erly occupied. However, Douglas Leechman and W. G. Roberts 
completely redesigned these exhibits so that a more attractive presen- 
tation resulted. The west hall of the second floor was also redesigned 
during the late thirties, incorporating the Plains Indian material and 
the material representing the West Coast Indians and the Eskimos. 
An improvement was the new arrangement of exhibits by topics 
rather than by tribes. 
One other area, the balcony above the main entrance, was 
taken over for exhibition purposes in 1937, and an excellent series 
of mineral exhibits were installed under the direction of Eugene 
Poitevin of the Geological Survey. 
In preparation for tlie holding of the Annual Meeting of the 
Geological Society of America in Ottawa in 1947, the Palaeontology 
Hall was rearranged; almost all the invertebrate fossils and the 
stratigraphic exhibits were removed, and the dinosaur skeletons 
redistributed. The result was a great improvement, but owing to 
shortage of space a logical arrangement was still not possible. A 
number of attractive murals depicting dinosaurs and other pre- 
historic animals, the work of the Museum artist P. R. Haldorsen, 
were introduced. 
The rearrangement of the Palaeontology Hall was the last major 
change, prior to 1960, in the permanent exhibition haUs of the 
Museum. An expanded policy of temporary exhibitions was begun 
in 1957. The rotunda or main haU, over 80 feet high, had housed 
many temporary displays over the years. In 1926 and again in 1927, 
special exhibits were arranged for an elaborate conversazione of the 
Professional Institute of the Civil Service. During the thirties this 
space was used mostly for exhibits of economic geology. A large 
relief map of Canada was installed in 1938. A number of geological 
displays were placed here for the 1947 meeting of the Geological 
Society of America. In 1957 the hall was cleared of aU exhibits and 
made ready for a series of temporary exhibitions, installed for 
periods of three to four months. Among the subjects covered were 
the International Geophysical Year, West Coast Indian Art, the 
Forest Resources of Canada, the Material Culture of the Canadian 
Eskimos, and the Centennial of Darwin’s “Origin of Species.” 
Temporary exhibits have also been provided outside the National 
Museum. During the thirties, displays of biological and anthro- 
pological material were set up in booths at the Central Canada 
Exhibition in Ottawa. In more recent years, loan exhibits have been 
provided to other Canadian museums. These have included displays 
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