248
ANNUAL REPORT.
has since been printed in the Essex Naturalist. The work during the
year 1900 was necessarily mainly confined to improving the arrangement and
increasing or renewing the specimens in several departments.
The removal of the three centre cases from Chingford to the main
Museum has enabled the curator to improve the collection of mammals and
at the same time allow of more space being given to the birds. The Corpora-
tion Committee largely aided in the reconstruction of these cases, and they
also kindly gave orders for the making in the workshops of the Institute of 13
square wall-cases for the reception of some of the smaller animals and for
botanical collections. Ten of these cases are at present temporarly filled with
selections from the Essex collection of Seaweeds. The authorities of the
Institute also allowed the curator to place four large cases containing the
general collection of fossils in the gallery. Mr. H. E. Smedley, F.L.S., le
his series of wax models of British Fungi, made by himself, and the collection
was for some time a very beautiful and attractive exhibit in the gallery. On
the removal of Mr. Smedley's collection our member, Mr. J. Avery, kindly
lent a large selection from his collection of engraved view's of Essex, and this
has been arranged round the gallery, the Institute constructing the frames to
contain the pictures.
The principal additions to the Museum during the year were the acquisi-
tion by purchase of the Cryptogamic collection of the late Mr. E. G. Varenne,
of Kelvedon; a considerable number of specimens of plants from our late
member, Mr. Sewell; a large number of Lepidoptera from our late member,
Mr. F. Coles; archaeological specimens from Mr. F. W. Reader and his
brother, Mr T. W. Reader; Palaeolithic implements from Somaliland from
Mr. Seton-Karr, together with other specimens of stone implements; and of a
beautifully set-up specimen of the Kite, formerly belonging to the late Mr.
Henry Doubleday, by Mr. J. E. Harting.
The arrangement, of the specimens in hand will necessarily take a long
time. The curator has had the benefit of the assistance of Mr. H. White-
head who had been appointed by the Technical Instruction Committee, but
Mr. Whitehead's time being largely occupied in other ways, the progress has
been slow. The work of the curator is also hampered by want of space, and
still more seriously by want of sufficient funds to obtain the necessary cabinets,
cases and appliances, and the special specimens and preparations urgently-
required. Meanwhile he can only once more appeal to the members of the
Club, and to those interested in the museum "idea" for assistance both
financial and scientific. There are thousands of species still required, and we
are in need of systematic collecting in most groups. Essex is a very rich county,
but specimens must be gathered with skill and care to be available for museum
purposes.
Epping Forest Museum.— As reported at the last Annual Meeting, the
re-arrangement of the collections, and additions thereto, has now been taken
in hand. A Committee has been appointed, under the chairmanship of the
Rev. A. F. Russell, and a public subscription started to obtain the funds
necessary to carry out the scheme proposed by the curator. A considerable
sum has been subscribed, but more money is still needed. The work of
reconstruction has been carried on slowly through the year, and the major