680 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Dec, 



REPORT OF THE CURATORS. 



The plans outlined in the Curators' report for 1909 for alterations 

 in the exterior of the building, made possible by the appropriation of 

 $60,000 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the last session of 

 the Legislature, have been successfully carried out. 



The walls of the original green-stone building have been encased 

 in granite, brick and terra cotta, which effectually checks any further 

 deterioration and makes this wing uniform in appearance with the 

 new library wing on Cherry Street. Granite and terra cotta facings 

 have also been added to the middle brick building to bring it into 

 harmonv with the other two. A number of the windows have been 

 altered with the object of furnishing additional light and conforming 

 to the general architectural design, while new doorways have been 

 constructed at the entrances on Race and Nineteenth Streets. 



The results of the alterations are very satisfactory, making one 

 harmonious building of the several wings that have been erected at 

 different periods since the Academy first occupied its present site. 



A slight alteration was made during the year in the library building, 

 by which two office rooms on the gallery were thrown together, making 

 a commodious Council room, to which the bookcases and other 

 furnishings of the old Council room have been transferred. Addi- 

 tional radiators were erected in the herbarium, and two laboratory 

 tables and a number of rugs were purchased for the work-rooms and 

 offices of the scientific staff. 



The building operations which were in progress during the greater 

 part of the year naturally interfered with any extensive rearrange- 

 ment of the exhibits. The north wing had to be closed entirely for 

 several months and the cleansing and replacing of the cases have only 

 just been completed. 



In the middle wing the entire exhibition series of Mammals has 

 been removed from the cases, the floors of which were then repainted 

 and the specimens, after being carefully cleansed, were replaced. 



The skeleton of the Indian Elephant "Bolivar" was articulated 

 and placed beside the mounted skin, while several other large skeletons 

 were remounted. 



On the bird gallery the labelling of the exhibition collection was 

 practically completed. 



In addition to the work on the Mammals and Osteological collection, 

 Mr. McCadden, the taxidermist, has prepared a number of skins and 

 skeletons for the study collection, including the skeleton of a Lesser 

 Sperm Whale. 



