THE MUNICIPAL MUSEUM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 551, 5 July 1909, Page 6

THE MUNICIPAL MUSEUM.

INTERESTING i ADDITIONS,

Young folks take a great 'interest in tiw Municipal Museum at Nowtown, and some of them have recently presented it with •. intoresting natural history and other, exhibits. Miss and Master Farqunar, among.the,number, have sent a collection of different-varie-' ties' of sea stars, taken from the. ! beaches around Wellington, and very nicely mounted aid labelled by, the youthful, donors. They have placed wjith the collection a map of the world showing .in. red the coasts, wiero sea stars are foxing. -'Tbo.'CoHection' also ! ..illii&-' trates the way in'.which soitte;of the;stars grow, fresh points to replace aiiy; that have beon brokon off, and 66.,b<»tmio.sjpmetiriixd again. Other recent gifts frora tlio generation .include the .following' :—Miss'Ma> j shall, local crabs; Master Marley,. Now -Zea*[ land insects; Master AJder, birds, nests and eggs; Master Cameron, an old Japaiieeo sword. , v . .

Essay oompetitioas for fifth and sixth standard pupils of the city schools are promoted by Committee as 'a means of stimularting interest. in the museum.. ' Things seen at the museum are the subjects of t£a compositions, and the,prizes are free yearly tickets. The. following Kilbirnio scholars have won prizes:—Horace Taylor, Alex. M'Lonnan, Elsie Corrick, Grace Melvin, Ida Drawbridge. The Curator (Mr. Perry) is especially pleased with the interest shown, by the children in the museum.

Other recent donors to the museum aro tho followingMr9. T. Kirk, ;' peacock ;' Miss M'Kenzie, kingfishers; Mr. T. E. Domio, old muskets, etc'.', relics of the fighting days of To Waharoa..' Mr. Heginbotham| and parakeets; Mr.; E. W. Petherick,; platypus; Mr. J. Flockton, sea oggs ; Mr. H. J. Fielder, new species of wood-borer introduced to New Zealand in imported oak; Mr. -J. B. Speed, collection of Japaneso, Chinese,, and' Korean tobacco pipes j Mr. H. Pksn, collection oI Australian spiny /lizards (Moloch horridns) and an elephant fish. ■ " ';.-'? A couple of axis deer are now beingpropared; for exhibition by Mr. A. YuiU, tho museum taxidermist. He has also in hand a fine collection of .eagles and hawks of differout kinds, and many moro specimens air awaiting his attention. Mr. Perry considcn, that; when they aro finished the Newtown Museum will' have the finest collection of stuffed birds in Now Zealand.