Report of the Director, 11 



Mastodon and fossil Elephant belonging to the Museum. The casts 

 of the Megatherium and Schistopleurum, with the head of the 

 Dinotherium, and the skull and tusks of the Mammoth {Elephas 

 ganescC) have been placed together in the eastern area. The cast of 

 the Mososaurus has been placed in one of the wall cases, where it can 

 be seen to much better advantage than in its former position ; the 

 other casts of fossils remain nearly as they were, in the wall cases. 



This rearrangement of the larger and heavier material of the 

 Second Floor has left the central area free for table cases, and given 

 a larger amount of floor not previously well occupied. In this area 

 we have arranged a series of four cases containing the collections of 

 American Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary formations. A second 

 series of four cases contains the collection of European fossils from 

 the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and later formations. 



There still remains unoccupied three-fifths of this space for which 

 we have no proper cases ; but for the present we shall occupy this 

 space with such cases as we have, some of which will be temporarily 

 filled with mineral specimens ; and in others I propose to begin the 

 arrangement of a collection of fossils in zoological order ^ without 

 reference to geological age. Such a collection is essential to the 

 completion of the plan of the Museum originally proposed by me, 

 and will be of great interest and utility to the student. 



The rearrangement of the mineral collection of the State, on this 

 floor, has been commenced and considerable progress made. For its 

 completion we need shelving and tablets in order to a proper display 

 of the collection. 



Third Floor. 



The Reigen collection of Mazatlan Mollusca has been rearranged 

 in a new case provided for it. The present case* has allowed the 

 removal of that portion of the collection heretofore contained in 

 drawers, and its entire exhibition under glass. The adjustment of 

 the glass tablets, upon which the specimens are mounted, in a case 

 of difi'erent proportions from those to which they were originally 

 fitted, so as to present a proper generic and family grouping, involved 

 much labor. As now arranged, the collection offers to the ordinary 

 observer a more attractive appearance, and to the student a better 

 opportunity for study, than was possible in the separate cases. The 



* This case contains sixty-seven square feet more than the table cases previously occupying the 

 same position. 



