4 
each Illinois genus. The insects contributed to the museum, 
collected during the past year, amount to 1,375 specimens, belong- 
ing to 720 species, 447 genera and 102 families. These specimens 
were all collected within the State by my assistants. They have 
been labeled both with name and locality, and regularly arranged, 
so that they require only to be transferred to the museum drawers, 
whenever these shall be provided. We have also prepared and sent ~ 
to Springfield (all mounted and properly labeled) 750 species of the — 
flowering plants of Illinois, and have now finished the preparation 
of about 300 species more. A full series of our cryptogams, most 
of which have been named by Prof. Peck, of the New York State 
Museum, will be sent to Springfield as soon as the work upon them 
now in progress can be completed. It is impossible at the present 
time to give more than a very loose estimate of the number of 
species contained in this collection, but they probably cannot fall 
short of 500 species. 
STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. 
The law requires the State Laboratory of Natural History to fur- 
nish, as far as practicable, all zodlogical and botanical material 
needed by the State educational institutions for the proper per- 
formance of their work. By the term “State educational institutions, ” 
we have thus far understood the two Normal Universities and_ the 
Industrial University at Champaign. The amount appropriated for 
this purpose was too small to permit special expeditions for the 
supply of these institutions, and it has seemed that it could be 
most profitably used by merely collecting additional amounts of 
such material as the general operations of the laboratory made it 
possible for us to secure. As the specimens accumulated for this 
purpose have not yet been fully worked up, I can only’ estimate 
their numbers. We shall be able to send to the Industrial University 
at Champaign, and to the Southern Illinois Normal School, at least 
75 species of alcoholic fishes and several hundred species of phaeno-— 
gamic and cryptogamic plants. To the former of these institutions 
we can also furnish about 700 species of insects. That part of the 
appropriation for the supply of the State educational institutions 
which properly belongs to the Normal University at Normal, has 
been used chiefly for the purpose of completing the collection of 
bird skins for the use of students, and for the supply of material 
for dissection by the classes in zoology. 
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS. 
We have used every opportunity for the accumulation of material 
for the public high schools, and have secured many thousand 
specimens for this use. The appropriation was only sufficient to 
enable us to linger a little longer at the best localities for collect- 
ing, or to engage, now and then, a little additional assistance. No 
purchases have been made, and no special trips have been under- 
taken for this purpose. The work on the material collected is still 
in progress, and accurate numbers cannot be given at present. 
We shall certainly be able, however, to distribute this winter 30 
sets of specimens of fishes, insects, and crustaceans and marine 
