REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 



To the Honorcible the Board of Regents of the University of the 



State of New Yorh : 

 Gentlemen : 



I have the honor to submit the following report upon the condition 

 of the collections in the several departments of the State Museum of 

 IS'atural History, with a general statement of the work done in each 

 department during the past year : 



The collections constituting the State Museum are all in good 

 condition, and, so far as there are cases for their accommodation, are 

 properly arranged. In this respect, however, we are not so far 

 advanced as I had anticipated at the beginning of the year. For a 

 complete and systematic arrangement of the materials which we 

 possess, and for those which are constantly accumulating, we need 

 additional cases. For carrying out this object, I communicated, 

 with your approval, a memorial to the Commissioners of the Land 

 Office, soon after the last annual meeting of the Regents. 



This memorial was accepted by these officers, and the recommen- 

 dation made, but from some cause the order for constructing the 

 cases was not given in time to make them available for use, as I had 

 hoped, previous to the report of this year. 



In consequence of this delay, the intended rearrangement of the 

 geological collection occupying the wall cases has not yet been made. 



The entire rearrangement of the mineralogical collection, and the 

 contemplated arrangement of a special collection of iron ores, for 

 which we have a large amount of material, cannot be made until the 

 new cases are completed. 



Other collections in all the departments remain unarranged, for 

 want of proper cases, now in progress of construction, in which to 

 display them. 



I believe, however, that I may conlidently anticipate that the 

 cases heretofore proposed, and which are intended for the extension 

 of every one of the departments of the Museum, will be completed, 



