"A MUDDLED MUSEUM."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1846, 4 September 1913, Page 11

"A MUDDLED MUSEUM."

« A COTERIE OF CONFUSED COUNCILLORS. (By P. R, Waddy, J3.A., LL.D.) Thoro aro two institutions, more or | less allied or of a kindred character, : under tlio control of the Wellington ; City Council, which appear to bp a veritable tliorji in the side of tlio City Fathers. These aro the Newtown Zoo I and the Newtown Museum. They might facetiously bo described respectively as tlio "quick" and the "dead" representatives locally of the animal kingdom. 'lho Newtown _ Zoo has . mado marvellous f strides within the past two or three years, having emerged from an ill-as-'sorted menagerie in a damp and dreary locality into a properly classified and duly named collection of animals and birds, as interesting as they aro valuable, in a park which would be a credit to any city in the world. This is not "because of" but- "in spito of" tlio attitude of a section of tlio Wellington c City Council; it is due partly to public I sympathy and support, and largely to ' too present excellent management im- . dor which tlio Newtown Zoo is placed. ; Tho Newtown Museum, within the j same) period, has emerged from a small but interesting collection of stuffed fauna of potential promise into a largo conglomeration of extremely valuablo but utterly heterogeneous specimens of ' littlo or no utilitarian value whatever, and this is not "in spite of" but directly "bccauso of" tho attitude of that section of tho Wellington City Council which did its utmost to damn the Nowtown Zoo. The Library Committee, howover, has awakened lately to tho fact that tlio Newtown Museum, whilo capable of being made extremely useful, is not exactly as it should be. Unfortunately tho Library Committee does not consist of scientific men, and, whilo recognising that a change is necessary, it is diyided against itself, one section advocating tlio appointment of a curator, another section advocating tho appointment of_ a taxidermist, some members suggesting tho appointment of a man ablo to combine the duties of a curator and of a taxidermist. Tho latter type of man probably does not exist in the Dominion, and, even if such a man .were unearthed, he would in all probability not be a success either as a , curator or as a taxidermist. To advocate tho appointment of a taxidermist, without having a curator, is, candidly speaking, folly; all tho taxidermy required at the Newtown Museum for 5 so mo timo to come will bo very small, and such as will be required can well be done by a taxidermist engaged for eacli specific job at a fee. Meanwhilo tlio chaotic confusion at present obtaining would become worso confounded. The appointment of a curator is absolutely essential' in tlio interests of the Newtown Museum. : Tlio curator need not bo a man of high scientific' attainments, but' ho should certainly bo a man of superior education, orderly and systematic in his methods, and bo moro - or less well acquainted with tho recognised systems of classifying, naming 1 (both scientifically and colloquially), and writing descriptive epitomes of all tlio specimens in the institution. Tho stato of tho Newtown Museum at present makes such an appointment an absolute 1 and immodiato necessity. Let tlio facts ] speak for themselves. . The birds form a very important section'of tho specimens. Lot tho public be made acquaint- • ed with tho stato in which t'hoy are. exposed to view, and it will at once bo seen what kind of a man is wanted. On entering tho room at the top of ! tlio stairs ono encounters a caso con- ' taining a half-sized ostrich, a still more ' diminutive ono, soma ostrich eggs,' and some 23 small birds which, as not a J label exists in tho oase, the uninitiated ' might talco to bo ostrich chicks. Nothing of tho kind; they aro kiwis. Thoro is no arrangement, there are no labels, 1 and! there are no descriptions. Ad- \ mittedly fcheostrioh (Strutliio cainehw) 1 and the kiwi (Apteryx Australia) aro ' ornithologically allied, both belonging ] to the Order of Struthiones, but they • are so widely apart as to justly call for 1 differentiation. Tho ostrich is tlio largest known bird; the kiwi ' is a small bird. Tho ostrich is indigenous J to Africa, wliero it flourislies; tho kiwi ' is peouliar to Now Zealand. Tho * ostrich Jiaa hag and immensely powerfill legs; tlio kiwi's aro short. Tlio 1 wings of tho ostrich furnish the world- 1 famed plumes; t'lio kiwi's wings bto ' brovipenirato and practically rudiment- ! nry. Finally, the ostrich is a very mucli J alivo bird, while the kiwi is a link bo- • tween tho past aaid tlio present, 'and is ( fast becoming as extinct as its mam- ■' moth predecessor, tho moa. Both sets of specimens should be kept distinct, and both should bo daily labelled. i Onejs attention is next attracted to ail adjoining case, containing a miscellaneous collection of unnamed birds, ranging from some parrots, evidently closely related to the Brazilian macaw (Macrocercus), if not actual species, to pigeons (Ectopistes), quails (Coturnix), swifts and martins (Qypselus), and warblers (Sylvia). Hero is a glorious ® disregard of all scientific arrangement! c ' Parrots bolong to the Order of Scansores .(climbing, birds). Pigeons belong I to the Order of Columbao (dove kind). s Quails belong to the Order of Gallinao (fowl kind). Swifts, martins, and * warblers belong to tho Order of Passeres ' (sparrow kind), but, whilo swifts and martins aro embraced in tho Tribe of F Fissirostres (split bills), warbler.s are embraced in the Tribe of Dcntirostres r (tooth-billed). There aro other birds in this bizarre caso, but enough has been ~ said about it to show that at least four J entirely distinct orders have been hope- * lossly confused, and the confusion is made worso by the utter absence of any a classifying or descriptive labels. Tlio 'utility or scientific value of this particular caso is in invcrso ratio to its intrinsfo value. I Following this caso to the right, alone 1 the wall, more anomalies are discovered! a First appoars a conspicuous bird, almost C pure white in colour'with a slight tingo h of rose, with an immense membranous pouch of yellow huo under its: lower J i mandible. _ Thcro is no label on it! It F is. the whito pelican (I'elocamis 0110- T crotalus), found in Africa, India, and 0 South-eastern Europe. It belongs to J tho Order Ansores (goose kind), family £ Pelicamidao. AVliy not have labelled it £ sop Next follow several black swans £ (Olienopis atrata); admittedly several aro named, hut, curiously enough, thole best specimen of all lias 110 label! s< Surely this unique typo of bird deserves ai a deseriptivo label. It also belongs to' B tho Order of Ansores, but tho family— ai Anatidao—is diffo.-ont. So far, there is 110 great fault to find, but it trasses one's comprehension why skeletons of an Araorican ostrich (Rhea amcricana) and of an emu (Dromaius novae-hollandiao). both of tho Order of Struthiones, should bo placed!) in tho immediate vicinity. Various specimens of the Order of Gal- . linao follow, but tho gonora of the two Families Tetraonidao and Phasianidae n! are intermingled in a porplexing manner. e3 This is how they occur in order: Stubblo tc quail (Coturnix pectoralis), painted:quail yi (Coturnix —wrongly labelled "Turnix"— ti varius), a peacock (Payo cristat-us), a 01 golden pheasant (Phasianus), another v ' peacock, some red grouso (Lagopus seo- ' ticus), from the heaths of Scotland, < Wale 3, and Ireland, somo Californian ° c quail (Lophortyx californiana), and w some moro pheasants. Then follows au p, unnamed bird, presumably of the Mil- bi vinae (or kite) Sub-Family of tho Fal- t): conidae Family of the great Order of tt Accipitres, in 110 way connected with the re Order of Gallinae, to which the Tetraonidae and Phasianidao Families belong. Oil, shades of Cuvier I Back again to the Order of Gallinae: more quail, another jj, peacock, somo small crested birds, Vir - of gin.ia.ll quail (Ortyx virginiaiius), an Argns pheasant (Argus gignnteos) frnm T; .Sumatra (surely deserving a label dc- R< its habits)., partridge .(Per- al

1 dix), still another peacock, still more pheasants (with 110 labels), and, to lend a domestic aspect, a small white bantam. Marvellous! Tlio next case contains somo ostriches, but there is not a line or word to give any information about them. What liavo the ostriches done? The classification siiould be: Order; Struthioncs; Family, .Struthionidao; Sub-Family, Struthioninac; Genus, Strutliio; Species, Camolus. Then should fallow an account of it. ' 111 another part of tho building is to bo found a case containing many varieties of ducks, somo birds with long and slightly turned-up beaks, indicative of tho Heciirvjrostros, bearing no label, but whoso general appearance and threo toes denote them as avocets (ltecurvirostra avocctta), and a number of vary small birds of brilliant plumage, embracing different varieties of tho humming-bird (Ornismya), but bearing no labels. Hero again is a hopeless confusion of three distinct Orders, viz., Gallinae, Clrallao (or stilted birds), and l'asseres. Thero is neither rhyme nor reason for such a disregard of all recognised systems of classification. As the adjoining case is labelled "Temporary arrangoment x>eudiug classification and remounting of specimens," no remark need bo mado about it .here, but it is to be hopetl that tho "classification" will bo on a'moro scientific basis than obtains in tho majority of cases not so labelled. Then 0110 comes to a blue and yellow macaw (Jlacrocercus ararauna) from Brazil. This belongs to the Order of Scansorcs (or climbing birds). Family • Psittacidao (or parot kind) but it' i:; not so labelled. Surely sucli a striking bird deserves a label giving _ somo account of , its 'habits and habitat. Next is a hoopoe (Upupa epops), but luuiamod. This belongs to ' t'lio Order of Passeres, Tribo Tenuires- ' tres. Family Upupidae; its proper place 1 would bo in tho, vicinity of tho liuniining 1 birds, but tho "classifier" probably did ] not know this. T'lieu comes a laughing j jackass, but Australia's champion song- j bird bears 110 label. The genus is Da- ' cclo (a transposition of tho letters of tho word Alcedo, tlio generic 11111110 of ' tho Kingfisher). .Its classification is:— ! Order Passeres, Tribo Fissirostres, Fam- j ily Alcedinidao (kingfisher kind).' Finally. thero is a miscellaneous collection of parrots: Order Scansores, Family Psittacidao. Here, again, are two ! Orders mixed. ( The next two oases aro practically in ' order. Tho orioles aro a trifle confused, ' but tho weaver birds (I'loceidae) are I correct. The shrikes or butcher birds (Laiiius) aro arranged in some sort of ' order, but it is incomprehensible why . tho same case should contain lioneycat- 1 ers and larks. A pleasing fcaluro of t tlio museum is tho beautiful case of c paradise ( and bower birds; this reflects s great credit 011 tho originator. 111 anotlier room a case contains somo I cockatoos and grass parakeets,' but their association with' tho 'Scarlet ibis t and somo quail is ludicrous. Then thoro are somo Australian birds associated with various rails. A few New e Zealand kakapos aro sandwiched in v between those and somo parakeets from Australia and India. Then thero are somo more New Zealand birds with moro rails in the foreground. Tho ob- . ject aimed' at has evidently been to at- 0 tain tho picturesque at tlio sacrifice of s a correct ornithological arrangement. t Tlio ducks reflect somo .credit in t their arrangement. They are followed I by snipo, woodcock, widgeon, etc. Then 0 there are some bitterns. Two flamingoes e are worthy of attention. Next aro her- f oils, cranes, a spoonbill, and other al- 1 lied genera properly arranged. 0 Interesting specimens are tlio great t crested grebes, which aro divors, feed- 1: ing on fish and water insects, although 11 there is no label to so inform oiio. The f Australian musk duck has lost his t place, a's have somo long-biJlod New t Zealand birds and tlio jacana (of Mox- 0 ico and tho East Indies). The ganncts t (Sula bassanea), darters,, shags, etc., r aro good,, but the collection of penguins t (Spheuiscus) is _ probably tho finost in t tho world, and it is a thousand pities c they aro not all properly named and c described. A number of gulls and 0 smaller sea birds complete an interest- t ing ooliection. Credit must also bo ac- v corded to tho stormy petrels (ThaJassi- k droma pelagica); and the different al- li batrosses (Diomedea). Tho latter are h nil properly named. fi Such is tho ornithological section of a tho Newtown Museum. The animal and roptilo sections liavo not been discussed, b but sufficient has been written to prove conclusively that a curator with a fair to good knowledge of zoological art; rangoment is urgently required, and, r< when found, should bo given carte a blancho to rearrange the pntiro museum 1< and draft out labels for all tho speci- t: mens at his discretion. Only by so do- 11 ing can this institution put forward a n dlaim to rank among first-class mu- fc scums. It camiot do so now, but it p possosses great potentialities, and could be mado a valuablo assot among the 0 metropolian institutions. ti