﻿Reports of Curators and the Custodian. 



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Cincinnati. April 1, 1884. 

 Cincinnati Society of Natural History: —The department of Con- 

 chology is one of the most attractive in our Museum, and while the addi- 

 tions to the collection during the past year have been comparatively few, 

 being some twenty-five species only, still a number of these have been rare 

 and attractive ; amongst the number being the rare and valuable species 

 Voluta junonia, kindly presented by Mr. T. H Aldrich. A great number 

 of specimens still remain undisplayed — this being specially true of the 

 Lamellibranchs, and particularly of the Freshwater Shells — the cause being 

 a lack of case room. In my report last year I urged upon the Board the 

 necessity of additional case room for the display and care of these interest- 

 ing and attractive specimens, and I would again respectfully request the 

 purchase of either additional flat cases, such as we now have, or of drawers 

 with glass tops, as are used in the Philadelphia Academy. Our library 

 also lacks books of reference on the subject of Conchology, and a small 

 sum might be judiciously expended in purchasing such books as would 

 not only assist the custodian, but prove of value to the members. 



Respectfully, Ed. M. Cooper, 



Curator of Conchology. 



Cincinnati, April 1, 1884. 

 Mr. President : — The undersigned begs leave to report that during the 

 past year very valuable additions have been made to our splendid Her- 

 barium, which has been very carefully arranged according to Bentham & 

 Hooker's sequence of orders, affording complete facility for the ready ex- 

 amination of the specimens which now number nearly 3,600 species ; a large 

 collection of seeds and a fine variety of specimens of woods have been added, 

 besides some forty-seven species of pine cones, collected by the late Dr. 

 Warder, many of them mounted in handsome wall cases. Very valuable ad- 

 ditions also to the library have been made in this department, so much 

 needed, and supplying the long felt want. We now have Bentham k Hooker's 

 .Genera Plantarum, Sach's Text-Book of Botany, Gray's Flora of North 

 America, McAlpin's Botanical Atlas, and Chapman's Flora of the Southern 

 States, and as our large Herbarium has quite outgrown the old and very 

 defective case, we would most respectfully urge the necessity of having a 

 new one constructed on the most approved plans and in every way suitable 

 and worthy of our growing collection. 



Very respectfully, Dr. 0. D. Norton, 



Curator. 



