162 [Assembly, 



This volume was originally intended to embrace a revision of the 

 genera of the class Brachiopoda, with illustrations of the generic 

 and structural features, together with the microscopic shell struc- 

 ture of all the genera. There is still much work to be done in the 

 collection and preparation of material and its illustration before the 

 volume can be regarded as in a forward state toward completion. 

 I have heretofore called attention to our deficiencies in this respect, 

 and the necessity of making farther collections for this work. 



As soon as volume VI shall be published, the work on volume 

 VII will be pushed rapidly forward. 



While the removal to the State Hall has been accepted as a most 

 gratifying result of the past efforts to secure the occupancy of work- 

 ing rooms and museum facilities, there are some considerations which 

 should not be lost sight of in our felicitations, or in our estimate of 

 what may be accomplished in the future. 



The buildings and working rooms, which were originally pro- 

 vided at my own personal cost, and at first fitted up, and for a long 

 time maintained, from the same source, were located so far from 

 the busy part of the town that we were free from interruption and 

 pursued our work in a quiet way. For many years my own work 

 began as early as six o'clock in the morning, often earlier, and was 

 continued late at night. The rule for my assistants was eight 

 o'clock in the morning. 



It was this system of earnest and unremitting labor of my assist- 

 ants, draughtsmen, lithographers and myself through so many years 

 prior to 1881 that accomplished an amount of completed and pre- 

 paratory work in lithographed plates and manuscript which in 1883 

 made it possible to define the limits of the work, and to promise 

 the completion of these volumes of palaeontology within any 

 definite period of time. 



In the later years conditions have changed, the system of work 

 broken in 1881 will never be revived. My assistants wish to 

 recognize public office hours, my own energies are not equal to 

 what they have been in years past, and therefore an allowance 

 in time must be made for the completion of this work. Beyond 

 these things there remains the fact that we shall now be located in 

 public offices, subject to many interruptions, and it will be quite 

 impossible to carry on our scientific investigations in the quiet and 

 seclusion of past years. 



