20 XEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Publication. Besides the publications pertaining to the old 

 department, a list of which issued during the year is given on a 

 previous page, we have also issued and distributed one bulletin 

 entitled Lower Silurian system of eastern Montgomery county ^ New 

 York, by E. E. Cumings, and Notes on stratigraphy of the Moliaioh 

 valley and Saratoga county, Neiv York, by Charles S. Prosser, ac- 

 companied by a geologic map of the Amsterdam quadrangle of 

 the topographic sheet. There are also in type and near comple- 

 tion bulletin no. 39^ containing a series of paleontologic papers by 

 the paleontologist, G. B. Simpson, and Dr F. B. Loomis, and a 

 memoir on the Oriskany fauna and formation, by the paleon- 

 tologist. 



Work on collections. The general collection of fossils in the 

 State hall has in certain part been reviewed, and selections made 

 for a permanent reserve for exhibition purposes. This work, 

 however, it has not been practicable to forward as rapidly as 

 could be desired, on account of pressure of other duties and the 

 lack of necessary assistance. Under existing conditions nearly 

 all the work that we can hope to do on this collection consists in 

 the displacement of material already in the drawers to make room 

 for current accessions coming in from field workers and requiring 

 immediate study. The want of drawer space renders it impera- 

 tive frequently to box up material of good quality in order to 

 make temporary room for collections which may be actually of 

 inferior grade but which must be rendered accessible in order to 

 allow examination and report. Eventually a considerable part of 

 this material can be permanently packed away in boxes, and the 

 more desirable acquisitions left accessible. This necessary 

 operation compels us to disturb the systematic arrangement of 

 our large general collection, as it is not always practicable to 

 .find drawer space at the proper place in the series. 



Synoptic collection in Geological hall. No attempt has been made 

 to remodel or rearrange the collection of paleozoic fossils which 

 has for so long constituted the exhibition collection of this de- 

 partment. Some spaces in the collection which were left un- 

 filled and others in which the order was disturbed or seemed an 



