ithout fear of doing damage to anyone but
himself. I considered that public museums must always be affected by
matters of expediency and local feeling, and that the will of the
majority must always be studied, when it has common sense for its
basis.

To this end I worked, and not wishing to be so much in love with my
own system as to be blind to advice, I wrote to ten of the most
eminent men of science--men of European reputation, and whose dictum
on museum matters cannot be questioned--setting forth, under the
heading "Scheme A" and "Scheme B," the pros and cons of both, not
favouring one or the other in the slightest, giving no clue whatever
to my leaning to either, and resolving to be guided entirely by the
opinion of the majority, or, should it be a close tie, to refer it to
an umpire.

Of these ten, eight returned unqualified approval of having a general
collection for Leicester, and also of that plan which kept the
"general" and "local" collections entirely distinct; one gave no
opinion, and one eminent man suggested an alternative scheme of a
typical collection somewhat like Professor Owen's "Index Museum" at
South Kensington, and which could be carried out afterwards without
reference to the question at issue.

As regards the pictorial mounting of the specimens in zoological order
--the thing I was most doubtful about--both for the "general" and the
"local" collections, five out of the ten unhesitatingly favoured
pictorial mounting--if well done--of both collections, and four more
said nothing for or against it.

Nearly every one of these gentlemen wrote me a lengthy letter, giving
most valuable advice--advice which has in all cases been acted on
where practicable. Dr. a. C. Guenther, F.R.S, etc, at one time the
Keeper of Zoology, British Museum, has kindly allowed me to quote his
views embodied in a letter to me. He says:

"I should recommend you to adopt the following plan: Arranging the
general and British collections together, strictly systematically,
receiving, of the foreign animals, typical forms only, but making the
British series as complete as possible, and choosing in preference
Leicestershire animals when practicable.

Excluding from the general series specially mounted objects, such as
groups of birds showing nidification, change of plumage, or
illustrating the habits of animals--such groups to be mounted on
separate stands in the middle of the room.

I believe this plan would best meet t