REPORT. 



To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of New York : 



The Regents of the University, as Trustees of the State Museum of 

 Natural History, in accordance with the provisions of law, respectfully 

 submit their Thirty-sixth Annual Report. 



For a full account of the operations of the Museum for the past year 

 the Trustees beg to refer to the reports of the Director and the State 

 Botanist, which are herewith transmitted. 



Owing to the crowded condition of the Museum building the in- 

 crease of the collections has been made a secondary matter during the 

 past year. The labors of the assistants have been chiefly expended in 

 preparing specimens for exhibition, and in other ways giving to the 

 collections their greatest scientific value. 



Whenever the State shall provide the much-needed additional room 

 a great expansion in the number and variety of the specimens can at 

 once be made. 



More than 50,000 specimens belonging to the State now in charge 

 of the State Geologist only await space to be transferred to the State 

 Museum. The want of a fire-proof receptacle for these vast and in- 

 valuable collections is each year more plainly felt by the Trustees. 

 During the last year one of the largest and most valuable collections 

 in natural history in the country, that of Amherst College, was totally 

 destroyed by fire, owing to the want of a fire-proof building. 



The work of the scientific staff in the Museum has been prosecuted 

 with great assiduity and success during the past year. The scientific 

 papers of the members of the staff which have been published in the 

 annual reports of the Legislature have been of great interest to scien- 

 tific men, and applications for them are received from all parts of the 

 world. It is earnestly recommended that the means to continue these 

 publications may be afforded. In past years there has been much ir- 

 regularity in the publication of the reports and much disappointment 

 in consequence has been occasioned. There would be a great advan- 

 tage in a plan by which the scientific reports of the Museum could be 



