(417) 
thorize us to proceed with the preparation of such catalogue 
and to utilize such employees of the Garden as may be 
necessary for its production, and further to publish it as a 
Garden Bulletin. We do not now require any special 
appropriation of money, as the budget provisions will ap- 
parently be sufficient. 
2. Systematic Museum 
The grouping of the collections on the second floor of the 
museum building has not been modified since the issue of 
the last descriptive guide to the collections,* but the series 
of exhibits has been made somewhat more complete by the 
interpolation of new specimens. The collection can be 
made much more representative, but mainly only through 
further exploration of regions little known botanically and 
by additional models and other illustrations. The series 
of microscopes set up for the public, illustrating various 
minute plants, continues to attract much interest. These 
microscopes, it will be remembered, were given some years 
ago by the late Mr. William E. Dodge. 
3. Paleobotanical Museum 
The collection of fossil plants on the basement floor of 
the museum building has been conserved but not materially 
increased. Record is made in the report of Dr. Hollick, 
the Honorary Curator of this collection, of a valuable addi- 
tion of specimens from Porto Rico; these illustrate for the 
first time remains of plants of the tertiary epoch from the 
West Indies, and are therefore of much scientific significance. 
This paleobotanical museum, made up in part of col- 
lections deposited by Columbia University, which were 
accumulated during many years of investigation by the 
late Professor John S. Newberry, and in part of specimens 
accumulated by officers of the Garden, is the largest and 
most important series of fossil plants in the United States, 
excepting that of the United States Geological Survey at 
* See Bull. N. Y. Bot. Gard. No. 34, September, 1916. 
