362 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
doubtless have a good representation of the mammalian fauna 
of the State. The Agricultural College has a fairly complete 
series of the birds of the State, either mounted or in skins, also 
considerable collections of reptiles and insects. The museum of 
the Davenport Academy has a more local object and its museum 
is espcially rich in anthropology. It will be seen that in no 
place in the State is there a collection especially devoted to ex- 
hibiting the resources of the State, ’ ’ etc. 
While some institutions have made strides in the direction 
suggested twenty-five years ago by Professor Osborn, the colleges 
of Iowa have lagged sadly behind and some college museums 
have deteriorated rather than improved. May not the coming 
twenty-five years mark a distinct advance in the development of 
the museum as an educational factor in our colleges, and an at- 
tractive as well as valuable center for the dissemination of the 
truths of nature. 
Biological Laboratory, 
Coe College. 
