State Museum of Natural History. 19 



blocks and slabs witli fossils, have been relabeled. In the general 

 collection a card catalogue of the Kunz minerals was made early 

 in the year, affording an accurate statement of the number of 

 specimens and the species and varieties in that purchase. For its 

 exhibition printed labels are to be used, and the minerals are to be 

 mounted on cherry-colored blocks. 



The alcoholic collection of fishes from New York has been rear- 

 ranged and relabeled, and placed in the oases on the top floor on 

 the south side of the room. This attention to distinct and easily 

 read labels on all the specimens has consumed much time, but the 

 increased interest thus given to the collections is evident to all who 

 visit the Museum as amateurs or to study any of its collections. 



The specimen of lepidodendron or fossil tree, from the Portage 

 Shales at Naples, Ontario county, mentioned in the last report, has 

 been mounted and placed on exhibition on the first floor of the 

 Geological Hall. 



This specimen is of the greatest interest as showing the base of 

 the trunk with the rootlets attached, while the leaf scars are also 

 beautifully shown over nearly the entire length of the trunk. It is 

 probably the finest specimen of a Devonian tree that has ever 

 been found. The length of the mounted specimen is eleven feet, 

 diameter at the base thirteen inches, and at the smaller end four 

 and one-half inches. As originally found, about four feet of the 

 trunk in continuation of the smaller extremity were preserved, but 

 the rock was so badly weathered and broken as to render it impos- 

 sible to mount this portion. 



The field work of visiting the building stone quarries of the 

 State has been in progress since the beginning of autumn and the 

 principal quarry districts of the northern part of the State and of 

 the central and. western counties have been seen and notes and data 

 for a report thereon obtained. A few localities along the Mohawk 

 valley and near the Hudson river remain to be visited when the 

 work will be complete. Many letters, asking for statistics and 

 other information about quarries and their methods of working, 

 production and markets, have been sent out and the material thus 

 accumulated is valuable. It will be used in the preparation of the 

 report, and the work of writing will be begun as soon as the out- 

 side examinations have been made. It is proposed to give a list of 

 all of the quarries and descriptive notes of the same, accompanied 

 by statistics of production, labor employed, markets and other 

 facts of public interest. 



