MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 45 



REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF VERTEBRATE 



PALEONTOLOGY. 



By Charles R. Eastman. 



The period embraced by the following report dates from the 

 1st of January of the present year, when the Assistant was ap- 

 pointed. Owing to the absence of a special custodian for this 

 Department, it has only been possible for a number of years past to 

 store the numerous accessions to the collection in trays, in prac- 

 tically the same condition in which the material was received, — 

 sometimes, indeed, without removing it from the original wrap- 

 pers. It was therefore necessary thoroughly to overhaul, clean, 

 rearrange, and distribute the contents of each tray in the collection 

 according to the families and genera represented. Up to the pres- 

 ent time a number of the individual collections (such as the Ennis- 

 killen, Stock, Haeberlein, and Damon collections, etc.) had been 

 kept intact, one label on the outside of the tray serving to indicate 

 the source and general nature of the contents. These collections 

 were left undisturbed until the general arrangement was com- 

 pleted, when they too were broken up and the material distributed. 

 In all cases where the specimens were unmarked, care was taken 

 to provide new labels specifying the locality and name of the 

 original collection. No time was spent, however, in determining 

 unidentified specimens beyond families or genera, one label on the 

 outside of the tray sufficing as before to indicate the name of the 

 family or genus, and the geological horizon. Neither was any 

 attempt made to care for broken or oxidized specimens. But 

 during the coming year it is proposed to go through the whole 

 collection again, labelling and repairing all specimens in need 

 of attention. Pains will also be taken to select such materials 

 as may be deemed suitable to be placed on exhibition. With the 

 material now on hand, it will be possible to fill up the Mesozoic 

 Exhibition Room in such, manner as shall make it fully as inter- 

 esting and instructive to the general public as the much frequented 



