people on the subject of our forests, now demanding so 

 large a share of public attention. 



The collections of European and North American birds 

 and mammals have recently been relabelled to conform to 

 the latest scientific nomenclature. 



Only one hundred and forty-five species of birds, and one 

 hundred and seventeen species of mammals, remain to be 

 supplied to make the American collections in these two 

 departments complete, and it is expected that most of these 

 will be furnished during the year. 



In the geological and mineralogical department, the im- 

 provements on the exhibition cases have been finished, and 

 the labelling and cataloguing of the collections is now go- 

 ing on rapidly. 



The arranging and labelling of the Wolfe memorial gift 

 of shells has also made satisfactory progress during the 

 year. 



The printed Guides to the different collections have 

 proved to be very popular. The supply has lately become 

 exhausted, and a new series to all the departments is now 

 under preparation, and will soon be placed on sale at the 

 Museum. These new Guides will be amply illustrated, and 

 cover all the latest arrangements and improvements made 

 in the collections and the halls during the past few years. 

 The small price at which they are sold places them within 

 the reach of everybody, and, in their use, the public will 

 find an easy and popular method of studying the collections. 



At the recent session of the Legislature, an appropriation 

 was made as follows : 



[Item for the Annual Appropriation Bill.] 

 "For the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, to enable him to 

 establish and maintain in connection with the American Museum of Natural 

 History in Central Park, in the city of New York, a course of free instruction, 

 to be given by the Curators of said Museum, and to be illustrated by its collec- 

 tions, to the teachers of the common schools of said city, and through them to 

 their pupils, and to the teachers of the common schools and of the normal 

 schools throughout the State who may wish to avail themselves of this training, 

 and to furnish the several State normal schools with such appliances and ap- 

 paratus as may be hereby supplied to the schools of said city, and are necessary 

 for the proper presentation to their teachers and pupils of this instruction on 

 human and comparative anatomy, physiology, and zoology, and other subjects 

 upon which the Board of Education of said city may require that oral instruc- 



