ON THE STATE CABINET. 15 



to the judgment of the director of the museum. It may "be mentioned, 

 however, that modern science would demand the creation of the following 

 series of collections : 



A. Three series of geological specimens. 



(a.) A lithological series, illustrating the succession of rocks with their 

 fossils throughout the world. ^ 



(b.) A geographical series, in which the formations of each state or geo- 

 logical area should be exhibited. 



(c.) An economical series in its fullest meaning. 



B. A paleontological collection, embracing all genera and species of 

 fossils, together with their living analogies, arranged for critical paleonto- 

 logical or zoological studies. 



C. A zoological collection. This, besides being completed for the State, 

 should be ext«ended as far as practicable, especially in those classes and 

 orders which afford most assistance in the investigation of fossil organisms. 

 It should be well provided with skulls, skeletons, dissections and .micro- 

 scopic preparations. 



D. A botanical collection, completed for the State and extended beyond 

 this as far as practicable. All the vegetable productions and structures 

 embraced in the museum of the State Agricultural Society, would be iiatu- 

 rally included in this department. With a scientific view, this collection 

 should be made rich in those orders which present the nearest approaches 

 to the vegetable life of the ancient world. 



4. The accumulation'of stores of duplicates in every department of the 

 museum should be a prominent object. Such accumulations are useful, 



(a.) In determining the geographical range, and the specific variations 

 caused by age, sex, locality, geological epoch or other causes, and thus 

 settling upon the true specific characters, and especially in furnishing the 

 materials for the solution of the higher problems of biological science. 



(6.) For exchanges with other, museums and with individuals. It would 

 be useful to imitate the example of the Smithsonian Institution by sending 

 out series of authentically labeled fossils to the museums of Europe and 

 America. 



5. ItjWQuld be judicious for the museum, and extremely advantageous U> 

 the educational interests of the State, to take especial pains to distribute 

 authentically labeled series of geological specimens to such colleges of the 

 State as maintain a professor of geology and a geological cabinet. The 

 same may be said of zoological and botanical specimens. 



6. No student or officer connected with the operations of the museum 

 should have the right to maintain a private cabinet. 



' 7. Every specimen in the exhibition rooms should be so labeled as to 

 convey to the visitor the greatest possible amount of information in the 

 space allotted ; and the rooms should be kept ppen to the public without 

 charge during certaiia regular^ hours. 



