3(j IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



State. Until provided with such State cabinet or hihoratory 

 of natural history, Iowa will he hehind her sister States in 

 means for presentini>' to her citizens in concrete form a knowl- 

 edge of her wealth in animal and vegetable life, in fossils, 

 rocks, minerals, ores and soils, with all the other stores of 

 geologic wealth, a knowledge of which has just begun. 

 Such a cabinet and laboratory should have for its scope the 

 illustration by properly mounted specnnens of all the mam- 

 mals that are resident in the State, or that have been known 

 to occupy its territory in past time. The luson, the cayote, 

 the deer, bear and panther thus brought out in the midst of 

 our civilization would furnish us strikiiiL'" pictures of the 

 rapid progress our State has seen, and these with the relics 

 of their human contemporary, who occupied but did not pos- 

 sess, who inhabited but did not develop, who existed but did 

 not live, whose history is but one of gluttony or starvation, 

 warfare or animal enjoyment, all these so grouped as to teach 

 their lesson of possibilities in human progress and attainment 

 mi<rht well occupy an important position in the metro[)olis 

 and political center of our Avealthy State, a i)lace where the 

 thousands who annually travel in quest of pleasure or instruc- 

 tion, might be both entertained and instructed. 



But not dwelling upon these forms which are past, such a 

 collection would embrace, too, those living species that in one 

 way or another force themselves on our attention. Souk^ 

 vitally afl'ect the wealth of the State, and a collection illus- 

 trating their habits, open to the State at large, would be an 

 object lesson that could but leave an iini)ress on those who 

 visited it. 



The birds and mammals should be so arranged as to illus- 

 trate their habits and their relations to each and to other organ- 

 isms and to the ai2-riculture, horticulture, etc., of the State, the 

 native insects in their multitudinous phases «)f existence, wit!i 

 other objects in llki- ('onipleteiiess. Su'h an enteiprisc may 



