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stuffed monstrosities or dummies placed on stands in glass 
cases, or perhaps the only Natural History collection they 
have ever taken the trouble to notice is the wretched display 
—although there are some good specimens interspersed 
amongst the others—at Aston Hall, which is nothing less 
than a disgrace to a community like ours. Let me assure those 
who may have gathered their opinions from such a display, 
that the Naturalists of the present day insist that specimens 
shall be exhibited naturally, and represented, as far as possible, 
as “ Nature” herself ordains. I am now speaking of a public, 
or shall I say popular museum, not one solely for the use of 
students in scieutific institutions, which would be formed upon 
quite a different basis. 
This neglect of Natural History in our town is the more 
astonishing when we find it taken up so warmly and supported 
in many others; in fact, a Natural History Museum of some 
sort is to be found in almost every town of any size. Take 
for instance, Liverpool, Newcastle-on-Tyne, York, Durham, 
Chester, Leicester, Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Worcester, Warwick, 
Lichfield, Derby, Norwich, Salisbury, not to mention the 
Universities, and a host of other places. I grant many of 
them are antiquated, neglected, and useless to a Naturalist; 
but the reason of this is, I think, not far to seek. 
Principle and Method of a Local Museum. 
Provincial museums as a rule miss their purpose, owing in 
most instances to bad management, or, quite as often, by 
attempting too much — in endeavouring to illustrate the 
Zoology of the world instead of restricting their efforts to the 
immediate district; the consequence is, a miserable failure. 
In my opinion, such museums ought to most fully and 
perfectly represent the fauna, flora, and geology of their 
respective districts, each species that is indigenous being 
shown in all the metamorphoses that it passes through ; in 
fact, giving a complete life history of both the animate and 
inanimate creation to be found in their neighbourhoods. 
Lack of material cannot be any excuse, as objects of interest 
are to be found almost at our very doors ; only in those districts 
where there is a paucity of observers is there barrenness; 
even the very stones cry out for an opportunity to display 
their written pages of the world’s history. If this could be 
carried out, local museums would occupy a much more 
important position than they do at present, and would attract 
specialists who might be engaged in studying any particular 
branch of Zoology or Geology, who, upon ascertaining that 
such a locality was prolific in those subjects of their research, 
