178 Field Museum of Natural History — Reports, Vol. V. 



studied. A full series of labels was provided with which white silk 

 threads extending from each element to its label indicate definitely the 

 several parts. The contents of several cases in Hall 59, containing 

 chiefly vertebrate Miocene fossils, were rearranged, largely in order to 

 admit new specimens which had been worked out in the laboratory. 

 The most important of these was a mount of the posterior half of a 

 skeleton of the rare Oligocene aquatic rhinoceros, Metamynodon. This 

 was moimted in relief on a slab three and one-half by five feet in size , 

 the texture and color of the slab being made to imitate as far as possible 

 the matrix from which the bones were taken. Each bone was also 

 mounted so as to be easily removed from the slab whenever this may 

 be desired for purposes of study, or otherwise. Other newly prepared 

 specimens installed in these cases were, skulls and lower jaws of the 

 rare Oligocene ungulate, Protoceras celer, and the same of the Oligocene 

 suilline, Perchoerus. The large model of jaws of the fossil shark ex- 

 hibited in Hall 60, was found to be imdergoing injury on account of too 

 much handling by visitors. It was accordingly removed to an alcove 

 and a railing placed in front of it. The position of others of the large 

 moimts in this hall was also changed in order to give wider passageways 

 and better protection. In this connection the opportunity was improved 

 to repair injuries which had been caused to many of the large mounts 

 in this or adjoining halls by too great inqiiisitiveness of visitors. 

 Moimts so repaired included those of the Glyptodon, Hadrosaurus, 

 Colossochelys, Uintatherium, Carcharodon and Mastodon. The large 

 case of Miocene fossils formerly in Hall 60 was moved to Hall 61 and 

 the skull and partial skeleton of Teleoceras received during the year 

 as well as some smaller specimens were installed in wall cases in 

 the same hall. Work in the paleontological laboratory was hindered 

 by the absence of the preparator during a large part of the year, but 

 nevertheless a ntimber of valuable specimens were either worked out or 

 mounted, or both. Among the specimens thus prepared in the laboratory 

 dtiring the year were the Metamynodon, Protoceras and Perchoerus 

 mounts already mentioned, a skull and jaws of Parahippus, portions of 

 a skeleton of Megacerops, a number of canine teeth of the saber-tooth 

 tiger and bones of the Mammoth. Some specimens received in exchange 

 also were given treatment necessary to insure their better preservation. 



In reclassifjdng the serial or synoptic collection of mammals in the 

 Department of Zoology, many duplicates were eliminated and various 

 other specimens, which it is now evident will not meet the standards or 

 needs of the installations planned for the new Museum building, have 

 been transferred to the reference collection or disposed of otherwise. 

 Among these are a considerable number of mounted mammals prepared 



