Letters

Museum Maligned?

To THE EDITOR:

Thumbing through the newly-arrived ALUMNI MAGAZINE last evening, my eye was caught by a small drawing of three men around a glass case of mounted birds. The caption stated "—The College receives some unusual gifts." Below, I read in the text of the article that "—the College has been the startled recipient of almost every known variety of personal possession," collections of stuffed birds in glass cases being cited among the examples. But why is a gift of stuffed birds so unusual, so startling, that the College Official is depicted on the verge of nervous collapse? There is a museum in the College where such things are kept and used. The Zoology Department teaches the students about all manner of birds and beasts; there is even a special course in ornithology offered.

Turning the page, I discovered a picture of myself, caught unawares by the photographer, in what appears to be the act of committing an assault on a stuffed rhinoceros. That Rhino was a gift to the College; a very welcome and useful gift, since quite a lot of natural history can be taught around a stuffed rhino. Stuffed rhinos are not usually offered for sale on the open market, but had we bought this specimen, an entire year's museum budget appropriation might have been swallowed up in the transaction. Most of the specimens displayed in the museum came as gifts by Alumni and friends of the College.

Returning for a moment to the drawing which first caught my eye: two of the three birds depicted may well represent an owl and a toucan. This brings to my mind a particular gift by two Alumni, some years ago, which furnished the museum its. first mounted toucan, among other new and interesting items. The current price of a mounted toucan might be anywhere from ten to twenty dollars. There were several other rare birds contained in this gift, which have added both to the appeal of the museum's exhibits, and to the interest of the course in ornithology. It would be a tragedy indeed if the misconception were spread around that gifts of natural history specimens are so unusual, so startling as to cause the museum curator to drop his cigar and tear his hair in anguish.

I have no quarrel with the spirit of the article by Stanley B. Jones 'l8, and I realize that the reference to stuffed birds has its humorous angle when considered in relation to the theme. I merely take this opportunity to counteract the possibility of a misconception regarding the museum's gratitude for gifts of specimens. If there are any Alumni who have stuffed whales, or hippopotamuses (one rhinoceros is enough at present!), which they are considering presenting to the College, it may be well to say, here and now, that the congested state of the present inadequate museum building would compel us to regard their offering with consternation at the moment. The museum has already overflowed into four rooms in Bissell Hall, where, amongst others, a muskox and an ostrich are hiding their heads, until room can be found for their dis play and use by zoology classes. Except for embarrassment caused by non-existent space for display, or storage, of very large specimens, the museum always welcomes gifts of specimens, provided they are in keeping with its scope and policy and can be put to didactical use.

Hanover, N. H.

Director

ED. NOTE: No disparagement of the Museum's bird collections was intended in the humorous little drawing which accompanied Mr. Jones' January article on bequests. The artist, in faraway New York, made his own personal interpretation of Mr. Jones' point that the College was the recipient of some rather odd gifts, and we seriously doubt that he had any inkling of the fact that he was drawing a toucan. In brief, we weren't trying to give the Museum the bird but we hope that perhaps we will be the cause of the Museum's now receiving some.