244 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES [Proc. 4th Ser. 



the Academy's collections and the proper display of exhibition 

 materials already on hand or expected in the near future. 



At the request of the President of the Board of Trustees the 

 architect has submitted tentative plans and estimates for certain 

 additions to the Museum building, as follows : 



a. Closing in the Court in such a manner as to provide one 



floor for exhibits; estimated cost, $35,000; or 



b. Closing in the Court in such a manner as to provide two 



floors for exhibits; estimated cost, $50,000; or 



c. A main hall for the contemplated East wing ; estimated 



cost, $90,000. 



Any one of these plans would meet the present needs of the 

 Museum fairly well. 



Taxidermists' Laboratory. — The work of the Museum ha-s 

 been and is seriously handicapped because there is no suitable 

 shop or laboratory in which the taxidermists and preparators 

 can carry on their work. An item of $1500 was provided in 

 the budget for 1916 for such a building, but it was found that 

 this amount would not construct a building that would meet 

 the approval of the Park Commissioners. The matter was 

 therefore abandoned for the time being. 



By using one of the habitat group cases not yet needed for 

 exhibits and by constructing a small shed or room on the roof, 

 we were able to get along for the time being. This arrange- 

 ment is necessarily merely temporary. A suitable, commodious 

 shop must be provided soon if the work is not to be seriously 

 hampered. 



Exhibits. — There remain five spaces for large habitat groups, 

 • — three in the Mammal hall and two in the Bird hall. Pro- 

 visional plans have been made for installing in the three cases 

 in the Mammal hall a Humboldt Elk group, a Southern Mule 

 Deer group, and a Fur Seal group. Some of the animals re- 

 quired for the fur seal group have been secured through the 

 kind co-operation of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, and 

 it is expected the others will be obtained next fall. Efforts to 

 secure animals for the Humboldt elk and the Southern Mule 

 deer groups have as yet been unsuccessful, but it is hoped they 

 may be secured next fall. 



