98 REPORT or ITATIONAL MUSEUM, 1919. 



be returned once more to him for approval and thence to the adminis- 

 trative office. During the fiscal year under consideration, 206 letters 

 were thus referred. No record is kept of these for a longer period 

 than one year. Reports on material sent in for examination are, 

 however, made a matter of permanent record. We are thus able at 

 the present time to refer back to a copy of any original report that 

 has been made since the organization of the office. 



No official papers are retained in the office longer than is seemingly 

 necessary in order to obtain the information desired, or, in the case 

 of accession papers, to catalogue the material. In cases where de- 

 tailed cataloguing is not immediately possible, the entire lot is en- 

 tered under one number and the papers returned to the official files, 

 a cross reference to the original number being made when the speci- 

 ments are finally registered individually. 



The above system is an outgrowth of experience, and has been 

 found, so far as the department has information, to answer well for 

 all purposes. The failures, if such there be, are due to individual pe- 

 culiarities which can not be overcome in all cases. 



Accessions. — The additions to the collections during the year were 

 comprised in 135 accessions, aggregating a total of approximately 

 30,800 specimens classified and distributed as follows: Division of 

 Systematic and Applied Geology, 2,150 ; Mineralogy and Petrology, 

 2,600; Invertebrate Paleontology, 25,000; Vertebrate Paleontology, 

 50; Paleobotany, 1,000. These figures show a slight decrease from 

 last year in number of accessions, but an increase in individual si^eci- 

 mens. The average standard of value of the material is upheld, with 

 a marked increase over last year in that of the paleontological acces- 

 sions. There were received for examination and report 230 lots of 

 rocks or supposed mineral-bearing materials, and 26 lots of fossils. 



The accessions of especial interest are as follows : 



Systematic and applied geology. — Through Mr. Frank L. Hess, 

 of the United States Geological Survey, and honorary custodian of 

 rare earths and rare metals, numerous additions have been made to 

 the collection of ores of the rarer metals, particularly those used in 

 the manufacture of steel. Among these are several examples from 

 foreign sources, including the tungsten minerals wolframite and 

 scheelite, the latter largely in crj^stal form, from Korea, donated 

 by Mr. George R. Allen of the Chosen Mineral Co., Keijyo, 

 Korea ; wolframite from China, gift of Sir Paul Chater, Hongkong, 

 China; and wolframite from Bolivia, presented by Mr. B. Bryan. 

 Domestic tungsten ores are represented by a large specimen of 

 scheelite from AVliite Pine County, Nevada, gift of Mr. E. A. Stent, 

 San Francisco, California, and ferberite from the Katy mine, in 

 Boulder County, donated by Mr. H. Devries, Boulder, Colorado. A 



