240 DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN MUSEUMS 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. The museum had its origin in the collec- 

 tion of shells purchased by the city in 1896 from a collector, Mr. C. 

 Ross, and installed in the city hall. Since that time a large amount of 

 miscellaneous material has accumulated by donation and loan, but 

 much of it is neither classified nor labeled, and a considerable amount 

 is still in storage. A movement is now in progress for the proper clas- 

 sification and arrangement of the collections. 



FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The city council appropriates $1000 a year 

 for maintenance of the museum. 



BUILDING. The collections occupy about 30,000 square feet of 

 floor space in the halls and corridors of the city hall. 



ADMINISTRATION. By a curator, appointed by the mayor of the 

 city and responsible to city council. 



LIBRARY. About 10,000 volumes, pamphlets, reports, catalogs, 

 etc., pertaining to every branch of natural history, but not yet ar- 

 ranged. 



ATTENDANCE. Open free to the public on week-days from 9 to 

 5 and on Sundays from 2 to 5. The average daily attendance is about 

 250. 



ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



The city maintains a zoological park of 5 acres, established about 

 1885, containing 8 reptiles, 148 birds, and 286 mammals. 



PENNSYLVANIA 



ALLENTOWN: 



LEHIGH COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



The society maintains a museum occupying about 200 square feet 

 of exhibition space devoted to the history of Lehigh County and the 

 state of Pennsylvania. Special attention is given to the history of 

 the Pennsylvania Germans. 



MUHLENBERG COLLEGE. 



The college has teaching collections in connection with the depart- 

 ments of chemistry and biology, comprising a herbarium of 3000 speci- 

 mens, chiefly from Lehigh County ; a synoptic collection of about 1000 

 specimens of invertebrates; a systematic collection of insects, number- 

 ing about 3000 specimens; a series of local vertebrates, including the 

 common species of fish, reptiles, amphibia, birds, and some mammals; 

 a general series of 500 minerals; 400 rock specimens illustrating the 

 formations of Pennsylvania, etc. ; and about 600 fossils. 



