>7 



the new quarters were more contracted and were partly used as com- 

 mittee rooms by the Legislature. 



The next curator was Mr. C. H. Crantz, who was appointed in 1897 

 owing to a change in State politics. He is a native of Sweden and at 

 the time of his appointment was in business in Chicago. 



In 1903 he published a report of the museum. 



The move which came in his incumbency saw the transfer of the 

 collections from the State House to the arsenal. A few more square 

 feet of space were gained, but at the expense of dignity and beauty 

 in the surroundings. The curator was able to bring all the zoological 

 specimens under glass. But the only arrangement possible is that 

 allowed where every square inch of space must be utilized. Of his 

 term Mr. Crantz writes: 



"When I began my term as curator the Museum was located on the third 

 floor of the State Capitol, in one large and two small rooms, poorly lighted 

 and very cramped for space. These rooms, as well as the oflSce room had all 

 been used by the Legislature as caucus and committee rooms, and during the 

 sessions I had to give up my office, desk room excepted, and one of the small 

 rooms. The collection had shortly before been moved upstairs from large and 

 wejl lighted rooms on the first floor, much against the wishes of the then 

 curator, Mr. G-urley. 



The result of the smaller space allotted caused a terrible crowding of the 

 exl^ibits, on which it was almost impossible to improve, and absolutely pre- 

 vented any expanding. 



The duties of the curator up to the recent establishment of the new Geo- 

 logical Survey included those of the former State Geologist, in so far as 

 possible to perform them, without any appropriation for maintenance of field 

 work. The correspondence of the office was principally on questions relating 

 to the geology of the State and the occurrence of coal, oil, natural gas and 

 clays — the attending to which took considerable time. 



Tlje. care and arranging of the exhibits kept myself and assistant busy. 

 The collections of birds and mammals, and of insects needed constant looking 

 after to prevent damages. 



A number of old, poorly mounted specimens were weeded out and replaced 

 by new and properly mounted ones. Many species new to the collections were 

 acquired and placed on exhibit. 



A collection of birds eggs and nests was started with a small nucleus of old 

 specimens, and has grown to a very good one and representative of most 

 Illinois species — including several rare ones. 



The fossils and minerals were repeatedly gone over and cleaned. New 

 labels have been written for every specimen on exhibit — a, no mean task in 

 itself. As said above, our quarters in the Capitol were so crowded that when 

 the new Arsenal was erected and it was decided to move the museum there, 

 we flattered ourselves that we would now get much better space, but were 

 disappointed in this, and only a few hundred square feet of additional floor 

 space was available for the museum — with no space for a workroom. 



Under many difficulties the removal was made, taking fully six months to 

 complete the packing of the exhibits, taking down and rebuilding and altering 

 the cases, and arranging the exhibits. 



The small space prevented much improvement in the arrangements, but the 

 room is better lighted and the exhibits more accessible than formerly — al- 

 though to do full justice to the needs of the museum at least double the space 

 should be allowed. 



In my efforts to maintain and improve on the usefulness of the museum T 

 always had the most hearty good will and cooperation of the Board of Trus- 

 tees and office staff." 



— 2 N H 



