* 



1*148 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



In the local collection the bottom of the jar is covered with 

 gravel, and water plants, also painted, are placed in the alcohol, 

 thus giving a very natural appearance to the specimens. The 

 same idea is carried out with the reptiles and batrachians and 

 is a most satisfactory method of showing them. 



Birds eggs are placed in tin trays on blackened hard wood 

 sawdust, which prevents their rolling when the drawers in 

 which they are kept are opened. The distribution of birds is 

 shown by the use of small maps, on which the summer range is 

 shown in one color, the winter range by another and the inter- 

 mediate region, where the bird is always found, by a third. 

 Differently colored labels are used to indicate the continental 

 areas from which specimens come. Very effective use is made 

 of colored backgrounds, a case of scarlet parrots displayed 

 against a background of rich brown being particularly striking, 

 as were the birds of paradise against a blue ground. 



Explanatory labels have not found favor in this museum, the 

 authorities believing that the way to interest the public is to 

 exhibit the specimen in as attractive manner as possible and 

 not attempt to teach the observer more than he can learn from 

 an examination of the specimen itself. 



This museum is open to the public only two hours each day, 

 from 11 to 1. The remainder of the time it is kept completely 

 dark to prevent the fading of the specimens from exposure to 

 light. 



Berlin. The walls and background in the museum are of a 

 light straw color, which does not give as good an effect as the 

 more pronounced tones of the Vienna and Dresden museums. 

 A most interesting display is that of the transparent hydroids, 

 which are fastened to glass and placed in jars in window cases, 

 so that every detail can be seen. The Coelenterata are illus- 

 trated by many colored sketches and diagrams. Many groups 

 of invertebrates and lower vertebrates are shown in square jars 

 in their natural surroundings and very effectively. Consider- 

 able attention is paid to comparative anatomy, and many dis- 

 sections, sketches and diagrams are exhibited. 



