132 STUDY COLLECTIONS 



The Journal, now Natural History, begun in 190U, is the means of 

 promptly informing the Museum members of the work of the institution, 

 giving the results of the many expeditions, telling of the collections made, 

 or more important information gathered. It also describes at length 

 interesting or noteworthy installations, and notes the accessions to the 

 various departments, changes in the personnel of the Museum, and 

 elections to Membership. The illustrated Guide Leaflets deal with ex- 

 hibits of particular interest or importance, such as the Habitat Groups of 

 Birds, the Evolution of the Horse, Meteorites, the Indians of Manhattan, 

 calling attention to important objects on exhibition and giving informa- 

 tion in regard to them. The Handbooks, eight of which have been issued, 

 deal with subjects or topics rather than objects. Thus the Plains Indians 

 Handbook, by Dr. Wissler, is not merely a guide to the exhibition hall, 

 but tells of the life and customs of these Indians, their language, political 

 organizations, religious beliefs and ceremonies. 



The distribution of these popular publications is a part of the educa- 

 tional work of the Museum, as are exhibits and lectures, and so far 

 they have been necessarily sold below the cost of publication, as is done 

 by other museums. (See list at end of this Guide.) 



An important part of the Museum, not seen by the public, is the 



workshops, located in the basement and provided with machinery of the 



„ T , . most improved pattern. Here, among other things, are 



Workshops , , ■ r . x1 



constructed the various types ot cases used in the 



Museum, including the light, metal-frame case, devised in the institution. 



Still other rooms, which, of necessity, are not open to the public, are 

 the laboratories, wherein is carried on the varied work of preparing 

 exhibits, work which calls for the services of a very considerable number 

 of artists and artisans. 



Here are cast, modelled or mounted the figures for the many groups 

 from Man to Myxine; here leaves are made to grow and flowers tobloom 

 as accessories for beasts,* birds and fishes, to say nothing of reptiles and 

 amphibians, and here, with painstaking care, are slowly created in glass 

 and wax the magnified copies of invertebrates. 



From all this may be gathered that a museum is a very busy place, 

 much more so than the casual visitor is apt to imagine. In fact, a very 

 good museum man has said that a museum is much like an iceberg, seven- 

 eighths of it under water and invisible. 



*See Guide Leaflet No. 34. 



