1872.] 



SENATE— No. 249. 



7 



sils of the primordial era. It is intended to put aside a set of 

 fossils for the Normal Schools. 



Mr. St. John has undertaken the arrangement of the Carbon- 

 iferous Fossils, and made a beginning with the fossil fishes of 

 that formation, of which he has brought to the Museum the 

 finest collection I have ever seen. 



Mr. Lesquereux has so far completed the arrangement and 

 identification of the Fossil Plants, that this part of our collec- 

 tion only awaits the finishing of the new building, and of the 

 cases in which they are to be put up, to be made accessible to 

 the public. 



We now lack only a monographer of the secondary fossils, to 

 complete the arrangement of our palgeontological collections. 



Mr. Bicknell continues to make microscopic sections of Sea 

 Urchins, spines, shells, teeth and the like, alternating with the 

 arrangement of the Foraminifera and other minute shells, of 

 which large supplies are among our miscellaneous collections. 

 The appointment of Mr. Bicknell as assistant to the Museum 

 has been considered important, as collections of preparations 

 such as he makes are too much neglected in most Museums. 



Professor Wilder has been intrusted with the task of putting 

 up a special collection of anatomical preparations to illustrate 

 the structure and economy of our domesticated animals, with 

 a view to complementing the instruction in our agricultural col- 

 leges. Prof H A. Ward is to prepare a series of skeletons of all 

 the breeds of horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, <fec., <tc., for this pur- 

 pose, a large number of which are already completed in his 

 hands, and will shortly be exhibited in the Museum. 



The preparation of the last number of our illustrated cata- 

 logue, and the facility with which valuable specimens, received 

 in a fresh state, may be reproduced for future publication, with 

 all their characteristics, have satisfied me of the great advan- 

 tage we enjoy over other Museums in having an artist constantly 

 engaged in this work. Mr. Roetter has been chiefly occupied, 

 during last summer, with the drawing of fish embryos, with a 

 view of helping those engaged in fish-breeding ; and he has 

 nearly completed the plates for the forthcoming number of the 

 illustrated catalogue of our Echini, prepared by Mr. A. Agassiz. 



Mr. Konopicky has drawn the plates for Mr. Cabot's Neurop- 

 tera, and is now engaged with those of Mr. Hyatt's Embryology 

 of Ammonites. 



