2 THE ESSEX FUNGI AND HOW THEY SHOULD BE
which will compete with a case of butterflies, a cupboard of
stuffed birds, a five-legged calf, or the fin of a sea-serpent ?
Surely a cabinet of fresh water shells is more interesting than a
pile of dried leaves, or even a bunch of mistletoe, at any period of
the year except Christmas. Truly, the plant hunter must confess
himself at a disadvantage, and that the popular current sets in
strong against him, but it is worth enquiring whether Essex
people and the Essex Museum is not superior to Mrs. Grundy,
as it has shown itself superior to such things as "An Australian
boomerang," "The paddle of a Fiji canoe," and "A Zulu assegai."
Having had the moral courage to insist that a Local Museum
should be local, the Club will doubtless go forward, and progress
in the march of improvement, by giving equal rights and equal
privileges to all departments of Natural History.
It is only just that before any supplementary suggestions
are offered, some recognition should be made of what has already
been done, both by way of encouragement, and for the informa-
tion of those who have not taken the trouble to go and examine
for themselves. I am personally unacquainted with any of the
details of the arrangements hitherto, and therefore all praise or
blame must be taken as impersonal, and not intended for any
individual, who will therefore pick up for himself all that belongs
to him.
At the. entrance, and upon the stairs, we find a botanico-
entomological series which is very apropos to a museum so closely
associated with Forest land. This is the collection of galls.
Although only a nucleus, even of the galls of the forest, it is of
great interest, and will, it is hoped be extended, by means of the
combined interest of the entomologist and the botanist. If any
suggestion could be made, it would be the addition of enlarged
figures of the insects, such as those of the "Oak-spangles"
figured in Science Gossip, many years ago. This would be an
additional attraction to the novice, visiting the museum only for
amusement. Allied to this subject another suggestion might be
made affecting entomologists and botanists alike. This would
be a collection of leaves and leaf-miners, with their names and
orders, on the basis indicated by Stainton in his paper contributed
to Science Gossip.
Before proceeding further with suggestions, it will be
sufficient for a visitor to enter the large room, and pass over to
the opposite side, to convince himself that plants have, to the full,
a fair share of the room to be disposed of. The illustrations of