1862.] MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 79 



others. But as each class of animals requires a special treatment in 

 a well-appointed museum, I propose this year to speak only of the 

 arrangement of the Radiata, as these are the most advanced in our 

 exhibition rooms. 



With the view of fostering the systematic study of these animals, 

 and laying before the student in the smallest possible space the best 

 ascertained results respecting their affinities, in the present state of 

 our science, I have arranged special systematic collections, intended 

 solely to exhibit the natural affinities of the members of the several 

 classes. These systematic collections embrace carefully chosen repre- 

 sentatives of all the genera ; but with the view of making such col- 

 lections as compact as possible, only one species of each genus has 

 been introduced from each well-characterized zoological province, fre- 

 quently to the exclusion of a large number of species which would only 

 bewilder the student in his first attempt to master the natural affini- 

 ties of the representatives of any given class. With this systematic 

 collection arc combined all the preparations intended to illustrate the 

 structural characters of the genera, the peculiarities of form which 

 distinguish the different families, the complication of structure char- 

 acteristic of the orders, as well as the mode of execution of the 

 structure of the class as a whole. 



Next to the systematic collections, I have begun to make special 

 faunal collections, chiefly intended to facilitate the study of the spe- 

 cies and their geographical distribution. Thus removing from the 

 systematic collection everything which relates to the study of species, 

 I hope to impress upon our students more forcibly than is generally 

 the case, the real importance of a proper investigation of the various 

 degrees and different kinds of affinities which bind all animals into a 

 great systematic whole. These faunal collections have another ad- 

 vantage ; they bring distinctly before the eye the character of the 

 inhabitants of different parts of the world in their natural combina- 

 tions, and that in a far more impressive manner than can possibly be 

 attained by a mere nominative enumeration of species. To add to the 

 interest of these faunal collections, I have placed here everything that 

 may illustrate the peculiarities of the species, and have therefore taken 

 care that they should embrace large numbers of specimens, in every 

 possible state of growth. The attempt at arranging these collections 



