SECOND REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 1905 



7 



at this time are acquisitions of paleontologic specimens from the 

 wilderness of northern Maine, from many localities in Europe and 

 from the State of Para, Brazil; of botanical specimens from 

 Japan, etc. 



The constant influx of large amounts of scientific materials 

 necessary to the progress of the work, renders the disposition of 

 these collections increasingly difficult. So often has the Director 

 been called on to present to public notice the unfortunate situation 

 of the State collections that it is with some measure of distress the 

 matter is reopened. Yet it is important that the interested public 

 should know and the statement be reiterated that the present 

 housing of the collections is not a credit to the people and the State 

 of New York. It is evident that uninterrupted progress in acqui- 

 sition would eventually lead to crowding even if the quarters for 

 the collections remained undiminished, but the condition is aggra- 

 vated by the fact that we do not and can not retain even our ancient 

 hold on the space formerly assigned to these collections. 



The enormous growth of public business resulting in the estab- 

 lishment of new commissions and the expansion of old departments, 

 has produced a demand for every square foot of available space in 

 the public buildings at Albany. To meet these exigencies we have 

 during the past 20 years again and again contracted our 

 quarters in the face of the growth of our own work. In 1882, by 

 statute, the State Museum, having, filled the Geological Hall, was 

 ordered to acquire rooms in the State Hall as it was assumed that 

 those rooms would be vacated by removal of the financial offices 

 there to the Capitol. In pursuance of this order we proceeded to 

 take possession of rooms in the State Hall. By 1886 three rooms in 

 the basement, three rooms on the second floor, formerly occupied 

 by the Attorney General, the Canal Board and the Commissioners 

 of the Land Office, and five rooms on the third floor had been occu- 

 pied. Little by little we have had to meet the pressure from other 

 quarters by surrendering first one and then another of these rooms 

 till at the present time, after 20 years, there are left to this division 

 in the State Hall one basement room equipped with the machinery 

 and mechanical appliances of the division, and three rooms on the 

 .third floor used as offices. 



Even the Geological Hall has not been able to escape the irre- 

 sistable demand for more room and at the date of this writing we 

 have conceded to this imperative necessity two of our large exhi- 

 bition chambers, one containing the historic and invaluable mineral 

 collections, the other unique collections in ornithology. The 



