ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 



1912. 



To the Trustees of Field Museum of Natural History: 



I have the honor to present a report of the operations of the Museum 

 for the year ending December 31, 191 2. 



The progress of installation during the year, especially in Asiatic 

 and Philippine Ethnology and in Zoology — the latter including a 

 number of large bird and animal groups — has so encroached upon the 

 rooms reserved for storage purposes and so congested certain halls, that 

 it has been found necessary to reopen the West Annex, which had been 

 vacated in anticipation of the commencement of the construction of the 

 new Museum building, and by the time this report reaches the Board 

 the four scientific departments of the Museum will be provided, for 

 the present at least, with ample storage and preparators' work rooms. 

 The Joseph N. Field Expedition to the South Pacific Islands has con- 

 cluded its work under Mr. Lewis, and upon his return, soon expected, 

 the vast amount of material received by the Museum as a result of his 

 survey and collections will be catalogued, labelled and prepared for 

 installation. It is estimated that this material will fill four or five halls. 

 The Curator of the Department of Anthropology, who has been absent 

 on a protracted leave of absence, returned to his duties in June and the 

 inspiration given to the work of that Department by the personal 

 presence of its Curator is quite apparent in the references elsewhere 

 made to the progress of that Department. Mr. Fay Cooper Cole, 

 who conducted so successful an expedition to the Philippine Islands, 

 has been appointed Assistant Curator of Physical Anthropology and 

 Malayan Ethnology. Mr. S. Chapman Simms has, upon the approval 

 of the Curators of the scientific departments, been appointed by the 

 Director, Curator of "The N. W. Harris Public School Extension of 

 Field Museum," and the work of preparation — in selecting type cases, 

 character of unit collections, etc. — is well advanced. The suite of the 

 Curator of Harris Extension has been established in the southwest halls 

 of the West Annex. Assistant Curator Owen is completing his work 

 among the Hopi in Arizona, under the Stanley McCormick Fund. Mr. 

 Huron H. Smith, who has been in the field collecting North American 

 Forestry for the past three years, having completed his work, has 

 returned and is now in charge of the preparation and installation of 



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