BEPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1921. 105 



tion taken from the hammer-beam roof of Westminster Hall, Lon- 

 don, England, during recent repairs to this famous building. The 

 roof was built under the orders of Richard II, in 1399, and the oak 

 used therein must be anywhere from 900 to 1,000 years old, or more. 

 The roof beams and timbers of this historic structure were found 

 to be so weakened by the attacks of larvae of a boring beetle, Xesto- 

 hiwn tessellatuni^ known as the " death watch," that portions of the 

 timbers were removed and the roof supported by an invisible steel 

 reenforcement. The section of timber presented to the Museum is 

 valuable from an historical and entomological standpoint, and in 

 addition shows the beauty of the wood itself, the old craftsman's 

 work, and the durability of British oak when used in heavy con- 

 struction. The Museum also received for exhibition with the speci- 

 men photographs and drawings of Westminster Hall and its roof 

 structure, which indicate the spot from which the specimen was 

 taken, together with a copy of a report by Sir Frank Baines, upon 

 the history and repairs to the roof of Westminster Hall and the 

 methods undertaken to combat the ravages of the beetle. 



Specimens and photographs of balsa wood, a material weighing 

 but little more than half as much as cork, were presented by the 

 American Balsa Co. (Inc.), of New York City, These include a 

 cross section of the trunk of a young balsa tree, Ochroma lagoj^us, 

 a squared piece of balsa timber, and an ice-cream container made of 

 this recently developed wood to demonstrate its value as a non- 

 conductor of heat. The utilization of the wood of this quick-grow- 

 ing tropical American tree has been brought into prominence during 

 the last few years. The manufacture of buoyancy and insulation 

 products, such as life rafts, refrigerators, and parts of lifeboats and 

 airplanes, especially in connection with the war with Germany, has 

 become very extensive. Eighty thousand floats made of balsa wood 

 were used in constructing the 250-mile submarine mine barrage in 

 the North Sea. 



The Muskegon Machine Co., Muskegon, Mich., contributed a series 

 of 23 specimens representing the work of an industry that goes hand 

 in hand with present-day conservation methods. These, the products 

 of the Linderman dovetail glue jointer, are small samples of what 

 is being done in the way of building up automobile running boards, 

 doors, etc., chair seats, moldings, columns, frames, and countless other 

 things from small pieces of wood, much of which has been hitherto 

 classed as waste and has been conveyed under the boilers to be used 

 as fuel. 



A series of specimens showing steps in the manufacture of willow 

 baskets was contributed by Mr. Andrew Kessler, of Washington, 

 D. C. Mr. Kessler personally made the baskets and parts by hand 



