State Museum of Natural History. 9 



other fossils, and the cutting, shaping and polishing of specimens, has 

 been continued as in former years. Our facilities for accomplishing 

 this work have been brought into requisition, in preparing specimens 

 for the New York State exhibit in the New Orleans Industrial Expo- 

 sition. During the past year, 683 sections have been cut and polished, 

 besides the cutting and polishing of many larger specimens. 



The records of additions to the library, and to the collections, are 

 appended to this report. The examination and partial analysis of nu- 

 merous specimens of rocks, ores or other minerals, of which written or 

 oral information has been given, regarding their character and value, 

 has occupied considerable time. This information has been given from 

 an inspection of the specimens or testing for certain metals which they 

 were supposed to contain. This work has been done, with a view of 

 benefiting the parties interested, and generally with a hope of saving 

 them the expenditure of money in analysis of specimens which every 

 mineralogist or geologist knows to be of no practical or economic value. 



The Emmons collection of crystallized minerals has been cleaned, 

 packed in boxes, and taken to the State Hall for arrangement in the 

 cases in the south-east room of the upper story, to remain until the 

 rooms assigned to the entire mineralogical collection shall be prepared 

 for its reception. 



The report of the Botanist will show you that in original research an 

 unusual amount of work has been done in his department. 



The preparation and study of new material has been going on in the 

 palaeontological department, especially among the Corals, the Bryozoans 

 and the Lamellibranchiata ; likewise the study of the reticulate sponges 

 preparatory to publication. Since the first part of the fifth volume of 

 Palaeontology — Lamellibranchiata I — was published, the collections 

 of species there described, belonging to the Museum, have been carefully 

 labeled and arranged in drawers. This portion of the collection is now 

 ready for the selection of the Museum series, and the distribution of 

 duplicates to the colleges and academies. 



Some progress has been made in the preparation and study of the 

 microscopic sections of the fossil Brachiopoda. The thirty-fifth and 

 thirty-sixth Museum reports contain plates illustrating some of the work 

 done. During the year about 200 microscopic sections were made, and 

 twenty-four photographic negatives prepared. A well-equipped photo- 

 graphic dark room has been constructed in one of the working-rooms of 

 the State Hall, and during the coming year it is proposed to devote some 

 time to the furtherance of these investigations. 



Early in the last year many boxes of fossils were packed with the inten- 

 tion of storing them in the basement of the State Hall, but while we had 

 not entire possession of the building, and until we could come into 

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