﻿84 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  A 
  group 
  of 
  Sora 
  rail 
  has 
  been 
  completed 
  and 
  awaits 
  casing. 
  

  

  A 
  family 
  of 
  black 
  bears, 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  female 
  with 
  two 
  cubs, 
  

   and 
  a 
  male, 
  is 
  being 
  mounted 
  by 
  the 
  Ward 
  Natural 
  Science 
  Estab- 
  

   lishment, 
  after 
  sketches 
  submitted 
  by 
  Mr 
  Charles 
  Livingston 
  Bull. 
  

   The 
  female 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  an 
  attitude 
  of 
  protection 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  

   against 
  the 
  possibly 
  unfriendly 
  intentions 
  of 
  the 
  male. 
  Mr 
  Bull 
  

   entitles 
  his 
  drawing 
  " 
  The 
  Intruder." 
  

  

  The 
  Taxidermist 
  is 
  engaged 
  upon 
  a 
  mount 
  of 
  the 
  muskrat 
  and 
  its 
  

   haycock 
  nest, 
  showing 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  interior. 
  

  

  The 
  Zoologist 
  has 
  continued 
  his 
  studies 
  of 
  the 
  Arachnida, 
  and 
  has 
  

   completed 
  a 
  synoptic 
  check 
  list 
  and 
  key 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  known 
  acarians, 
  

   phalangids, 
  pseudoscorpions, 
  pycnogonids 
  and 
  xiphosurans 
  occur- 
  

   ring 
  within 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  our 
  State. 
  This 
  work 
  will 
  be 
  offered 
  

   for 
  publication 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  illustrative 
  diagrams 
  have 
  been 
  pre- 
  

   pared, 
  and 
  will 
  be 
  followed 
  shortly 
  by 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  spiders 
  

   compiled 
  last 
  year, 
  which 
  requires 
  some 
  additional 
  keys, 
  thus 
  giving 
  

   a 
  complete 
  index 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  knowledge 
  of 
  our 
  arachnid 
  fauna. 
  

   In 
  the 
  prosecution 
  of 
  this 
  labor 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  impressed 
  by 
  the 
  need 
  

   for 
  systematic 
  work 
  upon 
  our 
  species 
  of 
  mites, 
  and 
  especially 
  the 
  

   gall 
  mites, 
  or 
  Eriophyidae. 
  As 
  an 
  appendix 
  to 
  the 
  check 
  list 
  he 
  is 
  

   preparing 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  mite 
  galls 
  and 
  their 
  host 
  plants 
  

   recorded 
  from 
  this 
  country, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  forms 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  the 
  collections; 
  of 
  this 
  list 
  of 
  nearly 
  150 
  forms 
  of 
  galls, 
  

   only 
  about 
  one 
  fifth 
  have 
  had 
  their 
  mites 
  described 
  and 
  named. 
  A 
  

   collection 
  of 
  pressed 
  specimens 
  of 
  these 
  mite 
  galls 
  has 
  been 
  com- 
  

   menced 
  and 
  contains 
  many 
  interesting 
  Cecidia. 
  A 
  large 
  collection 
  

   of 
  the 
  spiders, 
  mites 
  and 
  other 
  arachnids 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  now 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  for 
  study. 
  

  

  The 
  reserve 
  collection 
  of 
  Unionidae, 
  or 
  fresh-water 
  mussels, 
  has 
  

   been 
  partially 
  rearranged 
  and 
  made 
  available 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  illustrating 
  

   the 
  forthcoming 
  report 
  on 
  those 
  forms. 
  This 
  rearrangement 
  

   should 
  be 
  completed 
  as 
  rapidly 
  as 
  possible. 
  It 
  is 
  already 
  evident 
  

   that 
  the 
  State 
  collection 
  of 
  these 
  forms 
  is 
  unusually 
  large 
  and 
  sym- 
  

   metrical, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  its 
  scattered 
  condition 
  did 
  not 
  reveal. 
  

  

  The 
  Zoologist 
  terminated 
  his 
  official 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  museum 
  

   on 
  September 
  15th, 
  but 
  his 
  interest 
  and 
  good 
  will 
  still 
  bind 
  him 
  

   to 
  it, 
  and 
  he 
  hopes 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  check 
  lists 
  above 
  mentioned 
  at 
  

   an 
  early 
  date. 
  

  

  Birds 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  The 
  first 
  volume 
  of 
  this 
  work 
  covering 
  

   the 
  general 
  and 
  introductory 
  discussion 
  and 
  specifically 
  the 
  accounts 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  birds 
  with 
  39 
  plates 
  in 
  color, 
  is 
  practically 
  ready 
  to 
  

  

  