Repository: UIHistories Project: Course Catalog - 1880-1881 [PAGE 23]

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Museum and Collectiotts.

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for the Apparatus of a Physical Laboratory; $3,000 for a Veterinary Hall, Stable, and Apparatus; $40,000 for a Chemical Building; besides smaller amounts for agricultural experiments, etc.

MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS.

The Museum already contains collections illustrating the several departments of science, unusually rich and equalled at few, if any, of the colleges of the west. Among these collections are included the following: Fossils.—Casts of the most remarkable fossils hitherto discovered in the various geological formations, illustrating the general progress of life in the molluscs, fishes, reptiles, and mammals, from the oldest paleozoic time to the present. Also a fine set of fossils obtained from Germanv, besides collections of fossils of this and other States, well illustrating the different formations, and suitably arranged tor practical study. Conchology.—A large collection of shells fully illustrating the principles of conchology as to growth, form, habits, etc., representing all the classes and orders by their typical genera and species. The fluviatile shells of the State are fully exhibited, while the specimens of marine and land shells are also abundant. Osteology.—The skeletons include mounted specimens of all the orders of birds and mammals, with the single exception of the order of proboscidea; also typical representatives of the amphibious reptiles and of fish. The Mammals comprise an unusually large and complete collection of the ruminants of our country, including male and female elk, bison, deer, antelope, etc. Also some of the larger carnivors and fur bearing animals, and numerous rodents. Ornithology.—The collection of stuffed birds is very large, including representatives of all the orders, and embracing most of the families of North America, as also a number of characteristic tropical forms. Entomology.—The collection includes about three thousand species of insects, illustrating all the orders, and giving types of numennis families. Botany.—The herbarium contains about one thousand species of plants indigenous to Illinois, including nearly complete sets