Proceedings of the Society. 5 



that this time next year all the sj^ecimens of the collections will be 

 catalogued, and the additions constantly be posted to date. 



As a part of the work of cataloguing it has fallen upon me to 

 arrange for publication in the Journal of this Society a catalogue 

 of the whole collection. Few have an idea of the amount of work 

 this entails, but partial results can be seen in the last volume of 

 the Journal, where in the April number is a catalogue of the 

 Mollusca belonging to the Society, in the July number one of the 

 Coleoptera, and in the October and January numbers one of the 

 Library. The publication of the Mollusca and Library catalogues 

 has been of great benefit to the Society's collection. By means of 

 the former have been added more than 400 species of shells 

 (received in exchange), and by the latter at least fifty volumes of 

 valuable scientific books. Extra numbers of these catalogues were 

 printed and can be obtained at a small price from the Librarian. 



The removal of a number of flat cases, which had l)een left in 

 the building on deposit, created a hiatus which has not yet been 

 filled. The consequence was that two cases of shells and two of 

 Lidian remains had to be packed out of sight, and these are now 

 inaccessible. I would urge upon the Executive Board of the 

 Society the necessity of securing other cases to take the place of 

 those claimed by the owner, in order that the collection may be 

 adequately displayed. In this connection I will call attention to 

 the cases of drawers, which, upon the urgent plea of the former 

 Curator of Palasontology and the Custodian, were procured during 

 last summer. These cases, made after a plan submitted by myself, 

 are of stained poplar lumber, are each twenty-eight inches high, 

 outside measure, with a base raising them above the floor, twenty- 

 two inches in width, and the same in depth. Each case contains 

 six drawers, each one three inches deep, inside measure, and with 

 a lock for securing the specimens from molestation. These cases 

 have been filled with fossils, and answer the purpose for which 

 they were made admirably, and as they are high enough from the 

 floor to admit of a flat glass case being put upon them, th^y utilize 

 space which would l)e otherwise lost. I would suggest that other 

 cases be modeled upon these, and the bulk of the fossils and shells 

 be herein placed, having of course a sufficient number in flat cases 

 for an attractive display. 



The want of case room for specimens has become most urgent. 

 Those devoted to minerals are already overflowing, and yet there 

 are several hundred requiring room. I do not find that the sug- 



