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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Ethnology- 

 Iii ethnology material progress has been made in relabeling 

 and rearranging the collection of Indian relics purchased under 

 the supervision of A. G. Richmond. This work was done uuder 

 my direction by J. N. Nevius, who, after completing the arrange- 

 ment of the new material so far as possible, completed the trans- 

 fer of the Indian relics for many years exhibited on the third 

 floor of Geological hall, to the new cases in the corridor of the 

 fourth floor of the capitol. 



General zoology 



The work of the museum in Geological hall for the past fiscal 

 year has been marked by several new and important features. 

 Among the principal of these should be mentioned the work of 

 Dr Marcus S. Farr, who was temporarily employed in December 

 1898 and formally appointed assistant in zoology, after a com- 

 petitive civil service examination, in July 1899. 



In the work of the department Dr Fair's energies have 

 been devoted almost exclusively to the care of the collections 

 of vertebrate zoology. His first work was in preparing for 

 exhibition the material gathered by Dr Tarleton H. Bean, 

 who during the preceding field season was occupied in making a 

 collection of fishes of New York in the waters of Long Island. 

 As this collection had been left for several months in weak 

 alcohol, several changes and nitrations of the preservative were 

 necessary before the jars were ready to be placed in the <^ases. 

 86 species are here represented, 1 all New York forms, forming a 

 very interesting and attractive exhibit and materially supple- 

 menting the earlier collections of fishes. Altogether 190 species 

 are now represented in our collections exclusive of foreign 

 species. Owing to the fact that little systematic work had been 

 done in vertebrate zoology for some time, all the collections 

 needed careful attention. 



The bird collection has been very carefully studied. All the 

 identifications have been verified and some few corrected. A card 

 catalogue of the entire collection has been prepared, showing a 



"■See 52d an. rep't N. Y. state mus. p. rl2. 



