REPORT OF THE CURATOR. 



To the Honorable Governor Charles S. Deneen, and Board of Trustees: 



Gentlemen— I beg herewith to present a statement of the contU- 

 tion and needs of the museum, to call attention to some points in 

 other institutions of like character, and to outline work which seems 

 to promise usefulness. 



The museum contains a large amount of valuable material and 

 represents the wotk of five curators and their assistants for a period 

 of more than fifty years. It is a valuable heritage. 



At present it is not possible to state the money value of the col- 

 lections, since a large part of the materials are inaccessible and it 

 has not appeared to be. advisable to undertake the task of inventory, 

 since it would be impossible to do so with any completeness. However, 

 the specimens now on exhibition in the museum are worth many 

 thousands of dollars. Among them are materials that could not be 

 purchased and for that reason their value could not be stated. 



The writer is pleased to report that upon his assumption of the 

 duties of the office September 15, 1906, he found that the specimens 

 were in a clean, well kept condition, provided with written labels, and 

 contained in cases which are good for protection and preservation. 



The different departments of natural history are about equally well 

 represented. A cursory view shows that good judgment, has been 

 used in the acquisition and display of materials, so that the animal and 

 mineral kingdom are about equally represented. The botanical speci- 

 mens are not on exhibition, though the museum contains a Herbarium 

 which represents a great amount of labor. 



There are two cases exhibiting about four thousand shells ; one case 

 of fish containing^ specimens in alcohol, stuffed specimens, skeletons, 

 and well made c&sts, together about one hundred and fifty examples ; 

 good corals and sponges; three cases of birds, containing about a 

 thousand well sfufFed specimens representing especially the birds of 

 Illinois; a good collection of birds' eggs; one case containing about 

 eighty mammals, stuffed specimens and skeletons ; a fair collection of 

 minerals and rocks; and a very perfect collection of invertebrate 

 fossils. Archaeology is represented by samples of pottery, arrow 

 heads, axes, and sample chipped instruments. ' , 



Lack of Space Most Pressing Need. 



The space at the disposal of the museum is so small that a large 

 part of the minerals, rocks and shells, have not been moved to the 



