10 Twenty-sixth Report on the State Museum, 



not arranged for the collection, has been classified in seventeen 

 drawers. In other drawers have been placed the foreign minerals of 

 the Emmons' collection, portion of the Simms' collection, minerals 

 for distribution, contents of boxes left by former custodians and for 

 a long time stored in the basement, etc. These drawers (nearly 

 three hundred in number) aiford excellent means for the convenient 

 arrangement of material. 



First Floor, 



As very important additions have been made to the Palseontological 

 and Geological departments during the past year, changes in method 

 of arrangement became necessary. The addition of the four vertical 

 cases upon the north side will afford the means of a rearrangement 

 of all the Middle and Upper Silurian collections of the wall cases ; a 

 change which has long been imperatively required. This reorgani- 

 zation will be accomplished in a few weeks, and before this report 

 will have been communicated to the Legislature. 



At the east end of the room a platform has been erected on which 

 is placed a tine series of the Gilboa collections of Psaeonius (fossil 

 tree-ferns), consisting of a large mass of the root-bed, portions of six 

 trunks and specimens of the surrounding rock containing parts of the 

 stems. As now arranged, they present a very attractive display of 

 these interesting fossils. 



Second Floor. 



The necessity of extensive changes in the arrangement of this fioor 

 has long been recognized, and only deferred in consideration of 

 other requirements seemingly more imperative. The three areas 

 allotted to the large Mammalia proved too extensive for our means 

 of occupying them. That the unoccupied space might be used, a 

 plan was at first devised by which the Mammalian remains might 

 be concentrated in one central area, leaving ample surrounding 

 space for the additional cases which were to be brought into the 

 room. Accordingly the Mastodon skeleton was dismounted, and 

 that of the Megatherium and Megaceros brought to their assigned 

 positj^ons, when it became evident that the conformation of the build- 

 ing presented insuperable objections to the proposed plan. 



As the next best arrangement, this disposition of the large central 

 area was dispensed with ; the fossil Elk (Megaceros) has been placed 

 in the western area with the Mastodon skeleton and all the remains of 



