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REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY 

 FOR THE YEAR 1899-1900. 



By Frederick W. True, 

 Head Curator. 



The past year has been one of unusual activity in several of the 

 divisions, and a iuun]>er of important advances have been made. It 

 has been marked also ])v the beginning- of preparations for the Pan- 

 American Exposition, which opens at Buffalo, N. Y., in May, 1901. 



IMPROVKMENT OF EXHIBITION HALLS. 



In the Division of Mammals a plan for improving the housing of 

 the exhibition series, worked out last year, was carried into effect. A 

 large case, 91 feet long and 9 feet deep, was built along the east wall 

 of the south hall, and in it were placed all the North American car- 

 nivores. This allowed the removal of the unsighth' temporaiy case 

 containing the seals from the center of the hall, and the placing of the 

 groups of bison and moose, the finest zoological groups the Museum 

 possesses, in a better light. The present arrangement of cases is 

 shown on the following page. 



The large cast and skeleton of a humpback whale, which was for 

 many j'^ears suspended from the roof in this hall, was removed to the 

 adjoining osteological hall, replacing a skeleton of the same species 

 formerly exhibited there. This change has improved the lighting in 

 the south hall, as the cast formerly obstructed the light from the 

 main south window. 



An important change was, after full consideration, made in the 

 south east range, occupied last year jointly hy the exhibits of reptiles 

 and of lishes and a part of the mammal collections of the Biological 

 Surve}^ of the Department of Agriculture. The range was completel}'" 

 floored over at the level of the gallery, dividing the hall into an upper 

 and lower stoiy . The mammal collections referred to were transferred 

 to the upper story, leaving the ground floor entireh' free for exhibi- 

 tion purposes, a decided advantage both as to increase of space and 

 improvement of appearance. 



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