92 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1919. 



satisfactor3\ The cleaning of skeletons and skulls has progressed 

 as usual, with the necessary interruption due to the change of quar- 

 ters, alluded to above. Mr. N. L. Brown completed the mounting of 

 the American tapir and the Asiatic leopard mentioned in last year's 

 report. He also tanned by hand 47 skins of large and medium sized 

 mammals, among them 3 chimpanzees, 8 antelopes, a number of 

 buffaloes, deer, etc. The tanning of valuable specimens by commer- 

 cial tanners, as has been practiced during late years is becoming less 

 and less satisfactory, and the hope is expressed that it may be pos- 

 sible to do all the necessary work of the kind in the Museum shop. 

 Mr. Brown also assisted Mr. Wood in his bird taxidermy, skinning 

 and making up 23 birds. Mr. George Marshall, besides assisting Mr. 

 Brown in much of the above work, was chiefly employed in miscel- 

 laneous work connected with the moving, cleaning, and repairing of 

 exhibits. A number of mammal skins were dismounted or made 

 over and some bird skins prepared. Toward the end of the year 

 much of his time was taken up with repairing the large collection 

 of mammal heads preparatory to their being hung on the walls of 

 the main staircase. They had suffered considerably from long stor- 

 age in unsuitable cases since the Department of Biology moved into 

 the Natural History Building. Mr. Nelson R. Wood, the bird taxi- 

 dermist, was absent from the Museum during a considerable period 

 on account of ill health. He mounted two specimens for the exhibi- 

 tion series, but was mostly engaged in making over skins for the 

 study series so valuable that they could not be entrusted to less ex- 

 perienced hands, 141 skins being attended to in all. Mr. J. W. 

 Scollick, the osteologist, cleaned 4 mammal skeletons, 82 bird skele- 

 tons, 5 reptile skeletons, 44 mammal skulls, and 52 reptile skulls. 

 Under his supervision 147 mammal skeletons and 414 slmlls, and 1 

 set of leg bones were cleaned, and 3 skeletons roughed out. JSIr. C. E. 

 Mirguet, preparator, in addition to the work incidental to moving^ 

 etc., was employed on a great variety of work, cleaning skeletons 

 and skulls of birds and reptiles, tanning of mammal skins, including 

 those of porpoise and sea-cow. He also mounted a large land tor- 

 toise for the exhibition series, made plaster cast of a type skidl of 

 bear, and changed the installation of the North American bear case 

 after the opening of the exhibition. He was lately occupied with 

 the task of hanging of the mammal heads on the walls of the main 

 staircase. Mr. William Palmer, preparator, continued his work on 

 the District of Columbia faunal exhibit. As mentioned in last 

 year's report, plans were being made for a reinstallation of the 

 District collection in the form of a series of habitat groups. One 

 of these containing turkey vultures, bobwhite, dove, wild turkey, 

 etc., was prepared as an experiment. He also completed the com- 

 plete rebuilding of the old Flamingo group, a very difficult and time- 



