52 
Canada, and a separate museum of history, the Public Archives. Natural 
history museums have a diversity of functions, but they are generally 
conceded to have three major purposes: (1) to collect and to serve as a 
repository for natural history material of scientific or economic interest; 
(2) to educate the public concerning the natural history and natural 
resources by exhibiting specimens, by writings and lectures, and in other 
ways; (3) to conduct researches in the natural sciences. These appear 
to be the main reasons for the existence of the National Museum of 
Canada. Opinions will probably differ widely regarding their relative 
importance. 
(1) If expense did not matter, either in sending collecting expeditions 
to all parts of Canada or in providing accommodation for the material 
obtained, museum material could be obtained more quickly by an inde- 
pendent Museum organization. This is well proved by the great quantities 
of ethnological and biological specimens which have been collected by the 
divisions of anthropology and biology since these divisions were reorganized 
and strengthened about 1910. Even in these branches of natural science, 
however, a great deal of valuable material has been incidentally contributed 
from all over Canada and from many parts not ordinarily accessible, by 
Geological Survey parties sent out for other, more economic, purposes. 
These contributions have been made at almost no cost. The geological, 
mineralogical, and palaeontological collections now in the Museum, verte- 
brate fossils excepted, have all been made in this economical manner. 
Only very large mineral specimens and the remains of dinosaurs and other 
large creatures have been obtained by special collecting expeditions because 
of the special technique and special equipment needed for their recovery 
and preservation. Collection of geological and palaeontological material 
by Geological Survey parties has one further advantage; it is done by a 
staff much larger, more highly specialized, and, therefore, more discrimin- 
ating than could ever be maintained by an independent Museum. 
Here one might assume that an independent Museum would have the 
same assistance as it does in its present close relationship with the Geolo- 
gical Survey; but apparently it would not. The Department of Agriculture 
contains several organizations which are quite as much interested in the 
various branches of biology as the Geological Survey is in the geological 
group of sciences, yet the contributions from this source to the Museum's 
collections have been negligibly small. Within the Department of Mines, 
to which the Museum belongs, the only branch which has contributed 
notably is the Geological Survey. Even the Geological Survey, between 
about 1907 and 1925, when for a variety of reasons it and the Museum 
drew apart, diminished its assistance to the Museum conspicuously. 
Experience thus indicates that complete separation of the Museum from 
the Geological Survey would result in the same indifference on the part 
of the Survey which other Government organizations have always shown. 
Theoretically, the National Museum is now a repository for all natural 
history material collected and no longer needed by other Federal organi- 
zations, and for similar material donated by the public. It has always 
received a considerable quantity of material from the public, as the lists 
of donations published yearly show, but it has received little from any 
Government organization, w T ith the notable exception of the Geological 
Survey. The reason for this lack of support from other departments is 
simple. There is not sufficient incentive. Comparatively little natural 
