310 Fielb Museum of Natural History — Reports, Vol. IV. 



form a part of an exhibition -series of Illinois insects. With the same end 

 in view, some time was devoted to local bugs or Hemiptera, the insects 

 that follow the grasshopper in scientific arrangement. At different 

 periods, equaling about three months, the Assistant Curator of Ento- 

 mology gave his attention to the spreading and labeling of exotic butter- 

 flies representing stored accessions intended for exhibition. By means 

 of the material thus prepared, also by using the duplicates which were 

 acquired with the Strecker collection, it will be possible to make many 

 desirable additions to the butterfly exhibit when it is transferred to the 

 new insect cases. The attention of the assistant was largely given to 

 the making of life-history groups. 



The N. W. Harris Public School Extension of Field Museum of Natural 

 history. — The problem of supplying museum material to the 

 public schools of Chicago under the auspices of The N. W. Harris 

 Public School Extension of Field Museum has been initiated and 

 satisfactory progress may be reported. During the first part of the 

 year considerable time was spent in seeking information, formulating 

 plans of operation, and inaugurating methods of procedure. While 

 these steps were necessary and essential, approved visible results during 

 that period were few but helpful. Considerable of this period was 

 devoted to the development of the character and construction of a type 

 of exhibition case. It is believed that the adopted style of case meets 

 the requirements for stability, portability, usefulness, and appear- 

 ance. It is the aim to standardize all cases, so far as the length and 

 height are concerned. The depths of the cases has so far been deter- 

 mined at four, seven and ten inches. These variations of depths have 

 met thus far the requirements of all installed material. In the very 

 earliest stages of determining the suitability of the cases to be circulated, 

 one very important feature had to be carefully considered. It was 

 determined that the two framed explanatory labels which are to accom- 

 pany each case to the schools should be a part of the case proper, so as to 

 avoid leaving the labels either at the Museum or at the school when the 

 cases were either being delivered or returned. To meet this requirement 

 a scheme of having the two framed labels on grooves affixed to the back 

 of the case was adopted. This arrangement permits of the labels being 

 extended to full view on either end of each case when in use in the class- 

 room, and of being closed flush with the cases when being transported 

 to and from the Museum. In order to prevent as much as possible the 

 handling of cases when in schoolrooms, and that the contents of the 

 cases may be easily seen and studied by a number of students at one 

 time, two hanging appliances have been attached to the top edge of the 

 back of each case, that it may hang from hooks in the wall or upon a 

 standard stand in full view of the classes. To lessen the occurrence of 



