﻿NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  

   for 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  ending 
  30 
  Sep. 
  1897 
  

  

  The 
  honorable^ 
  the 
  regents 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of" 
  

   , 
  J^ew 
  York 
  

  

  Gentlemen: 
  During 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  the 
  museum 
  has 
  been 
  im- 
  

   proved 
  in 
  its 
  general 
  appearance, 
  and 
  the 
  collections 
  have 
  been 
  

   increased 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  degree 
  considering 
  the 
  limited 
  

   means 
  available. 
  

  

  Since 
  1893 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  musemii 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   state 
  entomologist 
  and 
  state 
  botanist 
  has 
  been 
  seriously 
  affected 
  

   by 
  the 
  abrupt 
  and 
  unexpected 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  museum 
  appropria- 
  

   tion 
  under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  regents, 
  from 
  $19,200 
  to 
  $6720.. 
  

   Although 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  sum 
  had 
  been 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  the 
  salary 
  and 
  expenses 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  geologist, 
  the 
  

   reduced 
  amount 
  was 
  insufficient 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  salary 
  list 
  alone 
  of 
  the 
  

   three 
  officers 
  previously 
  mentioned. 
  In 
  this 
  financial 
  condition 
  

   and 
  with 
  no 
  encouragement 
  for 
  prospective 
  increase 
  in 
  funds, 
  it 
  

   seemed 
  necessary 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  museum 
  by 
  sus- 
  

   pending 
  expenditure 
  wherever 
  possible 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  careful 
  husbanding 
  

   of 
  unexpended 
  balances 
  to 
  tide 
  over 
  a 
  very 
  critical 
  period. 
  In 
  the 
  

   three 
  departments 
  mentioned 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  therefore 
  limited, 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  possible, 
  to 
  that 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  small 
  expense. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  important 
  lines 
  of 
  work 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  accomplished 
  

   in 
  the 
  museum 
  without 
  other 
  expense 
  than 
  that 
  for 
  salaries, 
  was 
  

   the 
  rearrangement 
  of 
  the 
  geological 
  collections 
  which, 
  owing 
  to. 
  

   the 
  progress 
  of 
  geological 
  science, 
  had 
  become 
  somewhat 
  

   antiquated. 
  

  

  The 
  paleontological 
  collection 
  having 
  been 
  rearranged 
  during 
  

   1894-95, 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  to 
  prepare 
  a 
  synoptical 
  geologic 
  collection 
  

   which 
  should 
  exhibit 
  type-specimens 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  formations. 
  

  

  