South Kensington's New Venture Generations of students have for years past admired the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, and been grateful for the admirable guidebooks issued for the various collections. In the last year, however, the Museum nas embarked on a new adventure, und has decided that steps: hould be taken to interest im thei colleotion those who as yet have technical knowledge. The au*porities have demonstrated whut they are attempting to do in prorulgating the knowledge of nature: history by showing the very beautiful picture postcards that they have had prepared of their exhibits. Every phase of life is exhibited, butterflies in natural colours, dogs of every possible British and other illustrating difficultly collected an-breed, exotic animals, specimens
thropological remains, reproduce tions of unique crystals and rock specimens, and cards illustrative of bird and animal life in all their forms.
Apart from this very legitimate effort at popularisation, the Museum curators have revised all, or, at any rate, most, of their technical textbooks, with the result that any student can now make an intelligent study of the collection with incalculable benefit to himself. There is not a photograph in the collection that has not artistic and educational value, and it seems a pity that the means have not already been found to have the reproductions distributed to the various elementary schools throughout the country so that the children could learn even if only through pictures some of the wonders of creation as they have been revealed by patient and careful research. The logs would not be excessive, as a guinea would probably buy the entire collection for any recognised educational institution.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.