774 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VoL. XXXIII. 
vertical wall cases. They are painted white and the panes are 
of small size. The bases of the wall cases are so high that the 
specimens are almost out of sight. The halls are lighted by side 
windows. The museum is open to the public only six hours a 
week — four hours on Thursdays and two hours on Sundays. 
Paris: Muséum d Histoire Naturelle and Ecole des Mines. 
— I have little to add to Dr. Hovey’s admirable account of 
these museums. Nothing could better illustrate the advance 
which has taken place in museum methods in the last thirty 
years than to contrast the mineralogical museum in the Jardin 
des Plantes, having varied modes of installation, confused 
arrangement and cheaply framed cases, with the new paleonto- 
logical museum having cases almost wholly of glass, and collec- 
tions made up of consecutive series of exquisitely prepared and 
carefully labeled specimens. Similarly the advance which has 
been made in methods of collecting and in an understanding 
of what constitutes a “specimen ” is well evinced by a compar- 
ison of the Haiiy collection in the mineralogical museum, made 
up as it is of many insignificant fragments, with any decent 
mineral collection of to-day. Such contrasts show clearly how 
great are the possibilities of museum representation and the need 
of constant study for its improvement. Of single features, the 
notices to the public which take the place of the rude English 
“Hands off or “Touch not” deserve imitation. They read 
as follows : : 
“Les pieces de cette galerie, étant très fragiles, sont con- 
fiées a la garde du public. On est prié de ne pas y toucher.” 
(The specimens in this hall, being very fragile, are confided to the 
care of the public. It is requested that they be not handled.) 
The museums of the Jardin des Plantes are open Sundays 
and Thursdays from 11 to 4, and by ticket on Tuesdays, Fri- 
days, and Saturdays for the same hours. The Ecole des 
Mines collections can be seen only Tuesdays, oo and 
Saturdays from I to 4. 
London: British Museum (Natural History). — The charac- 
ter of this great museum and the methods of installation 
