COLOURING OF BACKS OF CASES AND MOUNTS 415 



the reception of valuable specimens will, if properly dust-proof 

 and of any size, range in price from thirty to a hundred guineas, 

 or even more. Descriptions of the various cases and their peculi- 

 arities in the various museums at home and abroad would take up 

 too great a space, but may be found some day in a projected 

 work upon " Museums and Museum Management." It may be 

 stated at once, however, that a cut-and-dried formula for one 

 particular case which will suit every museum — such as some 

 persons, who endeavour also to introduce a universal label, 

 would have us to believe possible — is a delusion. 



The cases at South Kensington are each adapted, as they 

 should be, to suit particular departments and certain spaces, 

 and those who run may read ; the cases at Leicester are modi- 

 fications of these and some other patterns, and are made of 

 best oak, polished " dead," without any colouring matter. 



It may be here stated that all glasses, in any frames what- 

 soever, should be pasted in all round with strips of brown 

 paper. 



" Distemper " colouring is simply powdered whiting (or, 

 better, powdered flake white) mixed with a little very weak hot 

 size, or even thin paste, to which water and various powder- 

 colours are added to the tints desired, and of the consistence 

 of thin cream. Professionals have usually a palette of three 

 powder -colours only — chrome yellow, vermilion, and ultra- 

 marine — for their skies, but see pp. 88-93. It is important 

 that a good body of white be used, or the colours will not 

 " bear out " and give a clean and luminous appearance as they 

 should do. Distemper colour upon a papered background is 

 not available where putty or anything oily is in contact, as 

 anything of a greasy nature rapidly spreads and spoils its 

 appearance ; this may be seen even when the wooden back of 

 the case is of resinous deal papered over, and undoubtedly 

 the best plan is to cover the backboard by pasting common 



