10 



COMPARATIVE ZO-OLOGY. [June, 



Report of the Superintendent^ Mr. T. G. Gary. 



[Transmitted to Prof. Agassiz on his return from the Hassler Expedition.] 



The matter of most importance which required attention 

 after your departure, was the alteration in the interior of the 

 oldest part of the Museum. The staircase which led from 

 the working-rooms below, through the exhibition-rooms to 

 the attic, was taken out and the apertures closed. The re- 

 moval of these stairs adds very much to the available space, 

 both in the rooms for exhibition, and in the working-rooms, 

 and enables us to close all the doors which were formerly 

 necessary as a means of communication from one side of the 

 buildino: to the other, all the rooms in the buildino: beino: now 

 reached by the central staircase. This secures privacy in the 

 working-rooms, and keeps the students' room, and the lecture- 

 room and library free from intrusion. 



The library was found to be too small for the increasing 

 number of books, but the floor was so strengthened by an 

 iron brace in the middle of the room, as to allow the addition 

 of three sets of shelves, which gives ample room for the 

 library in its present state. The light in the room has been 

 much improved by painting all the woodwork and the iron 

 supports white. 



The unfinished state of the new portion of the Museum has 

 made an economy of room very necessary, and a number of 

 partitions of rough boards have been put uj) for the reception 

 of such specimens as were ready for exhibition, but could 

 not be displayed for want of proper cases. These enclosures 

 are unsightly, but great care is taken to keep them clean, and 

 for the present they cannot be dispensed with. 



The raising of the roof in the older part of the building 

 has given a very large room for storing dry specimens, books, 

 materials for our publications, &c., <S:c., and it would be very 

 desirable to have this room kept especially for this purpose. 



The attic of the new building, with the exception of the 

 two rooms used for fossil plants and for South American 

 palms, is used as a store-room for the collection of skeletons 

 in Dr. Maack's charge. Much valuable room is lost here by 

 the necessity of having the car of the elevator always in the 

 attic, while not actually in use. The same, loss of room 



