256 director's report 



larging camera purchased by Dr Cummings during the year 

 makes our facilities for slide making very complete. The new 

 dissolving stereopticon, also purchased by him, has been de- 

 voted entirely to the uses of the Society. 



Director of the Museum. 



•%The Director of the Museum, Miss Elizabeth J. Letson, 

 Sc. D. reported the various donations to the Museum during 

 the year including the gift by Mr. E. P. VanDuzee of the tree 

 trunk showing the work of the pileated woodpecker; the head 

 of an Asiatic Elephant given by Mr. George Bleistein and the 

 interesting and valuable collection of Ethnological material 

 from Nicaragua collected by Mr. J. F. Newell, U. S. Consul 

 and presented to the Society by Mr. Philip S. Smith. 



The long deferred work on the water lime group of fossils 

 has now been begun by the State Museum. Dr. John M. 

 Clarke, State Paleontologist and his assistant Dr. Ruedeman 

 have visited our Museum and have studied our collection mak- 

 ing the interesting discovery that ten of the Grote-Pitt type 

 specimens which were supposed to have been removed from our 

 collection still remain in our possession. Twenty six specimens 

 have been sent to Albany for their Museum study to be fol- 

 lowed by others when these are returned. 



Continued inquiries from students of Geology for fossils 

 from the Niagara Group led to a successful endeavor to secure 

 the return of our specimens which had been loaned. The local 

 outcrop of that period is now well represented in our Museum; 

 other specimens have been added by Professor Fairchild from 

 the Rochester outcrop and we anticipate that a fine and repre- 

 sentative collection will be received from a generous friend in 

 Wisconsin. The Hoyt collection of minerals, shells, etc. given 

 us last year have now been unpacked and placed on exibition. 



Our thanks are due to Mr. Richard F. Morgan for valuable 

 assistance in identifying minerals and fossils. 



In all 1784 new specimens have been added to our collec- 

 tions during the year. 



