Report on the Zoological Department. 



By William B. Marshall, Assistant Zoologist. 



For the year beginning October 1, 1890, and closing Sep- 

 tember 30, 1891, the Zoological Department of the New York 

 State Museum reports as follows : 



Early in the year, at the suggestion of the Assistant Director 

 I began work upon the Gould and Smithsonian collections of 

 shells with a view to rearranging them in more systematic order, 

 re-identifying the specimens and revising the nomenclature, and 

 replacing the old labels, which were in ordinary handwriting and 

 on very thin paper, with new printed labels of better design. 



About 500 species have been re-identified, of which some 

 have been arranged in the exhibition cases in systematic 

 order. Labels have been printed giving the generic, subgeneric 

 and specific names ; locality ; geographical distribution of the 

 species and the name of the collection to which the specimens 

 belong. The addition of the geographical distribution to each 

 label is something that, so far as I am aware, has not been 

 attempted to any great extent in any museum. A knowledge of 

 the places where a species may be found adds immensely to the 

 interest one takes in looking at natural objects. The fact that 

 our labels will give this information will make the collection both 

 entertaining and instructive. 



The collection is being arranged in the two series of table-cases, 

 occupying the middle portion of the floor. It is our design to 

 incorporate in this collection, specimens of all species of mollusks 

 in our possession, unless they are required for completing the col- 

 lection illustrating the fauna of the State of ISTew York. 

 Formerly the collection of shells which occupied this area was 

 composed exclusively of shells purchased from the late Dr. 

 Augustus A. Gould. It was very incomplete. Many species 

 which were lacking in this collection were at hand in the collec- 

 tion presented by the Smithsonian Institution and in species derived 



