DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 185 



MUSEUM. 



The condition of the general museum remains about the same as last 

 year, the lack of space preventing any general re-arrangement of the col- 

 lections even had the time for such worlc been available. In point of 

 fact, however, we are barely able to keep the specimens free from 

 museum pests and the cases in a presentable condition for the public. 

 Each year the museum is drawn upon more heavily for our own teach- 

 ing purposes and almost every week parties of students from high 

 schools and other educational institutions in neighboring cities come 

 here to visit the museum and study the collections. 



We have hundreds of duplicate specimens of various kinds, particular- 

 ly of mounted birds, which should be made up into small circulating or 

 loan collections and sent out to the schools of the State. At present most 

 of these specimens are packed away in tin cases in attic or cellar, serv- 

 ing no useful purpose whatever. As soon as funds are available it is our 

 intention to recommend a plan for an entire re-arrangement of our col- 

 lections and the utilization of much of this duplicate material. Such a 

 plan will involve the employment of at least one additional assistant 

 who can give most of his time to museum work. 



In February the Public Domain Commission requested the College 

 to make an exhibit of museum specimens at the meeting of the Michigan 

 Wild Life Conservation Association at Saginaw, February 2.3-26, and 

 this was supplemented by similar requests from other organizations in- 

 terested in these meetings. As a result the Department of Zoology pre- 

 pared an exhibit of about one hundred and fifty birds, with descriptwe 

 labels, illustrating the common harmful and beneficial species found in 

 this State. A member of the Zoological departmeut was in attendance 

 all through the convention and was able to give much information to 

 visitors in regard to the natural history of the State and the work of the 

 College. 



The Harry K. Pomeroy collection of birds' eggs, mentioned in our 

 last report, was safely transferred to the College last October and has 

 been unpacked and arranged in a new case specially built for it at the 

 expense of |160.00. This case replaces a smaller one, also filled with 

 bird's eggs, which has been transferred temporarily to the Zoological 

 Lecture-room. The Pomeroy collection contains upwards of three thou- 

 sand specimens and doubtless is the finest single collection of eggs of 

 foreign birds in Michigan. 



Eespectfully submitted, 



WALTER B. BARROWS, 

 Professor of Zoology and Physiology and 

 Curator of the General Museum. 



East Lansing, Mich., June 30, 1916. 



