1871.] SENATE— No. 327. 7 



Seals and the Mammalia and Winter Birds of Florida have 

 been printed and distributed. The paper of Mr. Allen on the 

 Seals is accompanied with remarks by Mr. Charles Bryant and 

 •with plates neatly drawn by Mr. Paul Roetter, who has, more- 

 over, since prepared the plates for the paper on Corals, by Mr. 

 Pourtales. Mr. Konopicky is now engaged upon the plates for 

 the paper of Mr. Cabot on the larvae of Gomphidaa. 



In addition to this kind of work several officers of the Museum 

 have given lectures or special instruction to the undergraduates 

 as well as to the special students of the Scientific School and in 

 the university course. Since my sickness Professor Shaler has 

 taken charge of the whole course of instruction given to the 

 undergraduates, while I have only retained the supervision of 

 the instruction of the scientific students. Prof. Perry has de- 

 livered a special course upon the geology of Massachusetts in 

 the university course. 



The general policy pursued during the whole year, in con- 

 sequence of our limited means, has been to foster such opera- 

 tions and do such work as requires knowledge and personal 

 application, while requiring only small outlays of money ; but 

 the time has come when it will be indispensable for the further 

 increase of the Museum to make extensive purchases of objects 

 which money only can procure. 



In anticipation of the final arrangement of the collections in 

 that part of our building which is now in course of erection, 

 regular conferences have been held among all the officers of the 

 Museum, in which we have carefully discussed the questions 

 which may have an influence upon our future progress. Among 

 the topics which have especially engaged our attention, I may 

 mention : Cooperation with other institutions in this country, 

 with a view of avoiding useless or costly competition ; nomen- 

 clature, with a view of determining the best mode of labelling 

 the specimens ; structural collections, as contrasted with zoolo- 

 gical series ; the arrangement of the library, with the special in- 

 tention of facilitating the work of identification by the curators 

 of the different departments, when it was agreed that all the 

 special treatises should be kept in the rooms in which special 

 work is done, and only general works remain together in the 

 library. It is hoped by thus bringing books and specimens 



