AN "elastic" system. 329 



spective of imaginary divisions, with a label attaclied stating 

 their range and if occuiTing locally. 



Leaving biology now, we shall see how this " elastic system " 

 can " be carried through the collections from end to end." Take 

 the rocks as an example. Is it real science — or what is it 

 — which would label syenite a "Leicestershire" rock? Such 

 queries and repHes could be multiplied ad infinitum, for it will be 

 observed that I have said nothing about the mammals, where the 

 loss of space and want of cohesion in such a group as the carnivora 

 — best represented of all in " local " — are patent. The fishes — 

 fancy a " local " salmon ! yet they occasionally run up the 

 rivers. But I need not enlarge on this, further than to say 

 that under this " elastic " system it was gravely proposed to 

 pictorially mount the " local " freshwater fishes under the 

 sea fishes, not because it was a direct violation of the physics of 

 salt and fresh water, but because the " local " division must come 

 in its place at the bottom of the range of cases ! I had almost 

 forgotten to say that these precious divisions were to be made 

 self-evident to the bucolic intellect even, by means of colour 

 — thus, " Local " was to be brownish-red rock ; " British," green ; 

 and " Foreign," blue ; and these colours were, without reference 

 to any artistic considerations such as the laws of contrast in 

 colour, or light and shade, to be rigidly adhered to, and to be 

 carried in distinct, if " wavy " bands, all around the room. 

 Fortunately, it was pointed out that shelves of wood would 

 carry out that idea more effectually than playing with science 

 and art in such a manner, therefore these absurd propositions 

 were promptly discarded. And now, having described what I 

 take to be the evils to be guarded against in plain or " pictorial " 

 mounting, if founded on such lines as those in the scheme I 

 have called "A," I will briefly sketch out what I take to be the 

 lines of the museum of the future. 



I must confess I had thought a great deal of arranging the 

 vertebrata in zoo-geographical order, in a manner founded on 

 A. E-. Wallace's great and concise work on the " Geographical 

 Distribution of Animals." It seemed to me a fairly compre- 

 hensive and scientific, certainly a novel, method of treatment, 

 and I had gone so far as to sketch out several of my groups, 

 when I was confronted by difficulties, and saw that it was not a 



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