1895-] 507 [Annual Meeting. 
it may pass by degrees to this higher level of occupation and 
possibly finally make investigation its chief object. The entire 
museum -v^-ill reflect such a spirit as this, and it may be safely 
asserted that its future will be better assured than by any policy 
of a more practical nature, which simply aims at the so-called 
completion of departments. 
The Curator also desires to call attention to the crowded con- 
dition of the museum. There is not room enough for the guide 
to work effectively on the main hall floor. The entire center of 
this floor is crowded by the cases containing the mammals 
donated by the Boston Museum. We have finally got to a place 
in our histor}' when it has become impossible to make farther 
progress without either adding to the building or floormg over 
the main hall. This latter plan would involve the least expense, 
and would enable us to accommodate the collection of mammals 
and unite and exhibit our entire New England collection which 
is now scattered, each department of the museum having its own 
New England collection. 
The museum has been visited on days when the public is not 
admitted by 12 teachers and 206 pupils, representing 15 schools. 
TeaCHIXG IX THE MuSEUM. 
The work in this department was continued uninterruptedly 
by Mr. A. W. Grabau on Wednesdays and Saturdays for the 
remainder of the month of May after the annual meeting and 
in June (with the exeeptioiY of June 17, a public holiday). 
The teaching is always omitted dm-ing July and August, but 
it was resumed again on the second public day in September and 
continued without interruption through September, October, 
and November. December, January, Februar}^, and March 
were necessarily omitted. The Museum not being heated, tlie 
weather is too cold to allow the work to be continued through 
the winter. The lecturing was resumed on the first pubhc day 
of April, 1895, and has been carried on since. The attendance 
has been good throughout, and the interest of the visitors has 
been steadily increasing, many of them coming several times 
to hear the same talk. Two cases are known to me where 
