1870.] 



SENATE— No. 170. 



11 



the Museum. Hitherto the public has accepted to a great de- 

 gree on my assurance alone, without ocular proof, the immense 

 wealth of our collections. The projected additions to the 

 building once completed however, the mounted specimens "and 

 those otherwise prepared for exhibition fairly laid out, it will 

 then be possible for any intelligent visitor to judge not only of 

 the riches of the Museum, but to trace also the plan of its or- 

 ganization and the ideas I have attempted to illustrate in its 

 general arrangement. But to preclude possible disappoint- 

 ment, I would add that while I hope no true lover of nature 

 will ever come to our Museum hereafter without learning some- 

 thing, while he has at the same time his eye and taste gratified, 

 yet the object of our institution is not that of popular exhibition. 

 Its highest aims are the advancement of science by original re- 

 search, the opening of practical instruction in Natural History 

 on the largest and most liberal terms to students, and as in- 

 cluding and comprehending all lesser views, the attempt to 

 illustrate so far as the present state of our knowledge renders 

 it possible, the plan of creation as shown in the history of organ- 

 ized beings from the dawn of life on earth till now. 



I lierewith submit the special reports of Messrs. J. A. Allen, 

 H. A. Hagen, J. G. Anthony, N. S. Shaler, J. B. Perry, G. A. 

 Maack and T. R. Stahli, officers of the Museum in charge of 

 special departments, as parts of my own. In absence of Mr. 

 Alex. Agassiz, who is travelling in Europe on account of his 

 health, I have no special report to present concerning the de- 

 partment of the Radiates. 



L. AGASSIZ. 



Report on the Mammals, by J. A. Allen. 



As mentioned in the last Report, all the skins of the Mammals 

 were catalogued and systematically arranged last year. Early 

 in the present year the condition of the entire alcoholic collec- 

 tion was examined, and spirits added where there had been a 

 loss by evaporation or leakage. A few weeks since the 

 systematic arrangement of this collection was commenced, and 

 several hundred specimens of those uncatalogued have been 



