HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM 



Cambrian, estimated at 40,000,000 years ago. He passes into the 

 gallery surrounding the rotunda and is introduced to the AGE OF 

 FISHES by a collection of living fishes, which, in turn, will lead him 

 into the East Transept devoted to later palaeozoic times, or close of the 

 Age of Fishes. Here the Museum is rich in the Newberry Collection, 

 deposited by Columbia University, and, through the Dodge Fund, 

 is in a position to acquire and arrange most instructive exhibits of the 

 life of this great period of time. 



The East Entrance Hall may be partly devoted to exhibits of the 

 larger fishes of modern times and to the Carboniferous and Permian 

 periods, when the AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES first make their 

 appearance on the earth. This is the Age of the Coal Formations, and 

 mural decorations, illustrating the Carboniferous or Coal Period and 

 its rich flora will be appropriate. Following this is the Permian in 

 which we have unsurpassed collections. The next hall in the Southeast 

 Wing leads us into Jurassic times and may be known as the FIRST 

 HALL OF DINOSAURS, for which imposing materials have already 

 been assembled, namely, the great Brontosaurus and other giant reptiles 

 of this period. Splendid specimens of these animals, as yet unmounted, 

 from the Museum's expeditions and from the Cope Collection pre- 

 sented by Mr. Jesup, await the space which a new hall will afford. In 

 the south end of the same hall one may pass into that long period of 

 time known as the Middle Cretaceous, when the Rocky Mountain 

 region was beneath a series of shallow seas which swarmed with 

 MARINE REPTILES, over which hovered various types of flying 

 reptiles and primitive birds. Again, the collections now in the Museum, 

 those unprepared and those being brought together by our western 

 expeditions, are ready to fill a considerable space. The visitor now 

 passes into the Southwest Pavilion, which will be known as the 

 SECOND HALL OF DINOSAURS, and which will portray the second 

 and final great period of dinosaur life in North America. Here we are 

 now ready to make a most imposing display of Iguanadons, giant carniv- 

 orous reptiles, or Tyrannosaurus, great horned dinosaurs and the small 

 forms of life from this remarkable period. The flora of this period is 



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