REPORT OF THE STATE PALEONTOLOGIST 1901 419 



the scientific papers issued under its supervision. To make this 

 as complete as possible in its references to the paleontology of 

 New York, I have undertaken to compile detailed references to 

 the extensive literature of this subject, including references 

 to descriptions of genera and species. To meet fully the purpose 

 of such a compilation, it has seemed highly desirable that in this 

 regard the list shall be exhaustive. The undertaking is one re- 

 quiring considerable time, and it has been thus far carried for- 

 ward in the intervals of more pressing work by Jacob Van 

 Deloo, the clerk to the department. 



Contraction of office quarters. Mar. 18, 1901, a bill was intro- 

 duced in the assembly repealing ch. 355 of the laws of 1883, giv- 

 ing to the board of regents the supervision and control of such 

 rooms in the State hall as were then or were to be occupied by 

 the state museum. Apparent necessity for this legislation arose 

 from the demand for room on the part of the state controller, 

 the work of whose department had in certain directions become 

 greatly enlarged by recent legislation. Before this bill passed 

 the legislature, as it eventually did, provision was made in the 

 supply bill to move the offices of the paleontologist and his 

 staff to the second floor of the Geological hall. The items for 

 this expense did not however meet the approval of the gover- 

 nor. Though we were thus left undisturbed, I desire to record 

 here the fact that, at the time this proposition to remove our 

 quarters was made, we occupied offices in the State hall with 

 a floor space of 6822 square feet, divided among six rooms on 

 the third floor and two rooms in the basement. Of the third 

 floor rooms three of the largest were unsuited for any other 

 purpose than storage on account of insufficient light. These 

 with all the rest were filled with stacks of drawers containing 

 the synoptic and special collections of the department. It was 

 calculated at the time that the actual weight of the paleon- 

 tologic specimens in this building, together with all movable fur- 

 nishings and appurtenances of the department, was more than 

 ^50 tons. Tile failure of the appropriation referred to did not 

 lessen the controller's need for more room; and, as the legis- 



