1 6 l-'ici.p CoLiMBiAN MtscuM— Reports. \'oi.. 11. 



of oviT fifty skulls of tin* rarly Hurons of Ontario. These form 

 n most valuabU' addition to the* already extensivi- collection of ostco« 

 logical material from that country. Hy purchase twelve additional 

 specimens of carved Papuan crania win- secured. Further material 

 of this nature was also secured from the University of Pennsylvania 

 by exchange ; from Mr. Fred Harvey, by gift; while the amount 

 secured by expeditions in the field was unusually large. From 

 the Paris Exposition of i9<xi about i,2oo specimens of ores and 

 minerals were received and added to the collections in the Depart- 

 ment of Geology. These included a complete series of zinc ores 

 of the United States, gold and silver ores from a number of mines of the 

 Western and Southern States, a nearly complete series of iron ores 

 of the United States, mercury ores from the United States and 

 Russia, etc. A number of Ixjnes of the Mastodon were obtained 

 from Morocco, Iiul. Three falls have been added to the meteorite 

 collection by purchase. The work in the dinosaur (|uarries in west- 

 ern Colorado was the means of adding a large (]uantity of material. 

 .\s usual the most valuable accessions in th«- Department of 

 Zoology were obtained by collectors in the field, making it possible 

 for the Curator to obtain reliable data regarding each specimen. 

 Several specimens were, however, added by purchase. The gift of 

 Messrs. Kennedy and Stevenson of a group of Mexican deer and 

 the purchase of a number of species of .\frican antelope now 

 nearly extinct must bv considered important. .\ fine specimen, 

 with the skeleton, of a sea lion sixteen feet in length was also 

 s«cured. The dispatching of .Assistant Ctirator Meek to Mexico in 

 the spring of the year resulted in the adding of over 5,000 Icthyolog* 

 ical sp»cimens. :\ report of this exp»dition is Ixing prepared for 

 publication. Over 8,ocx) entomological specimens were presented to 

 the Museum during the year and 61^3 were collected in the field. 

 The notable additions to the Departmi-nt of Botany are as fol- 

 lows: 505 European specimens, 136 Oregon specimens, 417 plants col- 

 lected by the Curator in Jamaica, 416 St. Croix plants, 1,176 Illinois 

 and Indiana plants collected and arrangi d by Prof. Umbach, 214 

 Natal plants received from the Botanical (iardens of Natal, etc. 

 Much economic material has also be«'n received and added to this 

 department, chiefly by gift, and the display contemplated in the gal- 

 leries during the next year will, it is anticipated, attract considerable 

 attention. 



Exchanges. — It is of the highest importance that this system of 

 acquiring material be extended, as it undoubtedly engenders concur- 

 rent effort in the scientific field. Collectors in the field naturally 

 obtain much duplicate material, and if it was so desirt^d several indi- 



