REPORT. 



To the Honorable, the Legislature of the State of New York : 



The Regents of the University, as Trustees of the State Museum of 

 Natural History, respectfully submit their thirty-fourth annual report: 



For a description of the work carried on during the past, year, and 

 of the condition of the collections, the Trustees refer to the report of 

 the Director and the accompanying documents, which are herewith 

 transmitted. These statements indicate plainly the inadequacy of the 

 present accommodations of the Museum. A large part of the collections 

 are, for want of room in the Museum building, temporarily stored in 

 other quarters. This separation of the collections causes not only 

 great loss of time in the work of classifying them, but great incon- 

 venience in pursuing any systematic study in connection with them. 

 In addition to this it must be stated that neither the principal Museum 

 building nor the temporary store-houses are fire-proof structures; so 

 that this valuable property of the State is exposed to the hazard of 

 destruction by fire. When it is remembered what a calamity the de- 

 struction of this large and valuable accumulation of scientific and in- 

 dustrial material, and especially of the specimens in the Museum 

 which have served as the types from which the descriptions in the 

 publications of the State have been derived, would be, the Trustees 

 feel that they cannot urge too strongly the necessity of providing new 

 and worthy accommodations for the Museum. 



The Trustees also call attention to the want of a working collection 

 of scientific books and serials for the use of those in charge of the 

 Museum and of those who resort to it for purposes of scientific study. 

 Such a collection of books is the proper accompaniment of every scien- 

 tific Museum, and is indispensable for rendering such a Museum capa- 

 ble of realizing the purposes of its establishment. Books appropriate 

 for such a purpose are not usually found in general libraries, and as a 

 matter of fact are not found, to any considerable extent, in the State 

 Library. It is therefore respectfully suggested, that along with in- 

 creased accommodations for the collections of the Museum, this im- 

 portant adjunct should not be forgotten. 



Important additions have been made during the past year in all the 

 departments of the Museum ; in part obtained by exchauges and dona- 

 tion, and in part collected by members of the permanent staff. These 

 additions will be found described in the documents annexed to this 

 report. 



The scientific staff of the Museum during the past year has consisted 

 of the. folio wing persons : 



Professor James Hall, LLD., Director, who, besides the general 

 work of supervision and direction, has given special attention to the 

 study and arrangement of the collections in Geology and Palaeontology. 



