364 Field Columbian Museum — Reports, Vol. II. 



transfer of the lecture courses to the Art Institute made available 

 a splendid hall for this purpose, equal in size to four ordinary halls. 

 Into this the California collections have been installed in forty-eight 

 cases, and thus it becomes one of the notable exhibition halls of the 

 Museum — notable, indeed, when it is remembered that six years 

 ago the entire California collections were contained in a single case. 

 The old hall formerly occupied by the California collections became 

 available for the Haida collections. Hall No. 6 has been thrown 

 open to the public during the year, and cases have been requisitioned 

 for Hall No. 7. Considerable work has been done during the year in 

 Osteology, and while no additions have been made to the series of 

 skeletons, much has been done in other portions of the collection. 

 All of the skeletons have been thoroughly cleaned and the standards 

 and bases painted, and all defects in mounting or old workmanship 

 were corrected and repaired. The disarticulated skeletons were also 

 cleaned and arranged in cases under glass. A number of skeletons 

 and skulls that have been cleaned and macerated cannot be mounted 

 and placed on exhibition for lack of a degreasing plant. The Curator 

 decided that it would be advisable to form a new section in Osteology, 

 that of Craniology, and to carry out this idea, the various skulls not 

 belonging to any skeleton have been systematically arranged in 

 Room 25. Seventy-six skulls were especially prepared for this ex- 

 hibit and a considerable number are awaiting stands. It occurred 

 to the Curator, that, as the classificat jn of mammals is determined 

 in a great degree upon the teeth, their shape and construction, it 

 would be instructive to have a number of skulls prepared to show 

 the formation, situation and method of growth of the teeth, and 

 four have been placed on exhibition, viz.: a bear, a beaver, a horse, 

 and a walrus, representing the Orders of the Carnivora. Rodentia, 

 Ungulata, and Pinnipedia. Others will be added as rapidly as 

 opportunities offer, and, as this feature of Craniology is rather unique 

 as well as novel and useful, it is hoped it may be carried out in the 

 future and extended until not only the Orders, but also Families, and 

 sometimes species, may be illustrated by this method. Three hun- 

 dred and seven skulls belonging to specimens received have been 

 cleaned and arranged in drawers. The Coral Room is nearly in 

 complete order, and the collection has been rearranged and new labels 

 provided, so that nothing detracts the attention from the specimens 

 themselves ; and the general construction of the cases and the method 

 of installation challenges the admiration of the visitor, be he layman 

 or scientist, and has received from all quarters unstinted praise. 



