State Museum of Natural History, 17 



State Museum, Axbany, N. Y. 



Prof. James Hall, LL. D., Director New York State Museum : 



Sir: — I beg leave to present the following brief summary of 

 the work for the current year, ending September 30, 1890. 



Respectfully submitted, 



JOHN 0. SMOCK 



Assistant -in-charge. 



The exhibition is, in general, the same as last year. The mineral- 

 ogical collection occupies the first story rooms ; the New York 

 palseontological collections, the second story, with large specimens 

 of minerals and illustrations of dynamic geology ; the Beck col- 

 lection of minerals from the state, the antiquarian and historical, 

 and the ethnological collections occupy wall cases in the third 

 story room, also the fossils of the cenozoic and recent formations, 

 in table cases. The Mastodon remains and mounted skeleton, the 

 Irish elk, and the Wadsworth collection of casts remain as hereto- 

 fore, in their old positions on this floor ; in the fourth story the 

 zoological department is installed. The building stones are in 

 the lower main hall in shelving on each side of the entrance 

 way. During the year, through an arrangement with the secre- 

 tary of the New York State Agricultural Society, a passage-way 

 has been cut through from the third story museum room to the 

 top gallery of the rear building. It admits of an easy passage 

 from the one to the other and is a much needed improvement. 

 Through the generous liberality of the Agricultural Society, and 

 its efficient secretary, Mr. Woodward, permission was granted 

 to the Museum authorities to occupy a part of the space on 

 this top gallery. Several of the wall cases have been rear- 

 ranged and refitted with shelving and new locks. A series 

 of table cases has been put in against the west-side corridor 

 railing. The collection of woods secured for the Museum 

 by contract, from Mr. R. B. Hough, has been set up in the 

 east-side wall cases. They are not yet fully seasoned and are 

 to be dressed as soon as ready and arranged in these cases on 

 permanent exhibition. Nearly all of the remaining cases in this 

 room are filled with the Miller collection, which was placed here 

 on deposit by its owner, Mr. George D. Miller, of Albany. It 

 consists of a large amount of unique and valuable historical and 



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