Oct.  1896. 
Annual  Report  of  the  Director. 
this  work.  Hall  78,  salts,  asbestos,  etc.,  has  been  completely 
re-arranged  and  the  collections  placed  in  logical  order,  while  a  col- 
lection illustrating  the  manufacture  of  soda  has  been  added  from 
storage.  Hall  77,  clays,  sands,  cements,  etc.,  has  also  been  com- 
pletely re-arranged,  while  some  of  the  inappropriate  material  such  as 
tiling,  etc.,  has  been  transferred  to  the  Department  of  Industrial 
Arts.  Hall  76,  the  metallurgy  of  iron,  has  received  attention,  and 
when  the  collections  of  test  specimens  is  completed,  the  collection  of 
malleable  castings  now  in  storage  added,  etc.,  the  Hall  will  be  in 
excellent  shape.  A  large  geological  section  of  the  oil  fields  has  been 
added  to  the  wall  of  Hall  71,  Petroleum.  The  Department  of  Indus- 
trial Arts  has  made  noticeable  progress  and  improvements  through 
re-arrangement  and  new  material  installed,  transfers  from  other 
departments,  etc.  Two  cases  for  knitting  machines  have  been 
installed  in  the  alcove  of  Hall  30;  coin  cases  have  been  added  to  the 
installation  of  the  alcove  of  Hall  33,  while  Higinbotham  Hall  has 
been  practically  re-installed,  much  interesting  and  valuable  material 
added,  new  wall  and  upright  cases  provided,  etc.  In  Ceramic  Hall, 
several  new  cases  have  been  added,  one  striking  collection  of  old 
Sevres  porcelain  being  provided  with  a  large  case  for  the  center  of 
the  room.  Additions  have  been  made  to  the  Division  of  Agricultural 
Implements  in  the  alcove  of  Hall  31.  In  the  Division  of  Transpor- 
tation, Boat  Hall  and  Hall  40  (Pack  Animals)  have  been  thoroughly 
overhauled,  the  models  repaired  and  improved,  and  new  models  pro- 
vided, while  the  original  locomotives  in  the  extreme  East  Annex  have 
been  cleaned,  and  a  suitable  preparation  applied  to  all  of  the  metal 
work.  The  Egyptian  boat,  presented  by  Mrs.  McCormick,  has  been 
installed  in  the  extreme  end  of  the  East  Court,  and  surrounded  by  an 
iron  railing,  mounted  upon  ways,  etc.  The  Department  of  Zoology 
has  been  entirely  re-modeled  during  the  year,  Hall  20  being  provided 
with  a  new  set  of  cases  of  mahogany  and  plate  glass,  and  the  Depart- 
ment extended  into  the  West  Court.  In  the  center  of  this  Court  has 
been  placed  groups,  and  the  sides  occupied  by  molluscan  collections. 
A  new  wall  case  has  been  provided  in  Hall  21  for  the  butterflies  which 
have  been  re-mounted  and  to  accommodate  the  Ryerson  Himalayan 
collection  now  being  worked  over.  All  of  the  birch  cases  in  this 
Department  have  been  stained  to  conform  in  color  with  the  new 
mahogany  cases,  and  a  vastly  improved  appearance  is  the  result. 
The  working  rooms  of  the  Department  in  the  second  South  gallery 
have  been  re-furnished  with  storage  shelves,  poisoning  boxes,  chests, 
etc.  The  growing  collection  in  the  Department  of  Ornithology 
necessitated  the  provision  of  more  space,  which  was  accomplished  in 
