CONTENTS. PAGE. The Mosses of Caledonia Creek, by CHARLES H. PECK... The Insects and other Animal Forms of Caledonia Creek, N. Y., by J. A. Annelida Chatopoda of New Jersey, by H. E. WEBSTER... Description of New Species of Fossils from the Calciferous Formation, by C. D. REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. ALBANY, January, 1879. To the Honorable the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York: GENTLEMEN I have the honor to communicate herewith the Annual Report of the State Museum of Natural History, giving some general account of the conditions of the collections in the several departments, the additions which have been made, and the work done in the Institution during the past year; together with special communications upon subjects under investigation by persons connected with the Museum. I am able to report that the collections of the Museum in every department are in good condition, and satisfactorily arranged for the purposes of examination and study. The labeling and rearrangement of the geological collection, which in my last report I mentioned as in progress, has been completed, and the entire series is now presented in satisfactory order. The want of room for the arrangement of the rapidly increasing collections in geology and paleontology is every year more severely felt by the Director and by those aiding in the work. Under existing circumstances it is quite impossible to present any tangible evidence of the progress of our work, and it is nearly impracticable to find the means of putting on exhibition any portion of the collections which have been made, or specimens which have been specially prepared for the Museum during several years past. We are also suffering many inconveniences for the want of proper working rooms attached to the Museum, where the work of progress in all departments could be witnessed by the trustees, and by any parties interested in the prosperity of the Institution. I beg to repeat what I have said in a previous report, that we need at this time, for the proper exhibition of the geological and paleontological collections acquired during the past few years, a space equal to another story or floor of the same area as those of the present Museum; while also the crowded condition of the skeletons and osteological collections is such that we need as much more space as is now occupied by them. I call attention to these points, while knowing that it is not, at present, in the power of the Regents to grant any relief, but in order that they may appreciate the necessity which exists of doing much of the work beyond the walls of the Museum building. In the general zoological arrangement, it is a matter of very great interest and importance that the collection of birds should be rearranged, the wanting species supplied, and the whole collection labeled according to the present state of our knowledge of the subject. Beyond this, moreover, some new information is desirable regarding the general and local distribution, the migration, habits, breeding, etc., of the birds which are known as the birds of New York, as well as of those which only pass through the State in their migrations north and south. While so much attention is being given to this subject in some of the States, and especially in the Western States and territories, it is scarcely becoming that a State which gave the lead in such investigations, and in the diffusion of a knowledge of natural history, should any longer remain inert in this special department of natural science. I shall have the pleasure of presenting to your honorable body a special communication upon this subject, from which you will be able to learn in a more satisfactory manner the nature of the work to be done, and which when done will give an important rank to our ornithological collection, which at present is of little value to science. At the same time, the facts thus obtained and published will be a valuable source of information to the people of the State. Details of the additions to the Museum in its several departments will be found appended. The donations have been unusually few during the past year. To the Botanical department contributions have been received from seventeen persons, making in all fifteen hundred and fifty-two species. To the Zoological department contributions have been made by twelve persons. To the Ethnological department two contributors only are recorded. In this department, contributors to the Museum have greatly diminished in number during the past few years, from the fact that such subjects have come to have a pecuniary value; and, also, that there are numerous collectors and institutions in the State who are competitors with the State Museum. This condition of things will continue; and if it be thought desirable to increase the collections in this department, it will be necessary to make special collections, or to purchase from those who have made them. Several offers of the sale of collections have been made to the Museum during the year, but having no means at our disposal for such purposes, no present encouragement has been given to the applicants. To the Mineralogical and Palæontological department four donors are recorded. To the Library, contributions have been made by twenty societies and eight individuals, of twenty-three bound volumes, and eighty-nine in paper covers and pamphlets, all but thirteen of these being serials. From all sources, the additions to the Library have been forty-two bound volumes, and of volumes in paper and pamphlets (chiefly serials), one hundred and forty-one. A donation of the extensive botanical collection of the late Dr. Anthony Gescherdt has been kindly made to the Museum by Madame Gescherdt, through Hon. Alexander Thain, of New York. The collection contains 1,479 species, all of which are labeled. These are chiefly European species, but there are some from the United States, the West Indies, etc. A list of the species, as they were arranged in the twenty-two packages when received, has been made by Mr. Peck. This list, when fully classified, will be communicated with the report upon the State Museum. GENERAL WORK OF THE MUSEUM. In the Botanical department the accompanying report of the Botanist, Mr. C. H. Peck, will indicate the work done by himself, and the addition to the Herbarium of one hundred and sixty-five mounted species of plants which were not previously represented in the collection. insects, To the Zoological department some interesting specimens of worms, crustaceans and fishes have been added, through the collections of Mr. Lintner, at Caledonia creek, made at the request of the State Commissioners of Fisheries. Such of the animal forms as could be obtained during the winter season at this interesting locality, were carefully collected and critically studied, with especial reference to their value as fish food, and the practicability of their transplantation into other streams of the State which are less prolific in the forms so remarkably abundant at Caledonia. The results of this examination have been published in the Tenth Annual Report of the State Commissioners of Fisheries. The alcoholic collection of specimens has been in part relabeled, the jars replenished with fresh alcohol, and the recent donations and collections incorporated. To the Osteological collection there have been added about fifty specimens, including thirty-three prepared skulls. A large number of recent shells have been cut into sections for illustrating their internal structure, and about one hundred specimens of this character have been added to the collection. The additions to the Ethnological collections, filling nearly two cases, have been arranged and labeled. The series of Table-cases, containing stone or Terra-cotta specimens, occupies one hundred and thirty-six square feet of area. Several additional cases are necessary for a proper exhibition of the material. In the Mineralogical department additional work has been done upon the general collection, by the incorporation of other material belonging to the Museum. The arrangement and labeling has been completed, and the collection is now ready for cataloguing. A series of Volcanic rocks and minerals, from the Van Rensselaer collection, has been labeled and arranged in three Table-cases. The Emmons collection of crystallized minerals has been fully labeled, in conformity with the other mineralogical collections. A considerable number of duplicate minerals, derived from various sources, still remain in the drawers. The work of rearranging and labeling the geological series contained in the wall cases of the first floor, which was in progress at my last report, has been completed during the year. The collection is now accessible for examination and study. The smaller specimens have been mounted, uniformly with the mineralogical collection. The labels indicate the number of the specimen, its geological position, name, contained fossils in many instances, and locality. This collection is especially intended to illustrate the geological formations of the State, exclusive of the palaeontological collections, and some idea may be formed of the extent to which this object is carried, by a glance at the schedule below, which shows the number of labeled specimens in each formation: Onondaga Salt........................... Upper Silurian...... 10 32 110 58 Tentaculite Limestone ...... 47 56 109 Upper Pentam. Limestone.. 15 |