﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  II 
  

  

  In 
  June^ 
  Mr. 
  Eaton^ 
  of 
  Canandaigua^ 
  was 
  given 
  permission 
  to 
  take 
  

   measurements 
  and 
  make 
  models 
  of 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Cohoes 
  mastodon 
  

   skeleton. 
  He 
  desired 
  the 
  information 
  in 
  his 
  work 
  of 
  restoring 
  some 
  

   bones 
  of 
  a 
  mastodon 
  belonging 
  to 
  Vassar 
  college. 
  

  

  To 
  fill 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  gaps 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  mineralogical 
  collection, 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  specimens 
  were 
  purchased 
  of 
  George 
  L. 
  English, 
  of 
  New 
  

   York. 
  A 
  list 
  of 
  this 
  purchase 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  appendix 
  to 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  A 
  valuable 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  ornithological 
  collection 
  was 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   chase 
  through 
  Ward's 
  Natural 
  Science 
  Establishment 
  of 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  Austin 
  F. 
  Park 
  collection 
  of 
  birds. 
  Most 
  of 
  those 
  purchased 
  

   are 
  young 
  birds 
  — 
  which 
  are 
  almost 
  unrepresented 
  in 
  the 
  museum. 
  

   They 
  were 
  mounted 
  by 
  Ward 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  adopted 
  by 
  the 
  museum, 
  

   and 
  have 
  been 
  installed 
  in 
  the 
  cases 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   species. 
  A 
  list 
  of 
  this 
  purchase 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  appendix 
  to 
  this 
  

   report. 
  

  

  A 
  flew 
  more 
  specimens 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  state 
  petroleum 
  from 
  the 
  

   Columbian 
  exhibition 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Capitol, 
  and 
  installed 
  with 
  

   the 
  other 
  specimens 
  on 
  the 
  third 
  floor. 
  A 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  petroleum 
  col- 
  

   lection 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  appendix 
  to 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  The 
  wall-cases 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  floor 
  containing 
  the 
  stratigraphic 
  

   g^eological 
  collection 
  have 
  been 
  cleaned 
  and 
  the 
  specimens 
  put 
  in 
  

   somiewhat 
  more 
  attractive 
  form. 
  This 
  collection 
  needs 
  further 
  

   attention, 
  to 
  fill 
  gaps 
  and 
  replace 
  inferior 
  specimens. 
  

  

  Many 
  specimens, 
  chiefly 
  geological 
  or 
  mineralogical, 
  have 
  been 
  

   identified 
  for 
  visitors 
  — 
  and 
  questions 
  concerning 
  them 
  answered. 
  

  

  The 
  need 
  of 
  a 
  proper 
  handbook 
  of 
  the 
  museum, 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  and 
  give 
  a 
  brief 
  sketch 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  sciences 
  represented, 
  

   is 
  keenly 
  felt, 
  and 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  met. 
  Such 
  a 
  pamphlet 
  will 
  add 
  

   immeasurably 
  to 
  the 
  educational 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  museum, 
  and, 
  being 
  

   carried 
  home 
  by 
  visitors, 
  will 
  keep 
  up 
  their 
  interest 
  in 
  science 
  and 
  

   tend 
  to 
  educate 
  their 
  powers 
  of 
  observation. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  ensuing 
  year 
  the 
  following 
  improvements 
  suggest 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  as 
  being 
  worthy 
  of 
  early 
  attention 
  : 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  synoptical 
  geological 
  collection. 
  

  

  2 
  The 
  advancement 
  of 
  the 
  economic 
  geological 
  collection 
  of 
  thfe 
  

   state. 
  (This 
  invaluable 
  addition 
  was 
  started 
  long 
  ago 
  and 
  work 
  

   suspended 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  lack 
  of 
  funds 
  to 
  gather 
  material.) 
  

  

  