46 NEW YOnK STATE MUSEUM 



well arranged. It is likewise difficult to remove the numerous ob- 

 jects that crowd upon one another because our storage room is lim- 

 ited and the short time when proper facilities will be provided would 

 make the work a waste of important time. 



During the year the Archcologist examined several of the old 

 collections that had long been in storage and endeavored to check 

 the specimens found, against the catalogs. Many specimens were 

 missing, having disappeared through the years. Several boxes 

 taken from storage in the malt house contained only dust and shreds 

 of cloth, the result of destruction by mice. Even some of the more 

 recent specimens had been almost destroyed by moths. This 

 destruction of important objects is largely the result of improper 

 and limited exhibition space and the previous lack of permanent 

 curators. 



Public interest. The interest of the public in the work of this 

 section is steadily increasing as is attested by the call for its publi- 

 cations, the visits of interested collectors and the hundreds of letters 

 from persons desiring information about anthropological subjects. 

 Visitors and letters come not only from our own State, but from 

 many parts of this continent and from Europe. The plans for the 

 large ethnological exhibit have awakened the interest of museum 

 officials from many institutions who have either written or called 

 in person. 



The range of inquiries directed to us is wide and covers the entire 

 field of anthropology and Indian history. 



It is the aim of the archeological section to arrange its exhibits 

 in the new Education Building so as to especially appeal to the 

 public interested in Indian relics and lore. In preparing these 

 exhibits the fact is borne in mind that the State ^Museum is the 

 people's museum and that its function as a division of the Educa- 

 tion Department is to educate and not to confuse those who view its 

 collections. Such a plan will in no wise impair the scientific value, 

 but rather increase it and at the same time add much to popular 

 interest and education. 



ETHNOLOGY 



The work of this division of our researches has been especially 

 productive of results both in the acquisition of important specimens 

 of Iroquois and Algonquin handiwork and in the important notes 

 recorded. 



The Archeologist during his various field trips for Indian models 

 has used his spare moments on the Iroquois reservations in New 



