A MUSEUM IN BEING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 431, 13 February 1909, Page 7

A MUSEUM IN BEING.

THE NEWTOWN NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION. - SOME NEW IDEAS. . "From.small beginnings great, enterprises •are. ' is'the reflection which forces itself upon the casual :yisitor to the Natural History; Museum'at Newtown. The present is not; a .-good time'-.to visit that institution,, for'the collection is boirig reorganised, and, a state of chaos, inevitable'from the scheme, of reorganisation: prevails all,, over, the'nipper. floor of the- Newtown Library. Under the courteous; direction:of Mr. Perry, librarian at-'•"Newtown, of The Dominionwwars r permitted to obtain, l a , general.idea" of , the aignificanco of the topsyturyeydom which at present prevails, and -so arrive 1 at -.a startling realisation of;the remarkable: development of what .undoubtedly promises "to be- the finest-natural- history museum •in the ; Southern Seas. It certainly comprises thefinest collection ; of exhibits.in .New , ; Zealand—and all this from a small and .modest ;bogihning. ' By ..tho 'time, the'. remodelled institution 1 is officially opened;: in another inorith or so,: and the public has;been : permitted"'to' see for itself- what is now in process, of it is 'to,bo-.hoped that : ;its , : will be duly tempered: with ,an; appropriate sense of its .indebtedness, to Mr:JE. JW. .Petlierick, ;wKo not. only, founded the museum with his ; very fine. private collection of 'natural history specimens, -but continued, and is continuing, to , add to the nucleus so generously/established; ....'-■..

,',:'/. ■■ :■■'■' ; - : .- : k:A' Ceneral.Survey. -:[ : ' /'■ ; ;',;;'- : ' /':The reconstruction of the; museum .portion •las, of course, been part of a. general scheme, for,,the , enlargement, of' tho whole: of . the, ■building, details of which were, published in; The -Dominion.sometime ago: These' altera-: tiori's and.extension's have:riow. been practically, -completed. ."Access. ',-ik> : the building is by-■.two,:rseparai6.;doors,- the' main entrance, leading .to" the: library, proper,': and 'the 'other, at of the frontage,-to,the lecture^roomand/the staircase'leadine/to the ■mttseum;..;.;. This arrangement enables / tho 'museum to;be'thrown open'at. such times" as the library: is closed. The corporation ■ has marked.its sense of gratitude' to. the founder of.'the .museum by.;a -handsome . memoriali Shield, in; marble audstuccolin, of-tasteful, design, pany, and erected,in'tho small: corridor, immediately in3ide:the: southern entrance. -Tho inscription' reads:— ;'■.■-. '■.-■!. i~ ■; :'/-■., u i_ "T0 , . , Edward Wade:Petherick, in recognj;tion of :his generous, spirit in:.presenting the. ,City of /.Wellington/with/his valuable collection . for the -establishment of the museum.' Oponed.May 28,-1006/' ■■. -': -.■•■:/; ':/■/'.■•; : /V v". ;:■ Sufficient.- has .previously 'been' said of thV general :scheme/of the reconstructed library, and /.also.- as. to/the, architectural, design or, .the/iriuseura/portion, : ,which .is spacious'laid. .weU-lighted.;. TlieTo , are::no side windows— all', ceiling-lights; , • The tints of ..the walls 'are Ibright: and 'cheerful,., in' Chappy, contrast .to . that j/glopiny. /institution, - the Dominion' Museum; 'with , :its irresistible suggestion'-df amgiriessi;' ,, ;where;moth"'and.dust dotli cor'.rupt;',,"'J 1 :'" .'■■,.'' ,; ','- ,; . : ' ■' c-'t^'-',•.-■■■■. '''■''■/- : y''-' : t '■•■■■ Cunning /of the Taxidermists , : ; I v.ln; the,.construction 1 of L tbo' exhibit cases,, the designers/havehad in view the possibili-.ties-of•■α^yisit,.from;the destructive. ''borer," :'and tbtaraihas'been used throughout. :: :Froni l the.aham.trees^and.branches upon which.the feathered-exhibits are to ■ perch \yood has 'been entirely, eliminated. These trees and .branches' do not look the ."sham", articles, be although they; are made, simply' of wire.' and tow, ;paintcd and! furbished up, with- all. /tho '. cunning, of that experienced taxidermiet, Mr. Alexander Yuill, wnois.now permaiisntly at-' taclied to the-museum,, and'has in Ms.workroom there something like'two years' work ahead' of':hiin,':.so'. rapidly,has-the collection grown, and is growing> ; ;A-,;;..;■ -'■','>...:;;'.'. ■ /The exhibits ■.have trebled their. . number : since.its inception. >/On the shelves in-' the taxidermist's.room are;something-, like .'6OO ..skins awaiting treatmenfj , ;-, , Mr. Pcthericlc, ; whq: simply cannot keep-away from'his pet project,' has ;about £600, worth' , ,of .skins in 'order at.the .present moment ; and a.profesT siorial..':Kuntbr.'' l isC scouring ..the. ■' woods. •: and plains,;hills : and'.valleys of distant Africa in' venturesome .endeavours to satisfy Mr:: P.eth;erick's. wants.-; The museum- has discovered' .another.friend-in its .taxidermist. whd-hiis loaned,a case of very fine specimens of birds, and .also., donated a , collection ; '.at 400 skins; which he proposes, to prepare for t exhibition.-';..'. ' : ''y : -\<-~: ■■■' '■:,'■■. ■.■'. ■■(■ ■■■■ .:■'

v : .;-,;.:;..;--'V.;"'.;... Now Ideas. l \:'y^}'- : -'i .'■'." v : The arrangom'ent of ;the exhibits is' a 'slow .'process,; for, .the.'.old: system/ of ''staging" them has'been dispensed with, and tho change •involves.''painstaking and protracted labour'.' Cases line; the, walls, throughout, "and 'also 'stand, in the centre of. each room. -The rooms aro 'not really [distinct are largejrooms divided •into .four divisions \ by larches. 'Ohe;6f these; ina. more : 'advanced stage;of completion than the :othersj ; gives a , fairly'good idea ; : of the system adopted for ■displaying the: collection.',., .Take the ..cases • which line .tho walls; as; an illustration. : ; The backs of these are; oil paintings (by Mr. /W;. Petyrick),' on stretched canvas;-: depicting ■ scenery 7 :appropriate.- to , the: naturaljihabitats of .the exhibits..- In a-collection of,'.'waders. ,, , for.'.example, the' painted background of ,tno .case is a; lake scGney'with .rushes andVother vegetation .indigenous,to the Vicinity. ■'. An ingenious.'arrangement of mirror's! ! brings (the shore' waters of tho lake, on.to 'the ; noor of' .the:case, where vegetation from the natural habitats of .the;birds is artistically and faithfully"arjanged, and rocks, trees; and.so forth strew the-foreground.: ,-In the midst of this, "attractive picture .the: "waders'*,- are exhibi ited in-natural,poses,.,and in their'- natural environment,' the.whole.'affording an instructive sjiudy of, groat educational value to school parties! , .'. .'■ '■ .. '•' ■'" :' - '"'■:■".■ "■'■■■-, ■'■r:-'.< ; , Another feature of the museum, and an important' one to those , whoso opportunities 1 of visiting Buch collections in the daytime are liinited, is -the provision. made, for .displaying. ' the/exhibits by •electric-; light..:'.; In the four .upper corners' of each; case have been installed . ■.electric'bulbs; the room itself is not;lighted,6nly.'the;'caies/ : which are thus displayed to striking' advantage..' The. museum should be α-very -popular- Tesort during, tho future months.': It's fame has even travelled to Australia; "for many .visitors': from "the ; ; other: side" have; made a. special .call to. the 'museum, attracted- by some'• reference:to tho ":cblleotion.which.they have seen in a Wellington .paper.' The collection is something.very.much more than:a New, Zealand one; it is- , -. rapid|y, assuming the characteristics of; a .universal collection, representative of'all parts of .the world. . One. of the events of the near future. will.be the arrival of a "hippo," which is beirie supplied toMr. Petherick's order. ' ; ■■;;"Ivis, becoming -a question, even now, of whejro we are goihK to put everythisia;," said the' Librarian, as .-.tho; tour..of inspectioncbhcluded. 1 ': "'.:'■■.' ■■'■,■.:'■;■■ --.".v-..: -yv.