﻿12 
  TWENTY-NINTH 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM. 
  

  

  given 
  in 
  the 
  report. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  this 
  hall 
  has 
  been 
  occupied 
  for 
  other 
  purposes 
  on 
  the 
  

   first 
  day 
  of 
  each 
  week, 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  occasions 
  requiring 
  the 
  

   removal 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  under 
  investigation, 
  has 
  greatly 
  retarded 
  

   the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  For 
  some 
  months 
  past, 
  however, 
  we 
  have 
  

   been 
  going 
  on 
  without 
  interruption. 
  

  

  I 
  consider 
  it 
  my 
  duty 
  to 
  repeat 
  now, 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  so 
  often 
  said 
  

   before, 
  that 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  proper 
  working 
  rooms, 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  want 
  

   of 
  space 
  for 
  arrangement 
  of 
  collections 
  in 
  the 
  public 
  rooms, 
  greatly 
  

   retards 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  our 
  work, 
  and 
  prevents, 
  in 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  

   degree, 
  every 
  person 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  institution 
  from 
  doing 
  as 
  

   much 
  as 
  he 
  might, 
  or 
  of 
  presenting 
  in 
  a 
  proper 
  manner 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  

   his 
  labor 
  ; 
  and 
  while 
  I 
  am 
  sure 
  that 
  every 
  one 
  is 
  willing 
  and 
  desirous 
  

   of 
  performing 
  properly 
  his 
  duties, 
  we 
  are 
  hindered 
  from 
  so 
  doing 
  by 
  

   this 
  condition 
  of 
  things, 
  and 
  the 
  public 
  are 
  denied 
  the 
  satisfaction 
  of 
  

   seeing 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  these 
  labors 
  in 
  the 
  gradual 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  

   Museum 
  collection. 
  

  

  I 
  beg, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  submit 
  for 
  your 
  consideration, 
  that 
  while, 
  on 
  

   every 
  side, 
  museums 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  are 
  being 
  built 
  up 
  or 
  greatly 
  

   extended, 
  the 
  State 
  Museum 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  after 
  an 
  existence 
  of 
  more 
  

   than 
  thirty 
  years, 
  has 
  now 
  scarcely 
  more 
  ample 
  accommodations 
  than 
  

   it 
  had 
  in 
  the 
  beginning, 
  and 
  its 
  conveniences 
  for 
  working 
  rooms 
  are 
  

   far 
  inferior 
  to 
  what 
  it 
  possessed 
  from 
  1843 
  to 
  1850. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Museum, 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year, 
  may 
  be 
  

   enumerated 
  under 
  the 
  following 
  heads 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Botanical 
  Department, 
  a 
  special 
  report 
  upon 
  the 
  work 
  done 
  

   will 
  be 
  presented 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Peck. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Zoological 
  Department 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  arrangement 
  of 
  

   the 
  Molluscan 
  collections 
  ; 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

   Mollusca, 
  and 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  alcoholic 
  specimens. 
  In 
  this 
  depart- 
  

   ment 
  the 
  Museum 
  is 
  very 
  deficient 
  in 
  subjects 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  

   prepared 
  and 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  cases, 
  were 
  means 
  afforded 
  for 
  making 
  

   zoological 
  collections. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Geological 
  and 
  Palseontological 
  Departments, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  

   a 
  rearrangement 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  series, 
  with 
  additions; 
  a 
  partial 
  

   rearrangement 
  and 
  relabeling 
  of 
  the 
  Palseontological 
  collection, 
  with 
  

   additions 
  ; 
  also 
  field 
  work 
  and 
  collections 
  made. 
  Enlarged 
  figures 
  of 
  

   fossils 
  have 
  been 
  prepared, 
  to 
  illustrate 
  the 
  characteristic 
  form 
  of 
  each 
  

   group, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  been 
  placed 
  above 
  the 
  shelves 
  of 
  the 
  

   cases. 
  

  

  