REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND STATE GEOLOGIST 1902 I'149 



The museums in Munich, Stuttgart and Paris were also 

 visited; but, as the buildings and methods of installation are 

 not novel, notes on them may be omitted in favor of the natural 

 history division of the British Museum, at South Kensington, 

 London. 



London. In the immense collections here so many methods 

 of installation have been tried, and so much information may 

 be obtained concerning good and bad methods, that it is, with- 

 out doubt, the most important place to be visited by one wish- 

 ing to study mnsenms. 



Among many interesting and valuable things, the following 

 may be noted. Iron cases have not found favor here as they 

 have in some of the continental mnsenms. Greai stress is laid 

 on very full explanatory labels and photographs, and sketches 

 are commonly used. 



One of the things that impressed the writer strongly was 

 the cases illustrating some of the general facts of zoology, such 

 as mimicry, protective coloration, warning colors etc., shown 

 principally by the insects, and with very full descriptive labels; 

 cases showing melanism and albinism and one of pigeons show- 

 ing the various breeds produced by artificial selection. Ex- 

 hibits such as these have a very great educational value, and 

 it is hoped that some of them may be copied in the State 

 Museum. 



Well labeled collections illustrating comparative anatomy 

 are shown and include, among other specimens, skulls showing 

 the various varieties of teeth, the succession of teeth etc. 

 These could be copied with success in the State Museum,- though 

 of course without carrying the work to such an extent. 



The insects are shown in flat cases, which are covered with 

 a frame (to be raised by the visitor) on which are printed 

 diagrams and descriptions of the forms in the case beneath. 

 The collection of hymenopterous nests is g'ood, and many of 

 the galls are represented by wax models. The variations in dif- 

 ferent species of any part, such as the coxa, are shown by 

 specimens with that part colored red. Forms of antennae are 

 shown by specimens and diagrams. A unique exhibit is the 



