THE TECHNOLOGIST. [Oct. 1, 1864. 



108 ON MUSEUM ARRANGEMENT 



complete preservation of the specimens, with great economy in point oF 

 expense. This having been done, it is easy to devise the plan of a 

 museum which shall be the most interesting and instructive to general 

 visitors, and one from which, however short their stay, or however 

 casual their inspection, they can hardly fail to carry away some amount 

 of valuable information. The larger animals being of course more 

 generally interesting, and easily seen and recognised, should be exhibited 

 in the preserved state, and in situations in which they can be completely 

 isolated. This is necessary also on account of their size, which would 

 not admit of their being grouped in the manner which I proposed with 

 reference to the smaller specimens. The older museums were, for the 

 most part, made up of a number of larger or smaller glass-fronted boxes, 

 each containing one, or, sometimes, a pair of specimens. This method 

 had some advantages, but many inconveniences ; amongst others that of 

 occupyiug too large an amount of room. But I cannot help thinking 

 that when this was given up for the French plan of attaching each 

 specimen to a separate stand, and marshalling them bike soldiers on the 

 shelves of a large open case, the improvement was not so great as many 

 supposed; and this has become more and more evident since the 

 researches of travellers and collectors have so largely increased the 

 numbers of known species — of species frequently separated by characters 

 so minute as not to be detected without careful and close examination. 

 Having come to the conclusion that a museum for the use of the general 

 public should consist chiefly of the best known, the most marked, and 

 the most interesting animals, arranged in such a way as to convey the 

 greatest amount of instruction in the shortest and most direct manner, 

 and so exhibited as to be seen without confusion, I am very much dis- 

 posed to recur to something like the old plan of arranging each species 

 or series of species in a special case, to be placed either on shelves or 

 tables, or in wall cases, as may be found most appropriate, or as the 

 special purpose for which each case is prepared and exhibited may seem 

 to require. But instead of each case, as of old, containing only a single 

 specimen, it should embrace a series of specimens, selected and arranged 

 so as to present a special object for study ; and thus, any visitor looking 

 at a single case only, and taking the trouble to understand it, would 

 carry away a distinct portion of knowledge, such as in the present state 

 of our arrangements could only be obtained by the examination and 

 comparison of specimens distributed through distant parts of the collec- 

 tion. Every case should be distinctly labelled with an account of the 

 purpose for which it is prepared and exhibited, and each specimen 

 contained in it should also have a label indicating why it is there 

 placed. I may be asked why should each series of specimens be 

 contained in a separate case ; but I think it most obvious that a 

 series of objects exhibited for a definite purpose should be brought 

 into close proximity, and contained in a well-defined space ; and 

 this will best be done by keeping them in a single case. There is 



