8 Twenty-sixth Report on the State Museum, 



Unfortunately there are no labels of name or locality with the 

 minerals, and neither name, locality or formation with the fossils, 

 and it will be only from knowledge of similar specimens of minerals 

 or of similar fossils that we can assign locality or formation. 



With additional assistance in the Museum, we shall be able to dis- 

 tribute and arrange this collection during the present year. 



Field Woke: and Investigations. 



Mr. Andrew Sherwood has been pursuing his investigations along 

 the outcrop of the Catskill and Chemung groups, and collecting fossils 

 from both these formations. At the time of this writing, his report 

 of work done has not been received. 



Messrs. G. B. Simpson and J. W. Hall have been temporarily 

 employed in collecting fossils, chiefly Lamellibranchiata, from the 

 shales of the Hamilton group, in the eastern central portion of the 

 State. The collections thus acquired are of great importance both 

 to the Museum and for the Palaeontology of the State. 



Mr. Hicock, of Amsterdam, has likewise been temporarily employed 

 in collecting from the Trenton Limestone, with a view to supply 

 some deficiencies in the Museum collections. Both in the Trenton 

 Limestone and Hudson Kiver group, the Museum collections require 

 great improvement; but the process of collecting from these rocks is 

 slow and often very disappointing in the results. 



I have already made a special communication to the Secretary of 

 the Board of Kegents in regard to some important and valuable col- 

 lections from the Trenton Limestone. 



With the conclusion of Mr. Sherwood's labors, I hope to be able 

 to present a corrected geological map of the southern counties of the 

 State, which will materially aid in the construction of a revised 

 geological map of the State, which I heretofore proposed to prepare. 



The Director is able to report, as collections made by himself, a 

 series of specimens illustrating a section of the beds composing the 

 Paris Basin; fossils of the Devonian of Ferques in France; and of 

 Refrath in Germany ; collections, especially of corals, from the Wen- 

 lock Limestone, and some of the more characteristic fossils of the 

 Ludlow formation, from localities in England. 



General Work of the Museum. 



In December, 1871, the Commissioners of the Land Office autho- 

 rized the construction of certain new cases which had long been 



