VIII. REPORT ON THE GENERAL MUSEUM. CONTAINING THE COLLECTIONS OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY FOR 1878. By N. H. Winchell, Curator. The work in the museum has been carried on mainly in the laboratory of the Geological Survey. In the earlier part of the summer Mr. Herrick prepared a number of thin sections of rock for the microscope, collected by the survey in different parts of the State. The excellent lathe of Mr. A. A. Julien, purchased for this purpose, with the accompanying apparatus, has proved eminently useful, and will become still more so as the laboratory work of the survey progresses. Later in the summer plants and birds were added to the museum by Mr. Herrick and Mr. Juni, and the botanical collection now assumes considerable proportions. At the same time many memoranda of unexpected localities, and variations or peculiarity in species, have been preserved for use when systematic work on these collections shall be attempted. A few plants from Iowa have been obtained of Mr. Roberts. Further collections have been made of fossils from the Trenton limestone, and also from the so-called "Northwestern limestone" of the drift in the vicinity of Minneapolis. Mr. Herrick's ornithological notes are reported to Dr. Hatch. On the return of parties from the field-work of the survey, a systematic examination and registration of the material gathered during the past six years, not previously examined and reported, was begun in the laboratory, and has been in progress up to the present time. These comprised about two hundred boxes and miscellaneous packages of specimens, some of which will require minute examination and study. This is true particularly of the crystalline rocks of the northern part of the State. For the purpose of this work, and owing to the large increase of the number of boxes the present year, another room in the basement of the University was occupied by order of the Executive Committee, and was fitted with suitable shelving and tables for storage and conve nient handling. The accompanying catalogue shows how far the registration has proceeded, and the general character of the specimens so far as examined. At the same time the work of mounting the Megatherium, mentioned in the last report, which had been temporarily re-stored in an empty case of the north room, was begun, and as much time given to it as the various other duties of the Curator would permit. It will require some weeks further time, but it will not be long now before it will be completely set up, and will constitute one of the chief attractions of the Museum. Mr. W. H. Chambers, a student in the University, has presented a fine specimen of Rock Sturgeon (Acipenser rubicundus. Le. S.) taken by him in the Mississippi, near the University. which has been mounted by Mr. Wm. Howling, of Minneapolis, and is on exhibition in the Zoological apartment of the Museum. From time to time specimens of minerals are presented to the Museum. These will be found acknowledged in the following catalogue. A circular relating to duplicates in the Museum, and to exchanges for the same, was issued in December, for distribution to parties desiring exchange. |