42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



REPORT ON THE ZOOLOGY SECTION 

 During the year the Zoologist, Frank H. Ward, and the Taxi- 

 dermist, Alfred J. Klein, both tendered their resignations and left 

 the service of the Department. Up to his departure, Mr Ward 

 devoted most of his time to the arrangement and labeling of the 

 shell collections and to plans for the exhibits, and especially for 

 the cases, for the hall of zoology in the Education Building. As a 

 result of his work, Mr Ward left a plan covering the different types 

 of cases that will be required, the dimensions and number necessary 

 for each type, and their arrangement in the hall. In its main fea- 

 tures this plan seems entirely satisfactory, providing the necessary 

 space and a logical arrangement of the material, as well as allowing 

 for growth along the lines on which it is proposed to develop 

 the museum. 



The necessity of this and other work looking toward the coming 

 change of quarters, as well as the lack of space in Geological Hall, 

 not only for the exhibition, but also for the storage of more speci- 

 mens, prevented the staff from undertaking any field work, so 

 that the accessions along some lines are less than usual, yet the 

 total number of specimens added was raised to a figure far beyond 

 that reached for many years by the purchase of the Ingalls collection 

 of shells, comprising, according to an estimate by Mr Ward, a 

 total of about 24,000 specimens from all parts of the world. While 

 its purchase must be regarded as a departure from the plan of con- 

 fining the collections of this museum to the natural history of 

 New York State, yet the rank long held by this institution among 

 collections of Mollusca is so high as to deserve to be maintained, in 

 so far at least as can be done without materially interfering witli 

 the development of the collections along the lines which have been 

 determined on as most important. 



The cases for the fish and mink groups mentioned in the last 

 report were received and set up in Geological Hall, but further 

 additions to the exhibits in this building are out of the question for 

 lack of space, and this same difficulty has seriously delayed the 

 preparation of the large mammal groups which are contemplated, 

 or for which specimens have already been acquired. A group of 

 four porcupines with accessories was completed by Mr Klein, who 

 held the position of Taxidermist until September t, 1910, but it 

 awaits not only a case, Init room for setting it up. 



