NOTES ON SOME EUROPEAN MUSEUMS! 
EDMUND OTIS HOVEY. 
WHEN the author was in Europe last year, for the purpose of 
attending the Seventh International Geological Congress, he 
improved the opportunities which presented themselves for 
visiting museums, paying especial attention to the departments 
of geology, mineralogy, and paleontology. On his return a 
somewhat detailed report on these matters was prepared for 
the authorities of the American Museum of Natural History, 
and this has been thought of sufficient general interest to war- 
rant its publication.. The order of presentation is essentially 
geographic, being very nearly that in which the museums were 
visited by the author. This discussion cannot claim to be 
complete, because the museums at Vienna and Munich are not 
included, these cities lying too far away from the route 
traversed to permit of being visited in the time at disposal. 
Hildesheim. — This quaint medizval city of northern Ger- 
many contains a large and valuable collection of various material 
in a confiscated monastery which has been remodeled to adapt 
it to museum purposes. It is called the “ Roemer Museum” 
in honor of the public-spirited citizen who endowed it. Regard- 
ing the general museum there is not much to be said. There 
is much fine material on exhibition, but the general scheme of 
arrangement and classification and the installation are hampered 
by the limitations of the old monastery buildings. The director 
has, however, succeeded in bringing the geological department 
up to a high state of perfection and interest. The collection 
illustrating general geology consists at present of only about 
350 hand specimens of rocks, but these are selected and dis- 
played in such a manner that they give at a glance a very good 
idea of the most striking phenomena of the science. The col- 
lection in the cases is well supplemented by diagrams, charts, 
and photographs hanging upon the neighboring walls. The 
1 Read before Section E at the fiftieth anniversary meeting of the American 
Association for the Advancement of Science, Boston, August, 1898. 
