GUIDE-BOOKS, CATALOGUES AND LECTURES. 135 
that of organizing popular lectures directly or 'indirectly 
based on its collections. In the design of the new wing of 
the buildings provision was" made for a-commodious lecture- 
room and in 1913 the Government of Bengal provided funds 
for the necessary furniture, lantern, etc.; for the preparation 
of lantern-slides, the payment of lecturers and other incidental 
expenses. The money came from the grant annually made 
by the Government of India to the local government for the 
improvement of education. In the scheme drawn up by the 
Trustees a special feature was made of the payment of lec¬ 
turers, although it was recognized that most of these would 
be members of the staffs of different sections of the Museum. 
It was realized that the greater part if not the whole of the 
work of preparation must be done out of office-hours. 
It has been arranged that two courses shall be delivered 
each year, one in the winter season and one in the “ rains,” 
between July and September. Both are to be of a popular 
nature, but the latter course is to be slightly more technical 
than the former. 
The winter course of 1913-14, the only one as yet deli¬ 
vered, was successful so far as attendance was concerned, the 
average number of visitors at each lecture being over 150 for 
six lectures. The lectures were given by members of the 
staffs of the different sections, except the first, on the history 
of the Museum, which was by the Chairman of the Trustees. 
It is reproduced in the introductory chapter of this volume. 
The subjects of the others were as follows:— 
“ Sponges as living animals.” 
“ A visit to the Art Section of the Indian Museum.” 
“ Trees that weep.” 
‘‘ Extinct Indian Mammals.” 
“ The Field of Indian Archaeology.” 
Freshwater Fishes of Bengal.” 
The last was delivered in ‘Bengali and was the most 
popular of the series, 263 members of the general public hav¬ 
ing been present: it was noted that, in addition to numbers 
of Bengali students, there was a considerable English audience, 
many of the members of whicji knew no Bengali but came 
