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work thus far accomplished is unequaled by that of any other 
department for a similar period. It is believed that the collec- 
tions already equal in importance those secured by other Insti- 
tutions through many years of effort. The plan adopted in the 
display of this material is unique, many new features having been 
introduced. The intention to form a great collection to represent 
the evolution of the mammals of North America is being suc- 
cessfully carried out. 
Thus far the expeditions to the Rocky Mountain Region have 
secured one thousand four hundred and eighty-eight specimens. 
During the past season the explorations were continued under 
Dr. J. L. Wortman, and the material collected gives very gratify- 
ing results. The latter part of the trip was spent in the Bridger 
Basin, Wyoming, and here the greatest success was met with, 
fifteen perfect skulls having been obtained. The expedition 
also secured some of the remains of the monkeys, horses, 
tapirs, primitive rhinoceroses and rodents of this period, many 
of which were in an unusually perfect state of preservation. 
The most notable specimen in the collection is the complete 
skeleton of a large Carnivore of the size of a tiger, which has 
been mounted upon a stone panel, and is the most perfect speci- 
men of the kind ever found. These fossils are being placed tem- 
porarily in two cases in the hallway of the Geological floor 
pending the construction of the East Wing. 
A new system of descriptive pictorial labels has been designed 
for the collections in this department. Each large label will 
show a restoration of the animal, and smaller labels give figures 
of the skeleton showing in black the portion displayed. To 
supplement these pictorial labels, a series of ideal scenes of the 
geological periods represented have been prepared, showing land- 
scapes and groups of animals characteristic of each. 
The services of Professor Henry F. Osborn as Curator of this 
department are gratuitous, the department being further assisted 
by an annual contribution from W. H. Osborn, Esq. 
Department of Archaeology and Ethnology. — Much 
time was consumed in the work of revising and comparing the 
original catalogues with the later ones prepared for the depart- 
