Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/83

tals, and the substantial interest inspired by the metals, visitors always pause with new gratification before some curious rosetted crystals of a form of time; and a look of deep wisdom comes into their faces as they read the label. "Ah: " they exclaim, "I told you so. An image should appear at this position in the text.Fig. 2.—Wires for mounting museum specimens.  a, wire twisted no to form a shoulder to prevent the specimen from slipping down. b, wire with the and bent around disk of leather so which objects can be glued; c, a simallar wire bent to fit inside a spiral shell, in fig.6; d, spiral label-holder used in fig. 3. These are imported. I knew there could be nothing so pretty as that on this side. They do these things better in France, you know." And so they pass out. Donally quite overlooking the 'educational series,' which bas been spread with such pains for their instruction.

This educational collection. which seems to be extremely apt and well selected. concentrates in a single case a practical glossary and text-book of mineralogy. To this epitome of the science all the rich and rare examples in the wall-cases are only attractive illustrations; and the further to help the inquirer understand them, several copies of Dana's 'Mineralogy" will he found upon little tables near by. Here persons may sit and read, acquire and carry away the information, but not the book, for that is chained to an iron pillar.

The third floor is that most popular with the public, since it la devoted chiefly to modern animal life. The first thing to strike the eye in the south room is a fine series of comparative skeletons of primates, from civilized man down to the humblest of monkeys, all hanging in a beautiful row by hooks screwed into the tops of their heads. The set is usually spoken of as Professor Marsh's sunday-school class, but an unprejudiced mind can see that really there is no truth in this irreverent comparison. Beyond them, the whole side of the room is filled with cases containing an orderly succession of skeletons illustrating all the vertebrate orders: while the centre of the room is occupied by the skeletons and stuffed hides of the larger mammals, like the camel, rhinoceros, a very dejected polar bear, etc.

In the same room several cases are filled with stuffed skins of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Beside most of the land birds are placed their nests, with the eggs; or else the eggs are glued upon upright tablets of ground glass, in which position they show to excellent advantage. One large case is devoted to a collection of New-England birds alone, excellently mounted upon the branches of a tree. This is the work of Prof. W. D. Whitney, who, before he became prominent as a linguist, was known as a good ornithologist; as, in fact, he still is.

Passing to the west room on the same floor, one sees invertebrate preparations most attractively displayed. They are confined almost wholly, however, to the crustacen. mollusks. radiates, and marine protozoa. Of insects there is a very small showing,—only enough to represent scantily the classification of that immense class. This is partly because it is unwise to display insects freely, since exposure to the light causes their colors to fade, but is due chiefly to lack of material, owing to the fact that no entomologists of note have been especially interested in the progress of this museum.

On the other hand, the special tastes of Professors Verrill, S. I. Smith, J. H. Emerton.and others, and the intimatre relations the museum (through these gentlemen) has sustained with the Smithsonian institution and the U.S. fish-commission, have brought the department