6GG 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



for preserving these in more permanent form. Dr Ruedemann has 

 taken charge of the electrotyping of such material, and we are 

 now getting copper replicas of these types which will withstand 

 destructive agencies. 



Preservation of plaster casts. Many of our plaster replicas of 

 type specimens are too large for satisfactory electrotyping. These 

 are being hardened and rendered more durable by treatment with 

 ammonium borate. 



Record of localities. No systematic record of localities of col- 

 lections of fossils made previous to the year 1857 exists. All 

 specimens of fossils added to the state museum from American 

 localities have since that date been marked by tickets of orange 

 paper attached to them and bearing numbers referring to locali- 

 ties as entered on the record. With very few exceptions no 

 foreign localities have been entered on previous records. In the 

 copy of the first book of record made about 1873 is the following 

 memorandum: " This book contains a record of the collections 

 of fossils made for the paleontology of the state and for the state 

 museum of natural history either by myself or by persons em- 

 ployed by me; and all collections made with means or money in 

 any way provided by the state, so far as yet arranged, are here 

 recorded. Every specimen is marked with an orange colored 

 ticket on which is written or printed a number after the manner of 

 those appended below. These numbers refer to localities which 

 are described under the corresponding numbers on the pages of 

 this record. An alphabetical index of localities with reference 

 to the numbers is likewise added, occupying pages 1-26 inclusive. 

 James Hall." 



The locality numbers of this early record were consecutive from 

 no. 1 upward and the localities were entered without special 

 regard to geologic sequence. This record closed with the number 

 900. The continuation of the record thereafter began with the 

 number 1001; and, with the purpose of entering localities accord- 

 ing to geologic sequence, an assignment was made of definite local- 

 ity numbers to each geologic formation. Thus 100 numbers were 



