1856-81 WHAT STUDENTS PREFER! 57 



no printed record of the vast amount of undi- 

 gested information still remaining unpublished in 

 his drawers, written only on loose tickets, by 

 thousands, of which a puff of wind or a shake of 

 the drawer would involve an irretrievable con- 

 fusion.' 



In his book on the Natural History Museum, 

 Owen quoted, and commented upon, a defence of 

 the existing state of things which had been 

 seriously put forward. The following extract 

 gives the quotation and the comment : — 



' It seems incredible that such an assertion 

 could have been hazarded as the following, by 

 an advocate of the existing state of things. 

 " Students and scientific men greatly prefer to 

 have the specimens for examination in cases 

 occupying but small space in comparison, which 

 admit of their being much more easily handled, 

 compared, and measured." ' 



The ridiculous aspect of this defence was not 

 likely to escape the keen eye of Dickens, who 

 wrote the following letter to Owen on the 

 subject : — 



August 7, 1862. 



1 My dear Owen, — I have been reading with 

 unspeakable interest and pleasure your charming 

 little book " On the Extent and Aims of a National 

 Museum of Natural History." Pray tell me who is 

 the adventurous creature who made that astound- 



