12 
to find a basis of agreement between Commissioner McDonald 
and the Trustees of the Columbian Museum as to the general 
purposes and policy of the aquarium, and to secure the safety of 
the collections during the period of readjustment and _ reor- 
ganization. 
«TI should add as anitem of information which may be of inter- 
est to you, that it is now agreed that in case the arrangement here 
proposed is not made, the collections shall be placed in charge 
of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History (of which I 
am Director) for distribution to the public high schools and edu- 
cational institutions of the State of Illinois. I very much pre- 
fer, however, such disposition of them as may result in a perma- 
nent, living, active scientific institution of the first class, so 
related and supported as to give us a fair assurance ot its develop- 
ment in:accordance with the importance of its field and the great- 
ness of the city which it will represent. 
‘“T am further authorized by Commissioner McDonald to 
say that if such an institution be provided for in Chicago, he will 
be glad to undertake to establish in connection with it a first- 
class fishcultural station of the United States Fish Commission, 
on condition that grounds can be found for such an institution. 
If this idea was carried out, we should have, practically in one 
institution, a popular aquarium of the first class, a biological 
station maintained in the interests of science, and a Fish Com- 
mission station devoted to the practical application of aquatic 
zoélogy. Such an association of kindred undertakings would 
greatly reduce the cost of maintaining each, as many of the 
facilities and much of the apparatus could be adapted to all 
three as readily as to one alone.” 
The Museum Trustees were eventually obliged to decline 
the proposed gift, owing to a lack of funds secured and available 
for either immediate or permanent maintenance, and owing also 
to the incompleteness of the Museum plans and organization at 
that early date, and I therefore made an identical proposition to 
the South Park Commissioners. In the meantime, in order to 
facilitate the final disposition of the aquarium material, and to 
make sure that it would be properly utilized in any event, an 
arrangement was made for its transfer, November 1, to the State 
Laboratory of Natural History, and I was so notified October 25 
by the following telegram from Commissioner McDonald: 
