42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
Work of the assistants and taxidermist. Within the period 
covered by this report the Division of Zoology has had and lost the 
services of two well-trained and capable assistants. It is very evi- 
dent that the time has passed when a skilled worker may be retained 
at a salary less than that paid to clerks and stenographers. As assis- 
tant to the zoologist, Augusta Wolf worked over the entire collection 
of invertebrates, identified and labeled the extensive phalangid series 
and’ contributed largely to the preparation of manuscript catalogs of 
spiders, amphibians and reptiles. Miss Wolf resigned in September 
1923 to accept a teaching position and was succeeded by Maria 
Seguin. Routine work of the office—cataloging, preparation of 
specimens for study and exhibition purposes, etc.— occupied the 
time of Miss Seguin from the time of her appointment until 
February 15, 1924, when she tendered her resignation. 
The taxidermist, Arthur Paladin, has devoted much of his time 
to cleaning the mounted specimens of birds and mammals in Zoology 
Hall and restoring the small habitat groups that have suffered from 
time and exposure to strong light. 
Suggestions for development. Inthe New York State Museum, 
material for exhibits in zoology has been selected chiefly from those 
groups of animals whose representatives are comparatively large and 
conspicuous and which lend themselves readily to effective treatment. 
Other groups of no less interest to the Museum-visiting public have 
been neglected, not only because of lack of exhibit space but because 
they require, in their proper presentation, the treatment and handling 
that can be given only by a specialist trained in modeling and cast- 
ing and the preparation of accessory group material. It is obviously 
impossible to have satisfactory group work done outside the 
Museum by workmen unacquainted with the limitations of the 
Museum. Under the conditions imposed by the lack of space and 
properly designed cases, and suitable systems for the control of light 
and reflection, it is impossible to display much interesting material 
already in the collections. These conditions may be remedied by 
adding to the staff of the Division of Zoology a trained and experi- 
enced preparator, by replacing certain ill-designed cases with others 
better adapted for special exhibits and finally, by supplementing the 
present overhead system with lighting units placed in the separate 
cases. 
The State Museum, and particularly the Division of Zoology, has 
not kept pace with similar institutions in making its resources fully 
available for the use of teachers and students in nature study and 
