104 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



fig^iu'e, iuiportant collecii(ins which \\oul(l liolp to balance our exhibits 

 ami jTieatly improve llie educational value of tiie museum. Thus dur- 

 ing the past winter about one hundred and (wenty European birds -were 

 l)urchased in Germany and placed on exhibition. These should be of 

 special interest to every student of Enpjlish literal >ire since anionii- them 

 are jjood specimens of tlie English and Eurojican birds most frequenlly 

 alluded to in litei'ature, thus making it possible for sludents to com- 

 pare iMiropean and American song birds, game birds, etc., and so to 

 avoid the common mistakes Avhich uninformed i)ei-sons frequently make 

 with regard to these birds, besides giving them a fuller appreciation of 

 the extent and accuracy of the older British authors' observation of wild 

 life. 



It is a matter of constant regret that we are not able to em7)loy a 

 competent preparateur iu connection with the museum, who could take 

 care of all specimens received and also make systematic collections of 

 fresh material for museum and laboratory. It frequently happens that 

 we are com])elled to decline the offer of valuable sjiecimens "in the 

 flesh" because there is no one at hand to prepare and preserve them and 

 their condition makes it impossible to send them away to be mounted 

 or otherwise prepared. An assistant who could do this work and also 

 aid in ])art of the laboralory work in zoology and ]»hysiology would 

 be a welcome addition to the dei)artmcut force and need not entail any 

 great expense. 



Under present conditions neither the curator nor any member of the 

 teaching staff is able to give regular attention to the museum during toi-m 

 time and as a result we are able to do hardly more than keep the 

 collections in passable condition and prevent deterioration, so that the 

 museum is not by any means as useful as it might be made. In some 

 respects our collections are the liest in the state and there is no good 

 reason why the museum, located so close to the Capital, should not 

 be made in every respect the best. 



Res])ectfullv submitted, 



WALTER P.. BARROWS, 

 Professor of Zoology and Physiology 

 and Curator of the General ]\ruseum. 



East Lansing, Mich., June 30, 1013. 



.REPORT OF THE DEPART:\n':NT OF ^IILITARY SCIENCE. 



The President, ]\Iichigan Agricultural College: 



Sir — I submit the following as the report of the ^lilitary department 

 for the year now closing: 



The instruction, both ])ractical and theoi-etical, followed closely along 

 lines pursued last year. The new drill regulations having b(>en in use 

 a year gave little difriculty. The Staff class was given advanced work 

 and at the end of the year submitted some excellent theses. The Corps 

 deserves credit for i»articii)ating with unusual atlendance in the ]\re- 

 morial Day exercises and in the funei-al of the lale i*rofessor Babcock. 

 The congested condition of the Armory was somewhat relieved by hav- 

 ing one company per day engage iu target i)ractice in the Post Office attic 

 gallery. 



