons, 1,083. 



Electric Light. 



Further progress has been made with the installation of the 

 electric light in the Museum. Nearly all the studies in the 

 basement are now lighted in this way, as well as the Geological 

 and General Libraries, the Director's room, and other portions 

 of the ground floor. 



Swiney Lectures. 



Dr. R. H. Traquair gave his fifth and last consecutive 

 course of twelve lectures on Geology, on the Swiney Foun- 

 dation, in October, his subject being " Extinct and Persistent 

 Types." With the permission of the Lords of the Committee 

 of Council on Education the lectures were delivered in the 

 lecture theatre of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The 

 average attendance for the course was 92 persons per lecture, 

 as compared with 99 persons in the preceding year, when the 

 lectures were delivered at the Jermyn Street Museum. 



Steps have been taken with a view to the appointment of 

 a lecturer to succeed Dr. Traquair, whose term of office 

 expired with this course. 



