REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1921. 89 



nearly fill the available space. The Cambrian collections under the 

 charge of Secretary Walcott were so condensed during the year that 

 an entire room in the Smithsonian building was made available for 

 other purposes. Assistant Curator Resser has also reduced the Cam- 

 brian collections housed in the Museum Building until they now 

 occupy the minimum of space and still remain accessible. 



Similar work on the post-Cambrian Paleozoic collections has been 

 carried on by Curator Bassler. Additional space afforded by the 

 transfer of a number of steel cases from the department of anthro- 

 pology has made possible the withdrawal of all material from storage, 

 so that all collections are now easily accessible. Lack of time, how- 

 ever, has prevented completion of the arrangement of large collec- 

 tions of Devonian invertebrates known as the Williams collection, 

 although Doctor Resser has devoted considerable time to this work. 

 The preparation and classification of 10 boxes of Cambrian and 

 Ordovician fossils forwarded by the Canadian Geological Survey 

 for study by Secretary Walcott occupied about two months of Doctor 

 Resser 's time. 



The Mesozoic collections have as heretofore been cared for by 

 Dr. T. W. Stanton, Dr. W. H. Dall has kept the biologic collections 

 of the Cenozoic series up to their usual high standard, and Dr. T. W. 

 Vaughan has cared for the numerous large accessions secured through 

 his activities. 



Miss Jessie Beach, aid, has assisted in all work on both the exhibi- 

 tion and study series where literary and clerical help were required. 

 Her duties have included reading of proof, preparation of manu- 

 script, registering and numbering specimens, and general routine 

 work of the division. 



The preparation of photographic material for illustration, par- 

 ticularly of fossil insects, cephalopods, and protozoans, often micro- 

 scopic, has as heretofore devolved on Messrs. Bassler and Resser, and 

 been executed with their customary skill and taste. 



In addition to the cleaning and rearranging necessary every year 

 exhibition work in the section has included the preparation of a 

 mount illustrating an Ordovician sea beach ; an exhibit of fossil in- 

 sects occupying one-half of an upright case; and work toward the 

 improvement of the stratigraphic exhibit of Paleozoic faunas. The 

 forms are often small and so inconspicuous to the average visitor 

 that in many cases enlarged photographs are now introduced with 

 the specimens. Experience has shown that a picture calls attention 

 to the descriptive label and this to the fossil itself. 



Dr. Frank Springer has selected from his collection an instructive 

 and showy biological series of fossil crinoids, an exhibit which occu- 

 pies two entire cases, and which can not be surpassed in any museum. 



