112 itEroirr of xatio-X.vl musel^m, rj20. 



I'oiigh as contrasted with the cut stones, and artificial and imitation 

 stones. In an upright case between the windows at 'tlie center of 

 tlie hall are many semi-precious stones such as are utilized in the 

 manufacture of small ornaments rather than as objects for personal 

 adornment. It may be added that in buildino- up the collection, an 

 attempt luis been nuide to shoAV the possibilities of common-place 

 material: that there are a goodly number of stones, in themselves 

 of little intrinsic value, which, Avhen properly cut and mounted, are 

 not merely beautiful but have the additional value of ])eing out of 

 the line of the usual material sold in the shops. In this connection, 

 particular attention ma}^ be called to the cabochows of silicified 

 wood, ()l)si(lian, epidotic granite, and the green feldspar, amazon- 

 stone. 



licsearcJicfi. — As may readilv be inferred from what has "'one 

 Ijefore, but a limited portion of the time of the scientific force can 

 be devoted to research. The head curator has continued his work 

 on meteorites, as in previous years, under a grant from the National 

 Academy of Sciences. "With the able assistance of Miss Mpodey, he 

 has also prepared and submitted for ])ublication a handbook and 

 catalogue of the gem collection, which, it is exjiected, will be issued 

 during the coming year. 



JNIr. Earl V. Shannon, assistant curator in the division of economic 

 geology, has carried on a number of investigations, a ])ortion of 

 which have an economic bearing. A voluminous manuscri])t on the 

 minerals of Idaho, based in large part on Museum material, is 

 practically finished, and a crystallographic study of the datolites of 

 Westfield, Massachusetts, is well along toward completion. Materials 

 collected in Connecticut during the autumn haNc been investigated 

 and made the subject of two papers, one on triplite from Chatham 

 and the other a lengthy study of the minerals of Long Hill, in 

 Trumbull. Shorter investigations on minerals of the chlorite group 

 include anal3'ses and the optical examination of amesite and corundo- 

 phylite from Chester, Massachusetts; of chromium bearing chlorites 

 from California and Wyoming; and of stil])nomelane from New 

 Jersey. A new mineral, bismutoplagionite, has been described. 

 Mineralogical examinations in the reserve series of ores have re- 

 sulted in the preparation of papers on boulangerite and bindheimite, 

 both of which were sliOAvn to be more common oie minerals than 

 heretofore supposed. 



Assistant Curator Foshag of the mineral department has investi- 

 gated a considerable number of minerals and submitted for publica- 

 tion papers on sulphohalite, glaserite, hydrotalcite, and the hydro- 

 talcite group of minerals, thaumasite, spurrite, and hematite. Some 

 excei)tional specimens received in the department have been made 



