16 Forty- fifth Report on the 



from other sources. These latter were stored away in drawers, 

 and were practically inaccessible to the public, and their exis- 

 tence was comparatively unknown to students. By combining 

 all the shells in our possession, except the Mazatlan collection, 

 which has restrictions attached to it, we hope to form a collec- 

 tion which will reflect credit upon the institution and be far more 

 instructive to the public. As the work of rearrangement pro- 

 gresses from year to year, it is proposed to publish a catalogue 

 ot the collection. 



"With this report is furnished a catalogue of the family Muricidae 

 as defined in Tryon's Manual of Conchology. (See Appendix.) 



The series illustrative of the molluscan fauna of the State of New 

 York is in progress of rearrangement and enlargement. The 

 same general method has been applied to this as to' the general 

 collection. The Long Island shells presented by Temple Prime 

 and the collection which has heretofore been known as the State 

 Series are to form the nucleus of the State collection. So far as 

 possible, specimens exhibited in this series are from localities 

 within our own State. In some cases, however, specimens from 

 localities far distant have been incorporated to avoid gaps. To 

 make room for this collection the Beecher collection of Unionidae 

 has been very much contracted, the duplicates having been placed 

 in drawers. 



Eecently the ground glass in the ends of the entire suite of 

 upright floor-cases, containing birds and small animals, has been 

 removed and replaced by a good quality of double-thick clear 

 glass. The ground glass thus obtained has been used to replace 

 the painted glass in the windows east side of building and in the 

 southeast and southwest corner. The paint on the panes in the 

 end sashes of wall-cases on the north side of the room has been 

 removed. These changes have resulted in a great improvement 

 in the illumination of the Zoological floor, and in making the 

 general appearance of the room more attractive. The clear glass 

 in the ends of the case enable one to obtain views of portions of 

 specimens which cannot be seen from the front. The walls and 

 ceilings of the northwest wall-case and the large west wall -case 

 containing the moose, bisons, etc., have been washed and 

 kalsomined. 



