REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 21 



In. the Zoological department, Mr. C. E. Hall has made con- 

 siderable collections from the Islands of Buzzard's Bay. 



In Geological collections, Mr. H. H. Smith has been employed 

 for a short time in Onondaga county, more particularly among 

 certain beds of the Hamilton Group, containing remains of 

 Fishes and Crustacea. 



Mr. G. B. Simpson has likewise been employed for a month 

 in making collections from the Clinton and Hamilton Groups. 

 Mr. Whitfield has been engaged in field collections from the 

 Niagara and Hudson River Groups. 



Eighteen boxes of specimens of ores and minerals from the 

 iron region of northern New York were collected in the month 

 of October last by J. W. Hall. This collection was made at 

 my own expense. It represents the products of that region 

 in very fine series ; and I would propose to the Board of 

 Regents that the State Museum should receive half the speci- 

 mens and assume half the expense. 



Mr. Andrew Sherwood, with the assistance of his brother, 

 has continued the investigations of the Chemung Group and 

 Catskill Mountain formations, making, at the same time, 

 extensive collections of fossils, several boxes of which have 

 been sent in during the past season. The completion of this 

 specific work, which may be expected by the end of 1874, will 

 result in a more complete and satisfactory determination of 

 the limits of the formations in the southern and south-eastern 

 counties of the State. By adopting this system of working, 

 we have not only increased, aud to a great degree perfected, 

 the collection of fossils required for the Museum, but we 

 have had the limits of the formations accurately traced, and 

 with comparatively little addition to the expense. 



It is quite true that a similar system of work should be 

 instituted in other parts of the State ; and especially in the 

 older geological formations, in which our Museum collections 

 are very meagre. This would increase our collections, rectify 

 the limits of formations formerly mapped incorrectly for want 

 of time for field work, and serve to keep up the prestige of 

 the State in geological investigations. 



I am very respectfully, 



Your obedient servant, 



JAMES HALL, 



Director. 



