ignored, and blended into the walls by
being painted of the same colour as the remainder; otherwise, the
first things which strike the observer on entering are the walls and
pilasters, and not the objects; whereas the impression to be secured
on the mind should be exactly the reverse of this, for be sure that,
if the colour of the walls be noticed at all by the casual visitor,
something is radically wrong. This is one of the reasons why I prefer
light oak wall-cases to anything else, by their being so unobtrusive,
and not dividing the room so sharply into squares as the black and
gold. I venture to say that the first thing noticeable on entering the
zoological-room at Leicester is the form and colour of the objects,
and this is as it should be.

Having now got light in the rooms from the top and, possibly, from the
north, supplemented by, and radiating from, the light walls and
ceiling, we, having our oak cases in position, must glaze them with as
large sheets of plate glass as are manageable or as we can afford; a
very handy size is-say, 8 ft. in height by 5 ft. 4 in. in breadth,
this prevents cutting up the enclosed specimens by many bars,
enclosing small panes, so prevalent in the older museums, also, of
course, adding greatly to the general effect. The backs of the wall
cases should be, if the specimens are mounted on pegs, of some light
tint slightly contrasting with that of the walls, or, if the specimens
are to be pictorially treated, with softly graduated skies applicable
to each group.

Perhaps a sketch of the treatment of the zoological-room of Leicester
Museum would help the reader to grasp the facts of the case better. In
the first place, the walls were cut for more windows, at a height of
12 ft. above the floor, the top light not being sufficient nor
properly available, nor end lights obtainable, owing to the structural
defects of the existing building; the ceiling was then whitewashed,
and walls painted of a nice warm stone colour, quite unobtrusive in
itself; the artificial light was provided for by twelve gas pendants
of twenty-four lights each, i.e, eight arms, each holding three
burners. The heating--a most important matter, not only for the
comfort of visitors, but for the proper preservation of the
specimens--was managed by hot-water coils running around the walls
under the cases. [Footnote: I am not at all sure if the artificial
lighting of wall cases is not best managed by gas arms shaded from th