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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 307. 



thea western. Uader this again the ar- 

 rangement is strictly biological, beginning 

 with plants, where present, and then tak- 

 ing the animals in ascending scale. This 

 scheme has been carried out most definitely 

 in the upright cases, while the desk cases 

 contain many of the best specimens and fit 

 into the classification as well as is practi- 

 cable. A part of each of twelve of the desk 

 cases is occupied by specimens comprising 

 the Dana's Manual series. These illustrate 

 the figures in that standard work on geology 

 and form an epitome of the historical side 

 of the science. Many of the figures are 

 represented by the very specimens from 

 which the originals were drawn. Large 

 specimens showing ripple marks, footprints, 

 concretions, and other phenomena are 

 placed on the tops of the cases and in other 

 places out of series. 



A very valuable feature of the installa- 

 tion is that of separating the biological 

 units from one another, so that the indi- 

 viduals, species, genera, families, etc., which 

 belong together can be distinguished on the 

 most rapid inspection. This is effected by 

 means of narrow strips of wood of difierent 

 colors placed between the trays holding the 

 fossils, single black strips separating differ- 

 ent species, red ones genera, white ones 

 families, two white ones limiting orders and 

 two black denoting the boundaries of classes 

 and higher subdivisions. The specimens, 

 furthermore, are arranged so that one nat- 

 urally examines them from left to right and 

 from below upwards, except that the upper 

 shelves of the upright cases are occupied 

 by large and small specimens showing the 

 grouping of the fossils in the rocks and the 

 geological features of the beds. More than 

 nine-tenths of the hall is devoted to the 

 American forms, the rest being given up to 

 a synoptic series of European fossils and 

 fossils from other foreign localities. 



The mineral collection, which is under 

 the immediate care of Mr. L. P. Gratacap, 



has grown to large proportions and well 

 repays careful study. About five hundred 

 species are represented by nearly ten thou- 

 sand specimens which are arranged accord- 

 ing to the sixth edition of Dana's System 

 of Mineralogy. The specialty of an insti- 

 tution like the American Museum is large, 

 showy specimens, and we have a great many 

 such which are worthy the notice of the 

 scientific as well as the popular visitor. 

 Especially conspicuous among these are 

 specimens of quartz, gypsum, barite, calcite 

 and fluorite, but above all the unrivaled 

 malachites, azurites and stalactites from the 

 Copper Queen Co.'s mines at Bisbee, Ari- 

 zona. The collection of gems and gem 

 material, too, should not be overlooked, 

 since it contains many unique and beauti- 

 ful specimens. 



The Museum collections of the fossil re- 

 mains of mammals and reptiles are in 

 the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, 

 and being thus outside of my province, I 

 refer to them with the permission of the 

 curator of the department, Professor Henry 

 F. Osborn. The exhibition series is to be 

 found in the hall of the east wing of the 

 Museum building, on the same floor with 

 the collections of the Geological Depart- 

 ment, and it includes many wonderful 

 specimens, the like of which are to be 

 found in no other institution in the world. 

 The department was organized and the 

 work of collecting begun in the year 1891 

 with Professor H. F. Osborn as curator. Dr. 

 J. L. Wortman as assistant curator in charge 

 of the field work, and Adam Hermann as 

 head preparator. Thanks to the ability 

 and energy of this corps of workers and 

 their assistants, the collection has grown 

 with great rapidity and substantiality, 

 while the installation is a model. 



The amount of exhibition material on 

 hand and mounted in 1895 was sufficient 

 to warrant the opening of the hall, and the 

 public obtained the first view of these col- 



