The creature in question is a gorgeously coloured bird, not much smaller than a magpie, which screeches noisily whether flying or at rest. The ring-necked parakeet - vibrant green all over, save for a narrow, pink and black neck band; with a long tail and a large, red beak - is a native of parts of Asia and tropical Africa. It first appeared in the wild in Britain in 1969.According to Josephine Pithon of the University of York, who has been carrying out research on southern England's ring-necked parakeets, we now have about 2,000 of them. THIS WINTER, if you arrive home to find your garden bird peanut- holder torn to shreds on the ground and the contents gone, do not jump to the conclusion that you have overly aggressive grey squirrels in residence. Instead, and especially if you live around London or the Home Counties, watch out for a far more exotic and colourful creature which, some years hence, could turn out to be an abominable nuisance. In fact, the museum will not be fully up-and-running, with free guided tours, children's workshops, trails and activities, until January, which is probably the time to judge it.Meanwhile, though, they could do with a bit more interactive interpretation.

Dr Clarke looks right when he suggests that "objects open windows on the past more vividly than anything else". As for the modernist architecture: it works brilliantly from the inside and the top but whether it is in the right location is another matter.The New Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh (0131-247 4219), will open daily from December 1 from Monday to Saturday between 10am and 5pm (Sundays from 12noon to 5pm and on Tuesdays until 8pm). Admission is pounds 3 (pounds 5 for a season ticket) for adults, pounds 1.50 (pounds 2.50 for a season ticket) for students, senior citizens and the unemployed, and pounds 9 for a family season ticket. Tickets are also valid for the Royal Museum next door, which houses Scotland's international collections.. Others went for televisions, Thermos flasks and favourite toys.Although the idea is fun, somehow it feels like a lightweight solution that has floated up to the top of the building, not a proper attempt to address current issues.

It may seem less frothy when the computerised bank of personal reasons and recollections goes live next week. Due to change after three years, it is a hotchpotch of objects chosen by Scots people and personalities as items that have had most impact on life in Scotland this century Tony Blair's suggestion was an electric guitar. They lost that one, but won a dedicated children's hands-on centre in what should have been the temporary exhibition gallery.As a result the Twentieth Century gallery, on the top floor, is the only temporary exhibition. What the group really really wanted was "dark rides", Dr Clarke admits. Standing near the huge Newcomen engine built into the centre of the museum's huge central galleries, it is dedicated to the role Scots people played in commerce, industry and science in the 18th and 19th centuries.Thanks to the 12-member Junior Board, set up three years ago with 9- to 12-year-olds drawn from all over Scotland, the museum also has a Discovery Centre. Beneath the tiny, portable shrine and beside its solemn pedigree is a caption written by one of the museum's junior advisory group: "I can hardly believe that it held a bone of St Columba."Another young writer's verdict sits beside the Ellesmere locomotive, Scotland's oldest surviving steam loco.