9 



ginning of a new Department of special interest to those 

 scientists devoting themselves to the study of Botany 



The Brevoort Library on Fishes and other branches 

 of Zoology, presented by Mr. Robert L. Stuart, and 

 the Jay Library of conchological works, presented by 

 Miss C. L. Wolfe, have been catalogued, and arranged 

 so that any volume or pamphlet can be referred to 

 without a moment's delay, and a librarian is now em- 

 ployed who has continual supervision over our books 

 and those of the New York Academy of Sciences. 

 These two series of volumes with moderate additions 

 every year would soon become one of the best libraries 

 in our land for those naturalists pursuing original scien- 

 tific researches. 



The Museum has commenced the issuing of bulletins, 

 of which the first has already been published : contain- 

 ing three original papers on scientific subjects. 



The lectures given by the Superintendent in the De- 

 partment of Public Instruction to the Principals and 

 Teachers of our public schools, were so constantly at- 

 tended and in all respects so successful that the Board 

 of Education addressed the Trustees a letter express- 

 ing their thanks for the instruction given, and asking 

 if a larger room could not be provided where at least 

 fifty teachers could be accommodated. Regarding this 

 as the most direct means of making a return to 

 the city for the liberal grants it has made for the erec- 

 tion and partial maintenance of their building, the 

 Trustees, at their own expense have had work-rooms 

 B and C made into a small lecture hall, and a course 

 of lectures is now being delivered by the Superinten- 

 dent upon Physical Geography, to be followed by an- 

 other course on Zoology. The interest of the teachers 



