Page Five 



NEW LABORATORIES AND STORAGE ROOMS for 



the Dopartments of Fish(\s, of Reptiles, of Ainphi])ians, of 

 Insects, aiul of ()ee:ui Life (Top Floor). 



The Trustees suhscrilKHl ni()r(^ than $600,000 towards the 

 erection of these two essential l)uil(lin<2;s and $200,000 was 

 appropriated by the City, and they would now be completed 

 and full of their beautiful and radiant contents had it not 

 been for the Tijrannomurus rex of Potsdam and his followers. 

 It is hard to realize that one group of men in far-distant BerUn 

 could send out a withering blast on the scientific progress of 

 the whole world, from which it will take half a century to 

 recover; but such is actually the case. The American Mu- 

 seum as an integral part of world progress in science has felt 

 the check. The museums of Germany, of Austria, and of 

 France are fairly prostrated and present scenes of poverty, 

 destitution, and neglect which are too pitiful to describe. 

 Our Curator Matthew will have some impressive stories to 

 tell when he returns from his wonderful tour of all the mu- 

 seums of Europe, excepting those of Russia. 



In this long intervening period since the last wing was 

 completed, just at the beginning of my administration, the 

 Museum has redoubled its activities, with its exploring and 

 collecting parties in all parts of the world. No continent, 

 excepting Australia, has remained unvisited. No oceanic 

 waters have not been traversed by our hardy and enter- 

 prising explorers. The result is that our storerooms are con- 

 gested with wonderful collections which we have no space to 

 display. But this in our opinion is not the worst. We are 

 teaching false science and false natural history by placing in 

 juxtaposition in the same halls specimens and exhibits which 

 belong very far apart. If a Permian reptile is placed near a 

 group representing the evolution of the horse, the innocent 



