PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
203 
done work in this direction). Then when the specimens 
had at last reached the Museum they had to be mounted 
on their appropriate stands ; labels had to be prepared 
and attached (and, as you know, the labels gave much 
more information than the name of the species merely); 
the legs and beaks of the birds had, in many instances, to 
be painted the natural colours; and, finally, the specimens 
had to be placed in their proper places in the case, a work 
which sometimes entailed the re-arrangement of those 
which had been previously placed in position. 
And as with the birds, so with the other collections. 
The amount of work that has been necessary for each can 
only be really appreciated by the arranger. Now I have 
not been entering into these details with the view of 
extolling the work done, or of seeking the thanks of the 
Society on behalf of the workers. The Society, I know, 
is perfectly willing to thank the arrangers to their hearts’ 
content, and if it were not so the pleasure that the work 
has afforded them would be sufficient reward. The labour 
has been a labour of love, and the work has not been the 
less well done because it has been done gratuitously. In 
fact, if we had had to employ paid curators, it is not im¬ 
probable that the Museum might not have been so far 
advanced, and yet cost the Society in salaries several 
hundred pounds a-year. 
But the reason why I have been expatiating on the 
work that has been done is that the question of extension 
of the space available for specimens is now becoming 
urgent. Many of the cases are as full as they can hold, 
and objects that ought to be exhibited are either not shown 
at all, or are so crowded together that they are not shown 
properly. In the present hall, wherever a case could be 
put it has been put, and so if the Museum is to be what it 
ought to be, an extension of the building is absolutely 
necessary. As, unfortunately, our available funds are now 
exhausted, it may seem to some persons that to discuss the 
question of extension without the means of carrying it out 
is more or less a waste of time. Against this view it may 
be urged that, as the question must be met some day or 
other, the present is the proper time to do it, when those 
who are most intimately acquainted with what is necessary 
and desirable are fresh from the work of arranging the 
collections, and on that account are at present best qualified 
to give advice on what form the extension should take, 
when it is possible to carry it out. Moreover, if we can 
ascertain what extension is necessary and practicable, and 
what the expense thereof would be, there seems a greater 
probability of it beiog done sooner than if we postpone 
discussing the question till funds have been obtained, and 
content ourselves with the vague statement that some 
extension is desirable. 
With the object, therefore, of utilising the experience 
gained in the work of arranging, I asked Mr Young to 
prepare the plans which are now laid before you. 
We have, fortunately, ground behind this present 
building, ample enough for all the extension required, so 
that no outlay is necessary to acquire a site. 
The main features of the new building are a large hall 
on the ground floor ; another of the same size, but with a 
gallery round it, on the first floor; the extension of the 
present laboratory as far as the back wall of our ground ; 
a curator’s room above the laboratory; and dwelling-rooms 
for the janitor above the curator’s room. 
Let us now consider, in detail, the purposes to which 
each of the additional apartments would be devoted. The 
hall on the ground floor, which would have an area of 
nearly 1000 square feet, should contain the Index Collec¬ 
tion. At present this collection is necessarily in our one 
hall, and, apart from the fact that the space that it is 
possible to allot to it is rather too limited, it seems impos¬ 
sible to get visitors to understand that it is distinct from the 
Perthshire Collection. To the new hall the present table 
cases (in which the Index Collection is chiefly contained), 
could be removed, and, in addition, the walls would be 
surrounded by cases, while iu the middle of the floor a 
few narrow, upright cases would be placed for specimens 
in fluid—the need of such cases being very much felt in 
our present Museum. By confining the Index Collection 
to one room (which would be entirely restricted to it), all 
risk of confusion with the Perthshire Collections would be 
avoided; and, moreover, by the additional space the edu¬ 
cational value of the collection could be very much in¬ 
creased. 
With reference to this Index Museum another idea occurs 
to me, namely, that, if at any time our sister Association 
—the Literary and Antiquarian Society—should be at a 
loss for room in which to exhibit its natural history speci¬ 
mens, some arrangement might perhaps be come to, by 
which we could take care of them on behalf of the other 
Association. This would do away with the anomaly of 
having two museums in Perth,—one entirely, and the other 
partly, devoted to natural history,—and would permit our 
friends to show their antiquarian, technological, and art 
collections to full advantage. Of course, any specimens 
thus placed under our care could be reclaimed at any time. 
The hall on the second floor would have an area of 
nearly 1000 square feet, and be surrounded by a gallery 
with nearly 700 square feet of area. Both the hall and 
