CHOICE COLLECTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21467, 15 April 1933, Page 8

CHOICE COLLECTION

KAURI GUM AND CURIOS SOLD TO WELLINGTON The kauri gum which forms the main, part of the collection of gum, native birds and curios recently purchased from Mr. F. 0. Peat, of Titirangi, by the Dominion Museum, Wellington, is generally recognised by experts to be the finest collection of kauri gum in tho world. Mr. Peat gave free vent to his instinct for collecting, in his boyhood days at the Bay of Islands, and afterwards for many years at Dargavillo he built his collection with patient industry. Out of a recent art union the Government is providing £3OOO to the Dominion Museum to enable it to procure tho collection. It will not leave its present home in the Treasure House at Titirangi, however, for another ihree years, until the new Dominion Museum and National Art Gallery are completed. The collection represents some -"0 years' devoted work on the part of Mr. Peat. Jt includes 1600 very choice specimens of kauri gum, such as, owing to tho altered conditions, will never again bo procurable. The largest specimen weighs 1851b. Another section of great interest consists of 90 skins of native birds ready for mounting. Mr. Peat has been a keen collector of Maori curios, and has in his display many greenstone meres, tikis and various native implements, besides some very old and valuable wood carvings. While all the kauri gum will go to the Dominion Museum, it is likely that some of the Maori curios and birds will become available for the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Seeing that the people of New Zealand generally had subscribed to the purchase money of the collection, Mr. Peat thought it fitting to have it housed permanently in tho National Museum.