308 DIRECTORY OF AMERICAN MUSEUMS 



Botany. Cryptogams, 2330; Phanerogams, 26,083. There is a 

 fairly complete collection of mushrooms of the Milwaukee region. 

 The phanerogamic herbaria consist of a Wisconsin collection and a gen- 

 eral systematic collection. There is a small collection of plant fibers. 



Educational Collections. The museum has for loan to the 

 schools, 10 collections of mounted lepidoptera, each containing 20 

 specimens; 61 mounted mammals; 696 mounted birds; 47 collections 

 of minerals and rocks, each containing 40 specimens; 7 archeological 

 collections, each containing 22 specimens. There are 1885 lantern 

 slides for lectures delivered at the museum to school children. 



Geology. Minerals, on exhibition, 5324+-, in storage, 26741b ; 

 Rocks, on exhibition, 45o±, in storage, 5o±; Dynamic geology, 

 relief maps, models, etc., 181. The collections are strong in coppers 

 and associated minerals, and there is a fair representative collection 

 of the iron ores of the Michigan- Wisconsin region and a fair synoptic 

 collection of meteorites . There is on deposit a very fine collection 

 of coppers and associated minerals from the Lake Superior region. 



Paleontology. Invertebrates, on exhibition, 12,639+, in stor- 

 age, i7io±, types and figured specimens, 28; Vertebrates, on exhibi- 

 tion, 811, in storage, 35+, types and figured specimens, 1; Plants, 

 on exhibition, 244, in storage, 251b, types and figured specimens, 2. 

 The collection includes a skeleton of Mastodon, skulls of Titanotherium, 

 etc., casts of skeletons and restorations of Megatherium, Glyptodon, 

 Plesiosaurus, Ichthyosaurus, etc. 



Zoology. Shells, on exhibition, 20,000+, in storage, 8i,539±; 

 Insects, on exhibition, 777, in storage, 73,428, types and figured speci- 

 mens, 181; Other invertebrates, on exhibition, noo±, in storage, 

 1155+; Fishes, on exhibition, 300, in storage, 509; Batrachians, on 

 exhibition, 46, in storage, 170+; Reptiles, on exhibition, 185, in stor- 

 age, 9621b; Birds, on exhibition, 3292, in storage, 63 11; Mammals, 

 on exhibition, 523, in storage, 1449. Other collections include prep- 

 arations and series illustrating developmental stages, evolution by 

 environment, artificial selection, protective coloration and form, 

 mimicry, and individual variation ; enlarged models of insects ; examples 

 of insect architecture; and a collection of Wisconsin pearls. Special 

 attention has been given to insects, birds, and mammals. There 

 are 8 large and 30 small groups of mammals, and 7 large and 55 small 

 groups of birds exhibited in natural surroundings.. 



Historical Sketch. The museum had its beginning in 1882 

 in the acceptance by the city as a gift "in trust to be kept, supported 

 and maintained by said city, as a free museum for the benefit and 



