3^4 Field Museum or Natural History — Reports, Vol. V. 



pTovc<l to make some modifications in the positions of the Umes which 

 study had shown would more correctly represent their rclaiit)ns. Some 

 rcodjustmcnls of the installation of the mctcroite collection have been 

 „...!.. ;., ..- i.-r to introduce new spcdnuais and group more closely the 

 ^>scs. Packing of exhibited specimens has been carried 

 on OS rapidly as possible during the year, and as a result the contents of 

 two hundred and forty-one cases have been made ready for shipment, 

 leaving only thirty-eight cases still to be packed. In addition, the work 

 of packing the remaining study and stored collections has been carried 

 on and brought to completion except for some specimens now stored in 

 the basement. Practically all material exhibited on bases, such as the 

 large fossil vertebrate mounts, has also, with the exception of the large 

 dinosaur, been disassembled as far as was necessary and made ready for 

 transportation. In choosing the sequence of collections for packing, 

 those in halls somewhat removed from the main passageways were taken 

 first, in order that the movements of visitors might be interfered with 

 as little as possible while the work of packing was going on. All but 

 three halls of the Department have now been closed to the public, and 

 their contents packed. In these three remaining halls many of the 

 specimens have been packed in such a way as to make them still available 

 for observation. In packing, owing to uic weight and hardness of 

 many of the specimens on exhibition in the Department, it was found 

 necessary to remove most of them from the cases and place them in 

 boxes of sizes and shapes suitable for their transportation. In so doing 

 considerable attention was paid to recording the position of the speci- 

 mens in the cases in such a way as to ensure their rapid and accurate 

 reinstallation on their arrival at the new building. For this ptirpose 

 each case was given an arbitrary number which includes the temporary 

 number of the hall to which the case is to be sent in the new building. 

 This number has also an absolute value, and is to be retained for the case 

 even if another location for the case should be decided upon. Before remov- 

 ing the specimens from the case, each specimen was given a number showing 

 the location of the specimen within the case, the numbering being in a 

 uniform order for each case, where the specimens were installed in such 

 a Tnftnner as to permit. Thus a number 3-10 indicates that in rein- 

 stallation the specimen is to be placed on the third shelf from the top 

 of the case and tenth in position from the left end of the shelf. A label 

 bearing this installation number is wrapped with each specimen and on 

 the reverse side of the corresponding printed label a similar number is 

 penciled. In some cases the installation numbers of the specimens were 

 m arke d on slips which were then fastened in the cases in the positions 

 vhich the specimens occupied. In other cases, especially where the 



