714 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VoL XXXII. 
building, that one gets very few hints as to general installation. 
The collections are entirely geological and palzeontological, and 
the material is magnificent, especially that collected and pre- 
pared by Mr. Henry Keeping. Types and figured specimens 
are very carefully preserved, and a list of them was prepared 
and published as an octavo volume of 180 pages in 1891. 
These specimens are mounted on tablets of a different color 
from those used for other specimens. At one time pink was 
used, but now dark blue is employed. This method dis- 
tinguishes the types with great readiness, to be sure, from the 
other specimens in a case or drawer, but it produces a bizarre 
effect upon the appearance of the collection, and specimens 
are in danger of losing their identity, if they are removed from 
their tablets for any reason, or if they become detached through 
accident. The tablets are made of manila board about } 
of an inch thick. Specimens loaned to go out of the 
building always have a distinctive museum label gummed to 
them before they are taken away. The drawers used for 
storage and study collections are provided with sliding glass 
tops. Many interesting problems have been worked out or 
illustrated by means of the material in this museum ; one of 
these is the arrangement of certain series of specimens to 
show the insensible gradation between related species and 
genera. Inasmuch as this museum is intended primarily for 
the student and the investigator, most of the collections are 
arranged with their convenience directly in view. The museum 
has a few special collections which must be kept together 
intact, by the provisions of their donors. The museum author- 
ities have been striving for years to procure funds for a new 
building, and it is to be hoped that they will succeed before 
anything injurious happens to the valuable material under their 
care. 2 
In closing these brief notes, the author wishes to disclaim 
having any thought that they are complete. He has not 
undertaken to mention all the good features of the museums 
visited, but has only tried to present some of the salient points 
that presented themselves in an all too hurried tour. Among 
the general considerations that come up most prominently out 
