1887.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 417 



REPORT OF THE CURATOR OF THE WILLIAM S. 

 VAUX COLLECTIONS. 



The Curator of the William S. Vaux collections respectfully 

 submits his fifth annual report to the Council of the Academy : 



The collections are in good order and condition. No change has 

 been made since the report of 1886, except such as would necessarily 

 result from the introduction of the new specimens added to the 

 collections. 



During the year 156 specimens were purchased at a cost of $638.00. 

 To accommodate the increase, $44.60 have been expended for two 

 new cases. 



The collections consist at j^resent as follows : 

 Number of mineral specimens as per report of 1886, . 6,630 



Purchased during the year ending November 30, . . 156 



Total, ........ 6,786 



Archseological specimens (same as reported in 1886), . 2,940 

 The growth of the collections since they came into the Academy's 

 possession has been as follows : 



Specimens purchased in 1884, 60 



Specimens jxirchased in 1885, ..... 104 



Specimens purchased in 1886, . . . . . . 114 



Specimens purchased in 1887, 156 



Total, 434 



The aggregate cost of these has been . . .. $2086.70 



Among those purchased during the present year most worthy of 

 special notice may be mentioned a Stalagmite of Aragonite. This 

 specimen measures 4 ft. 4 in. in height, and weighs about 100 pounds. 

 It was taken from a cavern in the Organ Mountain, New Mexico, 

 and is believed to be an unusually fine example of stalagmitic for- 

 mation. Other interesting specimens are a fine grouj) of Rutiles 

 from Georgia, remarkable for their high lustre and sharp angles of 

 crystallization ; a large specimen of Wulfenite from Arizona, the 

 stone matrix of which is 6 by 8 inches, coated over with beautifol 

 red translucent crystals of Molybdate of lead ; a large specimen of 

 Stibuite from Japan, weighing 125 pounds, consisting of a group of 



